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Holiday Inn Mutare

Cletus Mushanawani Mutare Bureau
INTERCONTINENTAL Hotel Group chief operating officer for India, Middle East and Africa, Mr Pascal Gauvin, landed in Mutare last week for the rebranding of Amber Hotel to Holiday Inn Mutare.

Mr Gauvin said the opening of Holiday Inn Mutare would help boost business travel between the Middle East and Africa.

“We are especially proud to continue working with established partners such as African Sun Limited, who also own several other properties with us. We are excited to begin welcoming guests to the Holiday Inn Mutare,” he said.

Across the Middle East and Africa, there are 33 Holiday Inn hotels and resorts with 5 995 rooms.

Additional properties with 2 407 rooms will be opened within the next five years.

Speaking at the launch of the rebranded Holiday Inn Mutare, African Sun Zimbabwe managing director, Mr Edwin Shangwa, commended Government efforts to boost trade in the Sadc region.

“As we all know, accessibility and trade are catalysts of travel. Some of the remarkable efforts with a direct impact on tourism are as follows: the upgrading of the Harare International Airport set to start soon, the commencement of the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway expected to start soon, the upgrading of Forbes Border Post to increase the border post’s capacity to facilitate more traffic in and out of Mutare, the consolidation of the Marange diamond project into Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company and the intimated coal deposits to be officially announced soon.

“All these are positive factors that could turn Mutare into a mining and trade city in the foreseeable future,” said Mr Shangwa.

He said the relaunch prepared Holiday Inn Mutare for international guests.

“These developments, among many other efforts to boost the economy, will undoubtedly induce a lot of regional and international travel. With this at the back of our minds, this global brand relaunch in Mutare is also our way of preparing ourselves to host regional and international guests as we anticipate increased traffic into the city.”

Mr Shangwa said the relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand would also bring global standards and service excellence to the Zimbabwean market.

“Intercontinental Hotel Group is a truly global brand. Globally, there are nearly 1 200 Holiday Inn mid-scale branded hotels, with nine located across Africa. It is a brand that has stood the test of time having been launched over 60 years ago.

It is a brand that has been ranked the highest in guest satisfaction for four consecutive years, according to J.D Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study,” he said.

To date, Holiday Inn Mutare has invested close to half a million dollars to update and upgrade the fire life and safety systems, Holiday Inn hallmarks, reservations and hotel property management systems.

The full refurbishment of the hotel will cost $1,5 million.

It will take 12 months.

“This hotel is the perfect complement of our existing portfolio of hotels in Harare and Bulawayo. Guests of the hotel can look forward to experiencing the IHG’s ‘Relax, its Holiday Inn’ philosophy delivering excellent service, comfort and style,” said Mr Shangwa.