Hyatt Hotels recently announced the launch of Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands, marking the brand’s debut in Kenya. The five-star property with international roots is offering a luxurious hospitality experience but with a twist, bringing together elements of Kenya’s local culture with the Hyatt Regency brand’s signature service.
Located in Nairobi’s renowned business hub, the hotel will offer diverse dining options, lavish amenities and premium services for its guests, maintaining the standard set by its other international locations.
Hyatt Corporation is owned by the Pritzker family, and was founded in 1957 by Jay Pritzker who purchased the the Hyatt House motel adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport.
Jay Pritzker was a Chicago-born businessman and his father was Abram Nicholas Pritzker, head of the wealthy Pritzker family in the US who had three sons.
Jay was a bright child, beginning his univeristy education at just 14 years at the University of Chicago. He later got degrees in both law and a bachelor’s from Northwestern University. He broke tradition by venturing into business as law was the family trade.
He and his brother set up the Marmon Group in 1953, which managed all the Pritzker family’s investments. With time, their investments had grown into the manufacturing and transportation businesses.
Pritzker was on a business trip to Los Angeles in 1957, and he noticed that accomodation for businessmen like him who were in town for short trips was limited, especially those who preferred staying near the airport. During his strolls around the airport, he discovered that the nearest motel was always fully booked and he saw an opportunity to tap into the accommodation industry. He struck a deal with the owner, Hyatt Von Dehn, and bought it on the spot for $2.2 million. That motel was called Hyatt House.
Jay, along with his brother Donald, started to expand the Hyatt brand. Their second property was Hyatt House motel, was near San Francisco International Airport. By 1962, the company had grown into a North American management and hotel ownership company and eventually went public.
They started expanding beyond California, focusing on establishing hotels near airports and in city centers in the United States. In 1967, they unveiled the Regency Hyatt House in Atlanta, the first hotel to feature an atrium design—a spacious, open area covered by a skylight and surrounded by the building. Initially, guests were doubtful, fearing the warm air might cause rain inside the atrium. However, the design soon became a signature feature of Hyatt Regency hotels.
In 1968, Hyatt International was formed and subsequently became a separate public company. The brand’s first international location, the Hong Kong Hyatt Hotel in China (now Hyatt Regency Hong Kong), debuted in 1969.
The Pritzker family moved to privatizing their companies, Hyatt Corporation in 1979 and Hyatt International Corporation in 1982. By 2004, nearly all of the hospitality assets owned by the Pritzker family were merged into a single entity now known as the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
By the time of Jay’s passing in 1999, he and his brother had amassed a fortune valed at approximately $13.5 billion at the time. He left behind a legacy of architectural innovation, which saw the development of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, which awards $100,000 annually to exceptional architects. The iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park was built in his honour in 2004.
The Hyatt Hotels Corporation now has over 1,300 hotels and all inclusive properties located in 78 countries around the world.
