Sundaymail Editor
Michael Tome
STAKEHOLDERS in the tourism and hospitality industry have lauded the conferring of five-star status on Palm River Hotel in Victoria Falls, saying this is in line with the Second Republic’s vision to deliver quality service in the sector.
This raises Victoria Falls’ profile as a tourism destination, giving the country a competitive edge in terms of hospitality standards when compared with regional peers.
Commissioned in 2021, Palm River Hotel was conferred with the status by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Quality Assurance Executives recently. It becomes one of the only two hotels to have this status in the premium resort city. The project — which gobbled up around US$25 million in investment — is a 50-50 partnership between Old Mutual and Spencer Creek, a hotel operator that also runs the Ilala Lodge Hotel Group.
Palm River Hotel’s offerings include 73 rooms and luxury suites on the Zambezi River banks.
It has an accommodation collection that comprises 60 twin and king deluxe rooms with river-facing views, private patios and en suite bathrooms, as well as two fully serviced wheelchair-accessible rooms with a lift offering access to higher floors.
The Second Republic has been pushing for the elevation of the tourism and hospitality sector, and slightly over a year ago, President Mnangagwa, inaugurated three premium facilities in Victoria Falls that cater for different segments of vacationers.
According to the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), production in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism will be critical in achieving the overall goal of sustainable economic growth and Vision 2030.
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu expressed satisfaction with the growth path being taken by this sector, especially after the threat of Covid 19.
“From the tourism regulatory side, we are very excited that we are having facilities that can compete on a global scale. It means we are now able to attract the high-end market. I hope this encourages other players to upgrade. It is my expectation that we will see more investments on the high-end quality side,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said in 2023 alone, the sector is sitting at more than US$300 million worth of investments.
“This tells you that there is a high appetite to invest in the tourism and hospitality sector in the country and we are quite excited about it. In our view, it sends a strong signal, especially to potential investors, that they can come and invest in Zimbabwe because the first citizen himself has been very clear and consistent about opening the country for business.
“Capital is now free to land in Zimbabwe, not just capital, but the type of capital speaks volumes,” added the Minister.
He was gratified with the general state of the sector, but highlighted the need to upgrade some facilities so that vacationers access decent product offerings.
Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe chief executive officer Mr Paul Matamisa lauded the facility’s new status, saying it attracts a key segment of holidaymakers and was looking forward to more such investments by other players in the sector.
“It is very important to have more five-star facilities in the country. This is a welcome development, and it augurs well with us as sector players.
“This means visitors of that grade will be able to find a facility that suits them. We certainly anticipate more projects like this going into the future,” Mr Matamisa said.
According to the ZTA, service delivery was found to be exceptional and it was evident that the hotel had made great strides in providing a quality product in the market.
“We would like to commend the management for maintaining high quality standards at the Palm River Hotel,” said ZTA in a report upon conferring the five-star status.
The Palm River Hotel group hospitality manager Ms Heather Kay said the hotel was determined to meet the unequalled standards required to maintain the status.
“This brings us great delight to officially be positioned as one of the only two hotels in Victoria Falls with a five-star grading and we will continue to deliver the highest quality of exceptional Zimbabwean hospitality,” said Ms Kay.
The hotel’s most stand-out accommodation options include its luxury suite range; two deluxe suites for families or couples; two honeymoon suites, placed closest to the edge of the Zambezi River; the opulent Presidential Suite, which includes a private lounge; and a grand terrace perfectly positioned, with uninterrupted views of the Zambezi River.
Star ratings are awarded to hotels, motels, serviced apartments, self-catering, hosted accommodation and caravan holiday parks.
The scheme relies on physical visits, reviews and mystery guest stays to come up with the ratings.
Online Reporter