adminLiberty Dube Business Correspondent
EMERGING regional hotel franchise – Hotels and Leisure Africa (HALA) — which operates hotels under lease and management contract in Zimbabwe and across Africa, is set to acquire more hotels locally by 2015.
HALA, which has established itself in regional countries such as Zambia, Ghana, South Africa and Algeria, is currently operating seven hotels across Zimbabwe which are Hala Chimanimani Hotel and Casino and Hala Nyanga Montclair and Casino, Harare Select Selous Hotel, Jacaranda City Lodge, Hala Ochi Safaris and Events in Domboshawa, Hala Kimberly Select Hotel in Bindura and Karoi Select Hotel.
Regionally, the organisation is operating Hala Premier at Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa, Afrikiko Riverfront Resort in Ghana and Vila de Macova in Mozambique.
In an interview recently, Hala executive chairman Mr Cornelius Nyahunda said they were aggressively looking for growth opportunities in various towns across the country, particularly in Victoria Falls, Masvingo, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and Shurugwi.
“As a brand, HALA’s strategy is to drive a low-cost brand delivering a professional level of service in hotel keeping. We are targeting to acquire other hotels to lease and management control. We will invest $15 million in acquisitions and expansion programmes in 2015.
“HALA is hundred percent behind the vision of President Mugabe “Know your Zimbabwe” initiative and we hail the Government for pushing hard on our part in driving a low-cost brand which is accessible and creating products that are attractive to civil servants, families and school children, among other groups. We intend to engage the Public Service Commission to work out a mechanism where civil servants and other groups take a holiday at any HALA hotels across the country,” he said.
In May this year, HALA took over Chimanimani Hotel and Casino from its previous owners under a long term management contract with the objective of rejuvenating the product as well as refurbishing the hotel to reposition it to a full resort that anchors the Eastern Highlands.
Online Reporter