The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani in Nyanga
MONTCLAIR Hotel and Casino in Juliasdale, Nyanga has continued with its quest of giving guests value for money by improving services and sprucing up the hotel.The recently opened casino wing of the hotel launched its win a truck promotion last Saturday at an event which attracted punters from Harare and Mutare.
One lucky punter stands to win the one-tonne truck at a draw to be held in December.
In an interview, Montclair Hotel and Casino director, Mr William Nyemba, said they decided to re-open the casino six months ago after realising that there was lack of entertainment for guests at the hotel and Nyanga as a whole.
“We had closed the casino, but decided to re-open it six months ago. Most resort casinos have closed, but we thought of re-opening our casino to entertain the few guests that visit this part of the world. We have another casino in Harare where we also launched our car promotion last month. Two vehicles will be won in Harare and the one which is on display here will be won during the Nyanga draw,” he said.
Mr Nyemba added: “The economy is not performing, but surprisingly the casino wing has brought a lot of excitement to the region. We are getting tremendous support from punters. Some are travelling from as far as Mutare and Rusape to come here.
“We have also upped our game by introducing new products like the Caribbean Stud Poker. We are in the process of introducing online gaming for us to keep abreast with the changing technological world. In Harare, we have just introduced Bingo which has become an instant hit with our punters. We will be introducing Bingo in Nyanga very soon.”
Mr Nyemba said business was very low in the hospitality industry and players need to be innovative for them to survive.
“Our major business comes from conferences, but of late we are experiencing less and less bookings. Innovativeness will see your head being above water and that has been our major survival tactic.
“Yes, Nyanga is one of the major tourist attractions in Zimbabwe, but we are losing a lot of business to Victoria Falls because of lack of accommodation. Our rooms here in Nyanga are fewer compared to Victoria Falls, hence major conference organisers opt to go there. Here at Montclair we will soon add more rooms on top of the 100 that we have so far,” he said.
On promotions, Mr Nyemba said: “We have a lot of promotional rates that we offer to our clients. The other thing is that we bring other activities like golf and raiding to Nyanga and we will all benefit. We have a big golf tournament on October 22 where we will offer special rates to the participating golfers. Three major clubs, Eagles, Boras and Bushwhackers will all be converging here.
“Most areas will be hot across the country, but Nyanga will be cool and that is the ideal time to visit this area. We will also host bikers from as far as South Africa in October.”
Speaking at the occasion, Manicaland Provincial Administrator, Mr Fungai Mbetsa, called on the locals to promote domestic tourism.
“We should take a leaf from Chinese who visit their domestic tourist attractions in large volumes. We should not wait for foreign tourists to help us turnaround our tourism fortunes.
“Players in the hospitality industry should also offer affordable rates to attract everyone including civil servants,” said Mr Mbetsa.
