Online Reporter
The Herald, 23 January 1984
THE chairman of Rennie Grinaker Zimbabwe Mr David Smith, caused much applause with his opening remark “Welcome to OUR hotel”, when he addressed guests at the official opening of the new Harare Holiday Inn.
He thanked all the Government ministries the Reserve Bank and Harare City Council for the outstanding co-operation given to the developers of the hotel project.
“Throughout the past two years we have been met everywhere with courtesy and co-operation. In particular, we greatly appreciate the assistance and understanding provided in respect of our efforts to recruit a small nucleus of top rate staff from abroad. We now feel in a position to deliver the project that this recruitment was designed to achieve; that is to say, the best hotel service in the country and a training programme that will lead to the “Zimbabwean Insertion of the entire management in the shortest possible period of time,” said Mr Smith.
“We are very pleased to be bringing to Harare the world famous Holiday Inn name and we feel that this can only benefit the city and the country. The Important factors to bear in mind with respect to the franchise from Holiday Inns Incorporated are that, firstly, it locks us into a marketing organisation that serves by far the largest hotel network in the world, and secondly, our visitors from afar will know exactly what to expect, such are the stringent standards that Holiday Inns enforce.”
Mr Smith emphasised that the entire project and been conceived, developed and would ultimately be operated entirely by Zimbabweans residents. “This a Zimbabwean project in its fullest sense.
Mr Smith also paid tribute to the trustees of the National Railways of Zimbabwe contributory pension fund. He thanked the hotel’s professional advisers, the builders, many sub-contractors and all the workmen who had been involved in what he described as a “truly impressive construction project.
Lessons for today
- The main Holiday Inn operating in Zimbabwe is Holiday Inn Harare, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). It is one of the most popular business and leisure hotels in the country. It now boasts over 1,200 open hotels worldwide, with active expansion in regions like Germany and Greater China.
- The brand prioritises franchise-driven growth, enabling rapid scaling while maintaining consistent standards across global properties.
