Hotel and Restaurant Marketing in Kenya (2026): How to Fill Tables and Rooms

Restaurant marketing in Kenya now starts on a phone. Diners search “restaurants near me” on Google Maps, scroll TikTok for what looks good, read reviews and then book on WhatsApp or order on Glovo. Hotels and lodges face the same journey on a bigger scale: guests compare views, prices and reviews long before they call.

The businesses that win are not always the biggest. They are the ones with a complete Google profile, a steady flow of fresh reviews, short videos that make people hungry, an easy way to book and a plan for each season. This guide covers each piece and ends with a simple monthly plan for restaurants, cafes, hotels and lodges anywhere from Westlands to Diani.

1. Own your Google Business Profile

For restaurants especially, Google Maps is the shop window. When someone searches “nyama choma in Kasarani” or “hotels in Naivasha”, the map results appear first, and the most complete, best-reviewed profiles get the calls.

• Choose the right primary category (for example “Kenyan restaurant” or “Hotel”) and add secondary ones.
• Add your menu with prices, opening hours, holiday hours and a booking or WhatsApp link.
• Upload fresh photos every week: dishes, the room, the view, the team, the entrance at night.
• Post updates for events, new dishes and offers.
• Answer questions in the Q&A section before customers do.

Our Google Business Profile guide for Kenya walks through every setting.

2. Make reviews a daily habit

Reviews decide whether a hungry person picks you or the place next door. They also help your map ranking.

• Put a QR code linking to your review page on bills, table tents and room cards.
• Train waiters and front desk staff to ask at the right moment, such as after a compliment.
• Reply to every review within a day or two, thanking people by name and fixing complaints publicly and politely.
• Look for patterns: if three reviews mention slow service on Sundays, fix the Sunday roster.

Never buy fake reviews or offer discounts in exchange for five stars. Google can remove them and it damages trust.

3. Lead with short food and travel video

Sizzling choma, a pouring cocktail, a chef plating, sunrise over the Mara from the balcony: these moments stop the scroll. Post short vertical videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts three to five times a week.

• Restaurants: signature dish reveals, behind-the-kitchen clips, “what KES 1,000 gets you”, staff favourites, live music snippets.
• Hotels and lodges: room tours, views at golden hour, game drive moments, a day in the life of a chef or guide, packages explained in 30 seconds.
• Everyone: real guest reactions, answers to common questions, weekly specials.

Always ask before featuring a guest. In 2023 the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner fined a Nairobi restaurant KES 1,850,000 for posting a customer’s image on social media without consent.

Phones are enough if the light is good and the first two seconds show the best moment. See our TikTok marketing guide and Instagram marketing guide for formats that work.

4. Use delivery apps wisely

In 2026 the main food delivery apps in Kenya are Glovo, Uber Eats and Bolt Food, with Glovo the market leader. Jumia Food closed its Kenyan food delivery service in December 2023. Uber has also agreed to buy Delivery Hero, Glovo’s parent company, in a deal not expected to close before the second half of 2027, so for now the apps run separately. Coverage varies by town and estate, so check which apps serve your area.

Delivery apps bring discovery and late-night orders, but they charge commission on each order. A sensible approach:

• Build a delivery menu of dishes that travel well and price it to protect your margin.
• Use great photos and short names; app shoppers decide in seconds.
• Join app promotions selectively when you want to grow ratings or fill slow hours.
• Put a card in every bag inviting customers to order direct on WhatsApp or your website next time, with a small perk.

5. Take bookings and orders on WhatsApp

Most Kenyan guests are happy to book a table, a room or a birthday package on WhatsApp. Set up WhatsApp Business with a catalogue of menus, rooms and packages, quick replies for prices and directions, and away messages after hours. Accept M-Pesa through a Till or Paybill for deposits to cut no-shows. Our WhatsApp marketing guide covers catalogues, broadcast lists and automation.

6. Win direct hotel bookings

Online travel agencies are useful for reach, especially with international guests, but each booking carries a commission. Grow direct bookings with:

• A fast, mobile-first website with clear rates, real photos and a booking engine or WhatsApp booking button.
• A direct-booking perk such as breakfast, late checkout or a game drive upgrade.
• Google Ads on destination searches like “hotels in Diani” and on your own brand name.
• Retargeting ads to people who visited your rooms page but did not book.

See our guide to a business website that brings in enquiries.

7. Run local ads at the right times

Paid social works best when it is tight and timely. For restaurants, run Instagram, Facebook and TikTok ads to people within a few kilometres of your location, scheduled before lunch and in the late afternoon before dinner. A modest daily budget, commonly KES 500 to 1,500, is usually enough to test one or two videos for a week. For hotels and lodges, target Kenyans who travel for leisure ahead of long weekends and school holidays, and reach diaspora audiences before December. Use your best-performing organic video as the ad, send clicks to WhatsApp or a booking page, and switch off anything that does not produce bookings within two weeks. Our guide to Facebook, Instagram and TikTok ads in Kenya explains setup and budgets.

8. Plan around Kenya’s tourism seasons

Restaurants follow a different rhythm: payday weeks at the end of the month, Friday and weekend evenings, school holidays and big football nights. Weekends and evenings are when most delivery orders come in, so plan promotions and staffing around them.

9. Create reasons to visit now

Events give people a reason to come this week rather than someday. Think Sunday brunch, live band nights, quiz nights, wine pairings, match screenings, cooking classes and Mother’s Day menus. Create a Google post, a short teaser video and a WhatsApp broadcast for each, with an early-bird price paid by M-Pesa.

10. Work with creators

Food and travel creators can bring a wave of new guests. Choose creators whose followers live near you or match your ideal traveller, host them for a genuine experience, agree deliverables in writing and give them a unique code or booking link. Our influencer marketing guide covers rates, briefs and contracts.

11. Build a guest list and reach corporates

Collect guest numbers and emails with consent through bookings, Wi-Fi sign-ins and loyalty cards, then send occasional updates by WhatsApp, email or bulk SMS. For conferences, team-building and year-end parties, reach HR and admin managers on LinkedIn and with a downloadable events pack.

A simple monthly marketing plan

Measure what matters

• Covers, room nights and orders by source: walk-in, Google, social, WhatsApp, delivery apps, agencies.
• Direct bookings as a share of all bookings.
• Review count, average rating and response time.
• Google profile calls, direction requests and website clicks.
• Cost per booking or order from each ad campaign.

Grow your hospitality brand with Sedi Digital

Sedi Digital creates food and travel content, runs local ads and manages social media for hospitality businesses across Kenya. Explore our social media management service and content production service, then plan your project with us before your next peak season.