How a Nairobi hotel is combining smarter digital systems with the personal service guests remember.
By Andre Myhre | CASE STUDY: BROADWALK RESIDENCY
Faith Wausi / Broadwalk Residency. Original photograph published by TechBullion.
A guest arrives at a Nairobi hotel after a long journey. Visibly exhausted, the last thing they need is an extended check-in procedure or a detailed explanation of the property’s facilities.
At Broadwalk Residency, the team knows when to do things differently. Instead of insisting on the usual arrival routine, an employee can escort the guest directly to their apartment, send a short message with essential information and leave the full briefing until the guest is ready.
Technology has prepared the experience. A human being makes it personal.
Across Africa, independent hotels are increasingly adopting digital systems to manage reservations, pricing, distribution and guest information. Yet the most valuable outcome may be what employees can do when routine coordination becomes easier. At Broadwalk Residency, General Manager Faith Wausi believes that distinction matters.
Technology Behind the Experience
A hotel stay begins long before a guest reaches reception. Travellers compare accommodation online, check availability across booking platforms and make reservations through different channels. Behind the scenes, those bookings must reach the property-management system, while room availability and rates remain consistent wherever the hotel sells its inventory.
HotelOnline provides technology and commercial services designed to simplify that work, combining property management, channel management, booking engines, revenue management and operational support.
Martha Kerubo, COO of HotelOnline. Original photograph published by TechBullion.
“Technology should never take the hospitality out of hospitality. Our role is to remove the friction behind the scenes — reservations, distribution, pricing and operations — so hotel teams can spend more time doing what technology cannot do: understanding the guest, solving problems and creating experiences people remember.”
MARTHA KERUBO · COO, HOTELONLINE
Broadwalk Residency: Technology in Everyday Practice
Broadwalk Residency, an apartment property in Nairobi, opened in 2023 and has used HotelOnline as its property-management system since the beginning. “HotelOnline has been our property management system since we opened our doors in 2023,” says General Manager Faith Wausi.
Booking engine: Receives reservations directly for the property.
Channel management: Connects available inventory to external booking platforms.
Rate distribution: Updates room rates across connected sales channels.
Market insights: Provides demand information and pricing recommendations.
Mobile access: Allows employees to confirm information away from reception.
Returning-guest records: Helps retrieve relevant information about repeat visitors.
Pre-arrival information: Enables staff to prepare before guests arrive.
Individually, these are familiar hospitality technologies. Together, they help employees coordinate daily operations while remaining attentive to guests.
From Information to Human Judgement
“The mobile version makes it easy for our staff to confirm information where they are and not necessarily at the front desk.”
FAITH WAUSI · GENERAL MANAGER, BROADWALK RESIDENCY
An employee helping a guest no longer necessarily needs to return to reception to verify a detail. Pre-arrival records also help staff prepare. But Wausi’s example of the exhausted traveller reveals an important distinction: the software makes information available; it does not decide that someone needs rest more than a formal welcome.
THE SYSTEM PROVIDES INFORMATION. THE EMPLOYEE DECIDES WHAT THE GUEST ACTUALLY NEEDS.
The Small Gestures Guests Remember
“We offer personalised services where we want all our guests to feel at home and not just in an apartment.”
FAITH WAUSI · GENERAL MANAGER, BROADWALK RESIDENCY
Wausi recalls a housekeeper who noticed that a guest appeared uncomfortable and placed additional pillows on the couch and bed. Security employees remembered that a returning guest preferred a particular parking space and began reserving it. Neither action was generated by an algorithm. Both came from employees paying attention.
Technology can help a hotel recognise returning visitors and access relevant records. But noticing discomfort or responding to an unspoken need remains a human responsibility. At Broadwalk, staff training and daily briefings reinforce that approach.
“Training and lots of training. Encouraging the team to ask until they understand,” says Wausi. According to her, guests most frequently praise cleanliness, spacious apartments and friendly, professional staff. They rarely mention the systems supporting the operation.
Interior of Broadwalk Residency. Original photograph published by TechBullion.
The Business Case for Smarter Hospitality
According to Broadwalk, HotelOnline provides staff training, 24-hour online support and monthly market-insight reports alongside its software. These reports help the property understand demand and consider adjustments to pricing and marketing.
“The insight reports we get monthly have influenced our marketing strategies.”
FAITH WAUSI · GENERAL MANAGER, BROADWALK RESIDENCY
Wausi reports that the property’s revenue has followed an upward trajectory. However, independently verified revenue, occupancy and profitability figures have not been provided. Her assessment reflects management’s experience rather than a quantified demonstration of the platform’s financial impact.
Technology can improve access to information and reduce administrative complexity, but higher revenue also depends on market demand, pricing decisions, property quality and execution.
An Independent Perspective: Africa’s Digital Hospitality Opportunity
Research on tourism small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa examines both the potential benefits of digital adoption and the barriers businesses face. The broader lesson is that technology alone does not guarantee improved performance: training, implementation and effective use of information matter.
World Bank analysis of tourism digitalisation similarly identifies back-office systems, including property and inventory management, as potential sources of productivity improvements. Broadwalk offers one practical example of integrating these tools into daily hotel operations.
Greater Reach for Independent African Hotels
Cloud-based systems make capabilities such as channel management, online reservations, guest records and revenue analysis more accessible to smaller hospitality businesses. For independent properties competing for travellers, they can help narrow part of the operational gap with larger hotel groups.
“African hotels have an enormous opportunity. Independent properties can now access technology and distribution capabilities that were once mainly available to large international hotel groups, while still keeping the personality, local knowledge and human service that make them unique.”
MARTHA KERUBO · COO, HOTELONLINE
A channel manager cannot create demand on its own. Employees still need training, and managers must understand their guests and markets. Broadwalk shows how these elements can work together.
Technology With a Kenyan Identity
“Kenyan hospitality is warm by tradition, and technology helps us to know more about our guests and what they prefer. We encourage more travellers to come to Kenya and experience our authentic hospitality.”
FAITH WAUSI · GENERAL MANAGER, BROADWALK RESIDENCY
Booking engines and property-management systems are increasingly used across international hospitality markets. But the experience of staying in a hotel remains shaped by its location, people and service culture. A Nairobi property does not need to imitate an international chain to benefit from sophisticated technology.
The Next Chapter of Hospitality
As connected systems become more capable, hotels will automate more administrative work. The more interesting question is what employees do with the time and information those systems provide.
“You can automate a reservation. You can automate inventory and pricing. You can make check-in almost instantaneous. But you cannot automate genuine hospitality. The future is using technology to give people more opportunity to deliver it.”
MARTHA KERUBO · COO, HOTELONLINE
At Broadwalk Residency, the answer can be found in ordinary moments. A tired traveller is shown to their apartment. A housekeeper brings extra pillows. A security officer remembers a favourite parking space.
Technology can help a hotel run better. People are what make guests want to return.
Sources and Photo Credits
Original publication and photography: https://techbullion.com/how-technology-and-people-are-reinventing-african-hospitality/
HotelOnline: https://hotelonline.co | Broadwalk Residency: https://broadwalkresidency.co.ke
Original photography credited to Broadwalk Residency and supplied for the feature. Photographs reproduced from the TechBullion article.