Emerging Destinations Welcomes JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge

Emerging Destinations is pleased to welcome JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge to our portfolio of cool companies in Africa and other places around the globe.

Scheduled to open in February 2023, the luxury tented camp is located on the banks of Talek River at the edge of Masai Mara National Reserve, one of the world’s most renowned wildlife conservation and wilderness areas.

The lodge will feature 20 luxury private tents, including an Executive Suite canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites, ideal for families, each with a private deck overlooking the river. Shared spaces will include a restaurant, lounge bar, spa, gym, photographic studio, Serene spot, Garden and a large outdoor deck that will host traditional Masai dance performances in the evening, as well as fire pits to keep you warm.

Masai Mara’s untamed landscape offers guests an opportunity to observe the “Big Five” of African wildlife: lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros and elephants. Between June and September, the reserve hosts the northern end of the Great Migration when more than 10 million animals travel 1,800 miles from the Serengeti in neighboring Tanzania.

The lodge aims to employ a majority of the locals from the Masai community and consider initiating projects that impact the community that will offer robust learning opportunities for guests looking to immerse themselves in the destination.

Guests can expect an authentic sense of place through artful design and architecture. The location will be reflected at every turn, creating harmony with the natural world via natural materials and an earth tone color palette that invites guests to connect with nature and focus on their wellbeing.

“As a brand rooted in mindfulness, we cannot think of a more perfect retreat for the mind, body, and soul than the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya,” said JW Marriott Vice President and brand leader Bruce Rohr in announcing the project.

“JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will offer guests a luxurious backdrop to make once-in-a-lifetime memories as they connect with nature and wildlife as never before. We are thrilled that the JW Marriott brand will be welcoming adventure travelers, including families, to this breath-taking part of the world.”

A joint venture with Baraka Lodges Ltd, JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge is JW Marriott’s first venture into the safari market and its third hotel in Africa, joining properties in Egypt and Mauritius. Overall, Marriott International currently operates more than 120 hotels and resorts across the continent.