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Bringing a publishing team to the 27th Nairobi International Book Fair (23 to 27 September 2026, Sarit Expo Centre, Westlands) means solving a puzzle. The stand team needs the whole week, the rights director comes for three days, and two authors fly in for their own events. Someone has to turn that into rooms, transfers and daily transport without anyone being left at the airport. This article works through one example team so you can adapt it to yours.
Check availability & book direct · Nairobi Book Fair stays at Karen Plains Hotel
The example: a team of eight
Imagine a mid-sized publisher sending eight people. The roles are illustrative; the pattern is what matters.
- Two stand staff who stay for the whole fair.
- A sales director who arrives with the stand staff but leaves a day early.
- A rights director and a rights assistant who come for the middle of the week.
- An education sales manager who stays on after the fair for school and library meetings.
- Two authors, each attending for their own launch day only.
That is eight people, five different date ranges, and at least four separate flights. It is completely normal, and it is manageable with the right list.
Step one: build a rooming list
A rooming list is simply one table that everyone works from. Keep it in a shared document and send us a copy. Suggested columns:
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Guest name | As it appears on the booking, so check-in is quick. |
| Role | Helps us understand who needs what, such as a desk for evening work. |
| Arrival date and flight | So transfers can be grouped. |
| Departure date and flight | So late departures can use luggage storage. |
| Room type | Chosen from what's available in the booking engine. |
| Sharing? | Who, if anyone, shares a room. |
| Meals | Whether they want lunch and dinner added. |
| Who pays | Company account or the guest's own card. |
Every date range should be the person's own. Don't default everyone to 23 to 27 September; the stand staff may need an extra night before opening, and the education manager needs nights after closing. Live rates and availability for each date are in our booking engine.
Step two: choose rooms that fit the job
In our example, the stand staff and rights team will spend evenings working, so a Deluxe Room, with a king bed and a proper workspace, suits them. The sales director might prefer the extra space of our Executive Room. An author who wants a slower pace between events could enjoy the Deluxe Room with Bathtub and Balcony, our most requested room. If budget is tight, our Standard Room with Balcony and Standard Room without Balcony are the value options.
Whatever the category, every room has a work desk and Starlink Wi-Fi.
Step three: group arrivals into vehicles
Our private airport transfers are priced per vehicle, one way, not per person. That makes grouping worthwhile.
| Group | Airport | Suggested vehicle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand staff and sales director, same flight | JKIA | Sedan, up to 3 | US$55 |
| Rights director and assistant | JKIA | Sedan, up to 3 | US$55 |
| Author on a regional connection | Wilson | Sedan | US$45 |
| A larger group of up to six with luggage | JKIA | 4×4 Land Cruiser | US$95 |
A Wilson 4×4 is US$85. Tell us about bulky bags in advance so we can suggest the right vehicle. Check-in is from 12:00 and check-out by 10:00, and our 24/7 front desk can store personal luggage for early arrivals and late departures. Please note that we can't store books, stand materials or shipped stock.
Once your list is ready, request a team stay quotation on WhatsApp. Edit the prompts in the message with your dates and room numbers, and attach your rooming list.
Step four: plan fair-day transport
The Sarit Expo Centre is in Westlands, north of the CBD and on the other side of the city from Karen. It is not walking distance, so decide how the team travels each day.
- Shared morning run: one vehicle leaving at an agreed time works well for stand staff who need to open up.
- Flexible returns: rights and sales people often finish at different times, so plan for more than one return trip.
- Author days: book separately around each author's event time.
We can arrange venue transport, quoted on request once we know numbers and timings. Journey times vary with Nairobi traffic; ask everyone to check a live traffic app before leaving. If anyone is driving a hired car, there is free on-site parking.
Step five: meals, laundry and the long week
- Breakfast runs from 7:00 to 10:30. Ask for packed breakfasts for the stand staff on early mornings.
- Lunch and dinner at the hotel can be added for US$40 per day for both meals. Ask us to confirm the total for your group. Our kitchen puts Kenyan, Swahili and traditional African cooking at the centre, which makes a welcome team dinner at the end of a long fair day.
- Laundry is US$20 per bag, washed, dried and folded. For the people staying all week, a mid-week bag is sensible.
- A generator covers guest rooms and Wi-Fi during power cuts, so evening work isn't interrupted.
Step six: changes, invoices and cancellations
Plans change. An author's flight moves, or the rights director extends by a day. Keep one person as the contact for the whole group so changes come through one channel; our group stays page explains how we work. Invoices and receipts are available on request, and we accept card and M-PESA. Cancellation and prepayment terms depend on the rate chosen and are shown before you pay; share our cancellation and refund policy with your finance team before booking.
Plan your stay with us
Come for the fair. Let us help with the rest. Book rooms directly for each person's own dates, or send us your rooming list and we will help coordinate arrivals, transport and meals.
Check availability & book direct
Help book rooms for our publishing team · Nairobi Book Fair accommodation for publishers and visiting teams
Live rates and availability are shown in our booking engine. Extras such as transfers, meals, tours and spa visits are quoted and confirmed separately.
Event details checked on internationalpublishers.org in September 2026. Karen Plains Hotel is independent and not affiliated with the Kenya Publishers' Association.
