The attack by al-Shabab left at least 26 people dead, including Kenyans, Americans, a Briton and Tanzanians, Jubbaland regional president Ahmed Mohamed said in a statement on Saturday.
The attack lasted more than 14 hours before troops shot dead all attackers inside the hotel compound, Col. Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, told the Associated Press.
The attack began when an explosives-laden auto detonated at the front entrance of the Asasey hotel, a popular meeting spot for regional officials and visitors from the diaspora.
This is another sad day for Somali journalists.
According to the organziation, Nalayeh had recently returned to Somalia after living in Canada for years "to help showcase Somalia's peaceful transformation".
Al-shabaab, an Islamist militant faction that is attempting to overthrow Somalia's central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack that has killed at least 10 people, police said. He said the victims include two journalists.
"Mujahidin fighters carried out a martyrdom attack on one of the hotels accommodating the apostate officials of the Jubaland administration", the group said, referring to an autonomous southern zone in the troubled country whose main city is Kismayo.
Somalia has always been riven with unrest and war, but Nalayeh's work focused on "connecting Somali communities of diverse background to share inspiring stories that enhance our society", according to the mission statement of her Integration TV outlet. The targeted hotel is known to be frequented by politicians and lawmakers.
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"Her attractive spirit shined through her work and the way she treated people".
Some of Nalayeh's previous social media posts depicting people smiling and going about their lives re-circulated on Twitter as news of her death spread online - images, people noted in their posts, that were at odds with the depiction of Somalia as a place devastated by decades of civil war, starvation and conflict.
He said the African Union's multinational force in Somalia will continue to work to stabilise the country.
The attack occured in the port town of Kismayo. Many people have been rescued.
In recent years, Nalayeh travelled across Somalia sharing documentaries through the Integration TV YouTube channel, ranging from profiles of entrepreneurial women to the construction of children's libraries.
Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the government and install Sharia law for over a decade.
At least two journalists and a United Nations staffer were also reportedly killed.
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