HOSPITALITY group Cresta has put on hold its $6 million refurbishment of one of its units to March next year taking a break for the festive season.
Business Reporter
The three-star Cresta Lodge was undergoing a facelift which was expected to be completed by year end. The refurbishment of Cresta Lodge began in September last year.
Speaking at a media tour of the facility on Wednesday, Cresta Hotels operations manager Bill Bruce said to dates four blocks had been completed and the remaining two would be done after the festive season.
“The initial project is $6 million, Senga conference refurbishments cost $1 million and the balance of $5 million is to fix up the rooms,” Bruce said. “We have done four blocks and we are now on Christmas break.”
Hotels and lodges are usually fully booked during the festive season.
Bruce said the facelift would result in rooms with laminated floors and doing away with carpets for all the rooms.
He said through the refurbishment, rooms would have laminated floors without carpets and the room types would single, double and suite.
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Bruce said the group would also offer reduced prices for hotel bookings for a month effective December 31.
He said Crest Jameson prices will be $37 per person, Cresta Oasis $40, Cresta Churchill $42 and Cresta Lodge $49.
“The reason why we came up with these rates was that a lot of people were quite cautious and we want people to take advantage of the prices during the month of December and January,” Bruce said.
He, however, said the reduction in prices was also targeted at the diaspora market during the festive season when most Zimbabweans outside the country are able to come home.
“There is regional business coming up, but apart from that most of our business is generated locally,” he said.
He said hotel room bookings were generating more business than conferencing. However, conferencing was also generating hotel bookings.
Cresta hospitality group is one of Southern Africa’s largest hotel management groups, boasting several properties in Botswana, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
