The Sunday News
Business Reporter
ONE of Bulawayo’s fastest growing up-market hospitality providers, The Standard Hotel is planning to build an additional 10 rooms by 2016 as it forges ahead with its expansion project meant to transform the hotel into a world class facility. The manageress, Miss Jackie Mnkandla said renovations to accommodate the additional rooms had started.
The hotel which has 32 rooms is situated in the Bulawayo city centre.
“We are in this business to set standards just like our name. For instance our rooms have bidets and we are one of the few if not the only one to offer that.
“Some of the rooms which are under renovations will be having Jacuzzis as we believe our clients need to be afforded the chance of a refreshing environment away from their homes,” Miss Mnkandla said.
A bidet is a low oval basin used for washing one’s genital and anal area.
She said the hotel was also set to introduce a number of additional luxury packages to improve standards.
The Standard Hotel started operating in 2013 after the successful conversion of two residential blocks of flats adjacent to each other.
The hotel comprises family suites with three bedrooms and two as well as executive rooms.
All the rooms have kingsize beds and individually-controlled Digital Satellite Television decoders.
“We are now seeing the benefits of turning our infrastructure from a residential flat into a hotel. Firstly we are realising that the properties’ value has appreciated of which it wasn’t going to be possible if we continued to lease it to tenants.
“Even our water and electricity bills have significantly dropped. Since we opened this hotel we have been experiencing increased bookings and we have had a number of our guests making reservations again and this is an indication that they will have been satisfied with our services,” Miss Mnkandla said.
“Our rates are affordable and we also offer a night for free for our guests that might have booked with us for a period of 12 days in a year.
“Our target market is most business executive and tourists that will be enroute to the Victoria Falls or Matopo Hills and even those that can afford to have a luxurious outing,” Miss Mnkandla.
The hotel also boasts of a conference centre, a fully stocked bar while another open air conference facility is also being put in place as well as a restaurant.
Miss Mnkandla said though the hospitality industry was lucrative the bottlenecks remain the various licences and fees required by numerous authorities.
