Friendship and pizzazz

Céline & Lolo was dreamed up by the four of us, Céline, Saskia, Joost and Lo, long-time friends who’ve called Nairobi home for more than a decade. Between us, we’ve travelled, designed, built, and collected stories from around the world. Céline & Lolo is where all those ideas finally came to rest: a place we wished existed and decided to create ourselves.

When we stumbled upon a split-level 1970s estate designed by Karl Henrik Nøstvik, the architect behind Nairobi’s iconic KICC, we knew we’d found something special. Beneath the concrete lines, timber walls and terrazzo floors, there was soul. Or as we like to call it, pizzazz. The kind of quiet glamour and energy that deserved a second act. So we reimagined it as an urban oasis: a hotel layered with craft, design, art, fun details and easy-going style.

We wanted to capture what we love most about Nairobi; its creativity, its warmth, and that electric, generous energy that runs through the city. To show people a side of it that is as inspiring as it is unexpected.

Céline & Lolo isn’t about hotel perfection or marble sinks. It’s about connection. It’s where business travellers linger a little longer, where friends meet for a glass of wine, where design, warmth, a little playfulness and a hint of humour live side by side.

What began as a shared vision among friends has become a place for likeminded spirits. Curious travellers, locals in the know, and anyone who prefers to be welcomed as friends, not served as kings.