African Sun presses ahead with US$4m upgrade
LISTED hospitality group, African Sun Limited, says the first phase of the US$4 million major upgrade programme at Hwange Safari Lodge is on track with 40 standard rooms now complete and operational under the new look.
The safari lodge, which is the group’s additional 18 rooms including two executive suites, will be completed by the end of next month.
“Hwange Safari Lodge’s first phase of a major refurbishment programme is on track, with 40 standard rooms, now complete and operational with the new look. A further 18 rooms including two executive suites will be completed by March 2023, bringing the total number of rooms refurbished to 58 in total by the end of the first quarter of the current year.
“The group will immediately embark on refurbishment of the remaining 42 rooms thereafter,” said African Sun in a statement.
It said guests who have experienced the new rooms so far testify that the whole new look is literally a breath of fresh air and impressive.
Hwange Safari Lodge is one of Zimbabwe’s major safari lodges and is situated outside the world-famous Hwange National Park, immediately adjacent to the Hwange National Park Airport and a short distance from the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.
The lodge hosts visitors from domestic, regional and international source markets whose key is the abundant wildlife of the park and surrounding areas.
The lodge has a unique design, with two slightly curved wings stretching out east and west from a central public area, where the reception, restaurant, guest lounge, conference room and bar look out to a garden terrace and swimming pool deck, that in turn overlook a natural water feature that attracts large numbers of wild animals throughout the day.
The hospitality group said although the primary purpose is to cater for the leisure tourist visiting Zimbabwe’s largest national park, the lodge is also popular as a venue for small to medium conferences, weddings, business strategic retreats.
The safari lodge has traditionally been regarded as an ideal stopover point for self-drive travellers, especially from South Africa.
The group’s chief executive officer, Peter Saungweme, was quoted saying the first phase of the refurbishment programme would focus on renovation of the lodge’s entire 100 rooms, while the second phase would focus on renovation of the key public areas - restaurant, guest lounge and the bar.
African Sun is concurrently making significant investments in refurbishment projects on its several properties across the country to ensure that the product and service offering across its hotel portfolio aligns with contemporary global trends.
An additional boost for tourism around the Hwange National Park and surrounding areas is the recent announcement by fastjet Zimbabwe that they plan to introduce scheduled air services to Hwange National Park Airport next month, linking the area by air to Victoria Falls and Kariba.
This will significantly increase accessibility to the area, especially for international visitors, and enhance the number of arrivals.