To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which hotels in Nairobi are designated as preferred for the purposes of his Department’s officials’ travel arrangements as set out in the departmental staff handbook. (259648)

The current marker hotel for Nairobi is the Fairview Hotel. This selection was arrived at following a joint exercise conducted by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the British high commission. The criteria for selection included value for money, proximity to the office and acceptable security standards. If that hotel is fully booked, the Serena Hotel is used as the next best option.

DFID and the high commission are currently re-tendering hotel accommodation and will select two marker hotels by the end of March 2009, using similar criteria.