Hotel group plans $18m investment

Hospitality concern, Hotels and Leisure Africa (Hala) said on Tuesday it will invest a combined $18.5 million in its operations this year until the end of 2015 as it seeks to extend its tentacles on the local market.The group, established by a group of local hoteliers, is operating seven hotels in the country and has also established regional operations.

Hala executive chairman Cornelius Nyahunda told journalists the group would, by end of this year, have invested $3.5 million in new acquisitions, refurbishments and renovations of hotels it has acquired.

“We are targeting to go to 10 hotels (under our management) by the end of the year,” he said.

Nyahunda said the group, whose focus is on low cost two star hotels, would invest $15 million in acquisitions and expansion programmes in 2015.

He said the group was targeting to establish operations in all major cities, administrative towns and resort centres.

“The reason we have gone for a low cost strategy is that so we are able to host locals,” he said, adding the target was to have rooms costing on average $60 per night.

Nyahunda said the group’s focus was on local tourists in line with the government objective to promote domestic tourism.

“We are excited that the government is looking at every civil servant going for holiday. We would like to be invited to the Public Service Commission so that we work with them on how we can make the costs viable for them and for us,” he said.

The Zimbabwe government has announced that it is working on a strategy to make one annual holiday part of the civil service employment package as it seeks to promote its “know your country” campaign as well as encourage domestic tourism.

Nyahunda said the group’s occupancy was averaging 37 percent for resorts and 50 percent for cities.

Hala, which has been operating since 2010, is managing hotels such as Hala Premier at Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa, Afrikiko Riverfront Resort in Ghana and Vila de Macova in Mozambique.

Locally, the group purchased and is in the process of rebranding and refurbishing the Selous Hotel in Harare.

It is also managing Montclair Resort and Casino in Nyanga as well as the Chimanimani Resort and Casino.

The group is undertaking a project to open a hotel in the resort town of Victoria Falls. – New Ziana.