adminalongside a road that uncharacteristically undulates up and down and snakes into hairpin curves, Nichrut Lodge, is the latest inclusion baby in the tourism and hospitality industry in Midlands.
Opened in December last year and winning the second best accolade in the hotels category in Midlands at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce annual awards held in Gweru last weekend, Nichrut Lodge, is place where many long established hotels can learn internal decorum and comforting giving.
It is very rare, for a tourism facility to open and then win an award within five months of its operation.
Owned by Nicholas Gara, an indigenous miner, Nichrut has six executive suits and 10 standard rooms, perched on hill slope, overlooking serene rolling moorlands and undulating slopes of the Great Dyke mountain range.
Built about 20km outside Gweru and five kilometres outside the mining town of Shurugwi, Nichrut, has proved to be the quiet place where those tired of the hullabaloo of urban life, retire with families.
A tour of the lodge last weekend saw spacious tastefully decorated rooms. Each lodge is fitted with two television sets connected to DSTV and nine channels.
Tiled floors are also decorated to the guest’s amazement. The kitchen and the reception areas are ultra modern, with ceiling, many an established hotel would envy.
Construction work at the hotel started in 2010 after the owner successfully applied for land from Shurugwi Town Council.
To date, Mr Gara has tamed a forest into a comfort zone.
“While I was travelling to many places as a miner looking for things to use, I decided to build my own lodge. This is typically a family lodge. It is meant to be a quiet place with no nightclub or bar nearby.
“We want to maintain the bush and at the same time give our customers the comfort they deserve.
We have the best showers in Midlands and we imported the equipment from Dubai.
“As you can see, we have been operational for only five months and we have proved very popular and I guess this is the reason why ZNCC saw it fit to honour as a comfort zone.
“We appreciate the award, but we are also expanding and constructing a service station what we hope will be open in a few months,’’ said Mr Gara after winning the award.
There is plan to expand the lodge into 50 room and introduce wildlife on the three hectares plot around the lodge, to give visitors a real treat.
“The point is that indigenous people can do it and I am setting an example here that we can do it in our country,’’ says Mr Gara.
Online Reporter