A plain three star hotel on Ambala Rd in the middle of River Road, with a 24 hour front desk, breakfast, a shuttle and wheelchair access. It suits people who need to be inside the working city on foot. It does not suit anyone planning to walk here after dark.
01What it is
Epitome Times Hotel lists the basics: a 24 hour front desk, breakfast, concierge, sheets, towels, a shuttle service, a smoking area and wheelchair access. That is the whole of it. There is no restaurant named, no bar, no gym, no pool and no meeting space in the listed facilities, so a longer stay here is a bed, a desk and whatever the quarter outside provides. The 3 star rating matches that list: practical cover, nothing dressed up.
For someone staying at Epitome Times Hotel in River Road, the trade is location against quiet. The centre of River Road is a short step away, and Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue is 0.83 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 11 minutes on foot in a direct line. The street is the working city at full volume: stages, hardware, lodgings, and food cooked in front of you. This hotel suits people on business or errands by day, who want a desk that is always staffed. It does not suit anyone who wants a calm evening on the doorstep, or who plans to walk back after dark.
02The supplier's photographs
038 facilities the supplier lists
Facilities are the supplier's list, not a check made on the ground.
04Standing in River Road
These hotels sit in River Road, the eastern grid of the Nairobi CBD, a quarter that runs on matatu stages, hardware, lodgings and cheap kitchens, and the working city at full volume. Food is cooked in front of you and the country arrives in the city here, so the streets ask the most of a visitor. You are 0.68 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 9 minutes on foot in a direct line.
This is the CBD's eastern half, and the half the brochures skip. It is where the matatus stage and where the cheapest good food in the centre is cooked. The site is plain about after dark: not after dark, and not with a phone in your hand. River Road suits anyone wanting nothing tidy and a clear sense of how the city actually runs. It suits no one who wants a quiet evening or an easy walk back.
Read the whole of River Road05Booking it
Book Epitome Times Hotel directly if you want the working city on foot, with a front desk that stays open. Most rooms here can be cancelled free, and you book them through app.impt.io. Every confirmed booking removes one tonne of CO2, at no extra cost to you. Five percent of what you pay comes back as IMPT credit, out of the hotel commission rather than added to your bill.
Facts on this page come from the booking supplier's record: star class, address, photographs and facility list. Guest scores come from verified stays. Nobody from this site has stayed here; the quarter copy around it is this site's own.
06Questions
Where exactly is Epitome Times Hotel?+
It is on Ambala Rd in River Road, in Nairobi's Central Business District. The centre of River Road is 0.19 km from the centre of River Road. Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, the address most people use for the centre, is 0.83 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 11 minutes on foot in a direct line.
What facilities does the hotel list?+
A 24 hour front desk, breakfast, concierge, sheets, towels, a shuttle service, a smoking area and wheelchair access. That is the full list. There is no restaurant, bar, gym or pool in it, so plan on eating in the quarter rather than in the building.
Is River Road a good base for the Central Business District?+
It is close to the centre and it is the working city at full volume: stages, hardware, lodgings, and food cooked in front of you. The honest line on this quarter is not after dark, and not with a phone in your hand. Use it by day and take a ride elsewhere at night.
How do I check availability at Epitome Times Hotel?+
Use the booking link on this page and pick your dates. The front desk runs 24 hours, so arrival times are not a problem. Most rooms can be cancelled free, which gives you room to change plans.
