HOSPITALITY concern Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) says it achieved a 100% occupancy level and realised “significant” revenue from hosting two Sadc events.
The Sadc Industrialisation Week ran from July 28 to August 2 as a forerunner to the 44th Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit held at New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden on August 17.
The Sadc Industrialisation Week was held at the Harare International Conference Centre and many of the attendees stayed at the Rainbow Towers Hotel. The two properties are owned by RTG.
After the government missed the deadline for the completion of the 18 state-of-the-art presidential villas in Mt Hampden meant to host heads of State for the Sadc summit, most regional leaders stayed at the country’s top Harare hotels.
The Rainbow Towers Hotel was one of them which gave a significant boost to RTG’s revenue as it hosted not just the heads of state, but their teams as well.
RTG chief executive officer Tendai Madziwanyika said he was not at liberty to disclose how much the group made from the Sadc events as it is in a closed period, ready to release the half year financial results.
“However, we can tell you that the contribution to revenue was significant. May I hasten to say that over the next 12 months during Zimbabwe’s chairmanship of Sadc we anticipate a significant number of conferences some of which are already taking place,” Madziwanyika said, in emailed responses.
“However, I can confirm that the hotel was at 100% occupancy on most days during the run-up to the summit. We also successfully served 50 000 meals in less than one week. This demonstrates our ability to successfully host large high level distinguished events in a seamless and world-class manner.”
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He said the firm had received positive feedback regarding both the product and the service during the two Sadc events.
“This showcased our abilities to host world-class conferences as a country. We look forward to continued conferencing business going into the future,” Madziwanyika said.
In the lead up to the Sadc events and in anticipation of more events as Zimbabwe assumed the chairmanship of Sadc for the next year, RTG invested heavily in refashioning its properties.
“RTG has invested US$26 million in product refurbishments over the past five years, of which US$10 million was invested in the Rainbow Towers Hotel and the Harare International Conference Centre,” Madziwanyika said.
“In the current scope of works a total of US$5 million was utilised for all works to re-do the rooms at the hotel as well as the Harare International Conferencing. In the HICC all carpets and chairs were replaced with modern carpets and chairs. In the hotel, three floors were re-done completely including the corridors and rooms.”
