The MGM Muthu Hotels, a European hospitality conglomerate, is a popular name in the Kenya’s hospitality sector.
The group owns some of the country’s most popular hotels, including Lake Naivasha Country Club, Keekorok Lodge in Masai Mara, and Nyali Beach Hotel and Spa in Mombasa.
MGM Muthu Group was founded by Dr. Manuel Gnana Muthu (MG Muthu), an Indian industrialist from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Born in 1935 to a poor family of laborers, MG Muthu attended school briefly before quitting due to lack of school fees.
Media sources have it that the late billionaire joined his father to work as a headload worker at the age of 17, loading and offloading ships that docked at the Chennai harbor.
It was not long before he learned the dock business and started offering logistics services to small-scale clients.
He built a strong customer base, thanks to good customer service, paving the way for a new venture.
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In 1967, MG Muthu formalized his business, setting up MGM Anand Transport, a logistics company that grew to win many Tamil Nadu government and private contracts at Chennai Port.
He later, in the 1990s, formed MGM International Exports, which expanded his logistics services into actual import-export of goods in and out of India.
The group then ventured into hospitality, fast food restaurants, and amusement parks across India before expanding globally.
The group currently offers various services including Logistics, Hospitality, Liquor and Distillery, Housing, Infrastructure, Movie Production, Entertainment, Packaging, Fast Foods, and International Trade.
Billionaire MG Muthu died in 2018 leaving his business empire under the management of his two sons MGM Maran (Director and Promoter) and MGM Anand (Group Managing Director).
Under their management, MGM Muthu Group has grown to over 50 hotels and resorts in Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland, France, India, Cuba, and Kenya.
In August 2023, they acquired the Warwick Hotel in Nanyuki, a 78-room gem set against the backdrop of Mount Kenya and Ol Pejeta. They later leased and reopened the 4-star Silver Springs Hotel located along Valley Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi.
Silver Springs Hotel, associated with the families of the late Aggrey Wahome and Kenya’s third President, the late Mwai Kibaki, had closed down in 2020 due to COVID-19.
While the total cost of acquisition of the Kenyan hotels is unknown, conservative estimates place it at about US$ 50 million.
The hotels are now operating as Muthu Silver Springs Hotel—Nairobi, Muthu Warwick Mount Kenya Hotel—Nanyuki, Muthu Lake Naivasha Country Club—Naivasha, Muthu Sovereign Suites & Spa—Limuru, Muthu Nyali Beach Hotel and Spa—Mombasa, and Muthu Keekorok Lodge—Maasai Mara.
