Victoria Comfort Inn

I work in Kisumu and recently spent 10 nights here. We had been looking for a new hotel for our organization to build a relationship with and this may be a good one. We work fairly close to Victoria Comfort Inn, which has two entrances in Tom Mboya estate providing access in different directions for those who are walking. Its location is a plus for me, but a big minus for others - it's far from town center, far from restaurants or shopping, and not in a great part of town (I wouldn't advise walking outside the compound after dark).

The hotel is well-furnished. It's a large structure with lovely grounds. The lobby is large with various sitting areas inside and out, and it's connected to a restaurant that serves food at all hours. Breakfast is included with most rates, and it's an ample buffet serving American, European, and Kenyan staples. Most mornings I had sausage, thick crepes, fried eggs, breads, fruits, and Kenyan tea. You can also find hot and cold cereals, juices, meat, beans, and vegetables. Coffee is also served - I believe standard coffee is included, but they have an espresso machine as well. The kitchen is directly off the restaurant and makes the restaurant a bit uncomfortably hot most of the day, including at breakfast.

For other meals, the restaurant offers menu service. I found the prices high for my tastes, at least as an everyday option, and especially for the part of town. A good dinner and soda will run about Ksh1000. Since there aren't a lot of other options nearby, you may be a captive audience for dinner. A fridge in the room provides options for easygoing travelers.

The rooms are nicely furnished. The standard room I was in had a nice queen bed with surprisingly nice pillows (4 on the bed, of different thicknesses). The mosquito net is a quality one but does not reach all the way to the floor. I traveled in winter and saw virtually no mosquitoes in two weeks anywhere, especially not in the room, so I didn't mind. At a high mosquito time it might be more of an issue. There is a large desk which provides good work space and storage space, a mini fridge that worked just fine, a good-sized closet (with just 3 hangars - could have used more), and a nice balcony. The windows do close but don't have screens on them. They provided very little breeze anyways so I just left them closed. The bathroom is ample, with an enclosed shower and hot water from the tap. Nice lighting in the bathroom.

The room has an air conditioning unit, but it was broken while I was there. I asked them to check it out and they pumped it full of refrigerant, which lasted 2-3 days before leaking out again. Since it only blew toward one side of the room, and the windows provided very little breeze, it got uncomfortably hot in the room most all day with the fridge running, and especially with a laptop running. This was my first time ever to have air conditioning in Kisumu, and it was winter, so it wasn't as big of a problem. It was disappointing though.

There is a rooftop bar, with a surprisingly well-stocked shelf of drinks for excellent prices. The view is limited, but the breeze is nice and there is a good TV up there.

Wi-Fi in the hotel was decent but not great. Was pretty steadily up and running while I was there.

The staff was overall extremely friendly and helpful. They were welcoming and service-oriented. In the restaurant they were attentive and gracious. The couple of room maintenance issues I had while there (A/C unit and a couple burnt-out lights) were addressed promptly. I had a very early flight to catch on my last morning and they arranged for a very early breakfast for me (5:30am). They had virtually the entire buffet set out just for me.

Overall I will look forward to staying here again. This was a very good hotel but I can only give 4 stars due to the location being a drawback for many potential guests and the room being uncomfortably hot.

Dear John,
First of all thank you for staying with us for 10 days! Thank you for your honest feedback. I will work on making improvements in areas where we did not meet your expectations. As the business owner my goals is to ensure the client have the best experience while staying with us. In your next visit, you will certainly see a change. We may not change much about the location but we will certainly ensure we make your stay with us very comfortable including the review of the food prices.
Please do get in touch with me should you have further questions.
Sincerely ,
Bernard Olayo

Stayed one night in executive room. Spacious, air conditioner, clean, nice shower, comfortable king size bed, good restaurant, great customer service. Parking limited and steep driveway. Less than 10 minutes to airport.

A great place to stay. Great reception and customer service. Great rooms with AC installed Equipped facilities for conferencing. great menu for a group meetings.Though fare from the city center. A quiet surrounding for relation. Should working on increasing their car parking capacity. I enjoyed my stay though i was on work duty
Cheers

Thank you so much for considering us for your recent visit to Kisumu. We take your suggestions seriously and will work on making things better for your next visit.

Being my third time at this prestigious hotel,I was very impressed by their facilities, staff and meals..Victoria comfort inn hotel did not disappoint.I would recommend them for family, business or leisure. Very friendly members of staff who make you feel right at home. One thing you need to correct , front office is a very delicate department, it’s the face of the hotel, the first time I was in Victoria compared to the last time I was shocked to meet all new faces, you know what it means to have high staff turnover, also the new front office manager is not fluent in English at all, communication becomes boring to see a whole manager struggle giving just a simple direction from town to their hotel, she even find herself explaining in Swahili and you have to remind her that you don’t speak Swahili. If the Hotel has to face foreign delegates or its business is well connected internationaly, english is must for the front desk, if the company has to deal completely with the local market, fluent in english is not that much necessary. The Hr in Victoria should play smart when it comes to front office, or bring back your former front office manager, she was very fluent

The place is quiet, has clean rooms and friendly staff. The hotel is secure. Generally their service and food is good. I stayed here a few years ago and it was a small hotel then but this time it was a big hotel with bigger, nicer and cleaner rooms. Their consistent WiFi speed is ideal for those wanting to do business online.

Thanks Geoffrey
Thanks to people like you we are able to grow. Welcome again next time.
Dr Olayo