By Leonard Ncube
Listed Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) has completed refurbishment of the Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel in line with global standards and growing demand for quality accommodation.
Upgrading of the 88-room facility started last year when 46 rooms on the Mosi-wing were given a facelift while the remaining 42 in the Oa-Tunya wing were completed end of April this year after the hotelier set aside $1 million for the project.
Demand for quality accommodation by the source markets has seen RTG upgrading most of its facilities countrywide to meet standards.
Some of the changes at the hotel include an overhaul of floor tiles, repainting of walls with new artistic taste, beds, furniture, curtains, lighting, showers, toilet system as well as a new spa among other developments.
The new-look rooms also have a fusion of international and Afrocentric touch, with international standard sockets and USB cables meant to ensure that no client finds his or her gadgets redundant while booked there.
Staff members now wear “Afro centric” uniform while the picture frames hanging on the walls cater for both local and international taste.
Speaking during a media tour of Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel on Monday, general manager Mr Chris Svovah said the renovations are in line with the group’s taste of freshness and desire to satisfy all clients.
“One of our values as RTG is freshness hence we have invested $1 million to address a lot of issues. We are not ending there, we want to offer total hospitality and we are also going to re-do the restaurant and conference room as we want to be conference venue of choice and the concept is already there,” he said.
Mr Svovah said they will also renovate the Panorama Deck on the hotel’s rooftop, which gives an aerial view of the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls Rainforest as well as a view of Livingstone town across the river.
He said only two months after the renovations, occupancy had risen by 10 percent compared to the same period last year as the market responds.
“Our occupancy was depressed in the first four months of the year because we had closed the section for renovations. But comparing with June 2017 when we had 61 percent, June 2018 we had 70 percent due to the impact of renovations,” he said.
Mr Svovah said the hotel’s market was classified as 85 percent international and 15 percent domestic. He said to promote domestic tourism, the hotel had introduced a winter promotion as well as special packages for schools who also make up a bigger chuck of local tourists.
Meanwhile, the hotel donated part of its old equipment to Ndlovu Secondary School as part of its corporate social responsibility and appreciation of support the school have given to the hotel.
The items included eight toilet units, five basins, three bathroom mirrors and five air conditioners, which were received by the school head Mr Memory Ncube and SDC chair, Mr Alfred Ndlovu.
RTG corporate communications and innovations manager, Mrs Pride Khumbula, said the donated items were worth over $2 000. The hotel will also assist with installation of the items for the school.
A similar gesture was made by the group’s other facility-Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre, which recently donated linen valued at $7 500 to Tariro Children’s home, Rimuka Old People’s Home and Association, Kadoma General Hospital and ZRP.
Mrs Khumbula said refurbishment work was underway at the Kadoma Hotel with more than 90 rooms already done. — The Chronicle
