BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
RAINBOW Tourism Group (RTG) says the refurbishment of its Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel will be completed by March 31, in time for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
RTG corporate communications and innovations manager, Pride Khumbula in a statement, said the refurbishment, which commenced on February 1, would cover the overhaul of all 181 guest room bathrooms and entire plumbing system, among others.
“The scope of the refurbishment will cover the overhaul of the hotel’s entire plumbing system, the replacement of the critical in-room fixtures, guest lifts and the overhaul of all 181 guest-room bathrooms. The company advised that this is in response to market expectations and is in line with its product-improvement-plan,” part of the statement read.
She, however, could not be drawn into disclosing the quantum of investment, save to say: “It’s a big investment. It’s a couple of millions of dollars but we are in a closed period so we can’t really talk figures. It’s a major investment in the province and I think it’s positive for Bulawayo.”
She said their timing was influenced by the seasonal nature of the business, which is currently low.
“We are currently in our low season, which runs until end of March, which is characterised by low occupancies,” she said.
To ensure minimal disruption to customers, Khumbula said they had transferred all bookings to “RTG Virtual Partners, which has excellent facilities that meet our standards and expectations.”
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“We have also seconded some of our staff to our RTG Virtual Partner establishments to ensure that we continue to provide the RTG — Refreshing style service that our customers have grown accustomed to,” she said.
RTG, which is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), operates six hotels in the country.
In the half-year period to June, RTG reported an after tax profit of $213 993, from a loss position of $290 451 in the comparative period in 2017.
The improved profitability saw basic earnings per share jumping to 0,009 cents from a loss position of 0,016 cents in 2017.
Group turnover grew 18% to $13,7 million down from $11,6 million recorded in the prior year.
