ON November 18, 2023, Cresta Jameson Hotel celebrated its 65th anniversary. The hotel, situated in the Harare central business district, opened its doors in late 1958, during an economic boom that saw the transformation of what is now Samora Machel Avenue into a major centre for financial institutions and head offices of large corporations.
Today, the hotel remains an enduring landmark in the city centre. Our chief sub-editor Zivisai Chagaka (ZC) engaged the Cresta Group country manager Chipo Mandela (CM, pictured) for a chat.
ZC: The Cresta Jameson Hotel has reached a milestone, can you take us through the journey thus far?
CM: Cresta Jameson is one of Zimbabwe’s best-known hotels and the celebration of its 65th anniversary is indeed a significant milestone for Cresta and for the entire Zimbabwean travel and tourism sector.
The hotel was built during the commercial boom of the 1950s and was situated close to a number of new high-rise office blocks being built along what is now Samora Machel Avenue. It was doubled in size in 1970 and later that decade became the first hotel in this country to achieve four-star status.
It has been a major hospitality landmark in Harare for business and leisure visitors, as well as for city residents, who have long used it as a venue for celebratory and special events. Today it is a venue for business and leisure travellers, conference delegates and, still, people celebrating special occasions
ZC: How many properties do you own in the country, and also in the region?
CM: Cresta is a regional brand, with hotels in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Here in Zimbabwe we operate Cresta Lodge, Cresta Oasis and Cresta Jameson in Harare, while Bulawayo is home to Cresta Churchill and at Victoria Falls we operate Cresta Sprayview.
ZC: What is the ownership and shareholding structure of the group?
CM: Cresta Hotels is the hospitality division of the well-known corporate Masawara PLC, which has a range of divergent interests in the economy.
ZC: The Jameson underwent some extensive rehabilitation, care to share how much you put into the refurbishment programme and what are your plans for the other properties?
CM: In our group, refurbishment is more or less an ongoing process, whether the necessary upgrades of things like soft furnishings in bedrooms or major renovations that are needed from time to time that include not only bedrooms and public areas, but also back-of-house operations and services.
Cresta Hotels has been implementing major refurbishment programmes in recent years and has most prominently undertaken a huge programme at Cresta Lodge in Harare, which was relaunched on its 35th anniversary in June this year, as well as this programme at Cresta Jameson, an exercise that has concluded with the 65th anniversary.
ZC: How is the hotel faring in terms of hotel occupancy and what makes it special for visitors to Harare? What other services does the hotel offer besides bed and breakfast?
CM: Harare is primarily a destination for business travellers, but also welcomes a small but useful number of leisure travellers. There is quite an effort being made at present by the entire travel and tourism sector to position the city as a good venue for conferences and exhibitions, which will, in the longer term, yield enormous benefits, since major international conventions attract thousands of delegates and mean that all bed space in the Harare area is taken up for those events.
Cresta Jameson is especially popular with guests who enjoy being close to the buzz and activity of the CBD (central business district) or who have business activities in the CBD and commercial areas surrounding it.
It is also popular as a conference venue.
ZC: Which one is your flagship property in the country?
CM: Cresta Hotels takes pride in all its properties, but Cresta Lodge in Harare is seen as the premium property, although in terms of history, experience and tradition Cresta Jameson holds a special place in the hearts of staff and guests.
ZC: There is an exodus of corporates from the CBD, do you see this affecting the hotel business?
CM: The departure of corporates from their previous operational stations in the CBD has created a need for us to step up awareness of Cresta Jameson as a fully-operational, multi-service, top-range hotel that remains committed to providing a hospitality space in this area.
It is increasingly likely that in the coming 10 to 20 years, the CBD will be converted into a residential area made up of apartment blocks converted from former office buildings and thus making a hospitality operation like Cresta
Jameson a valuable venue for a range of service to the residents of those apartments.
ZC: You have been with the hotel group for over 20 years, how has been your experience working for the group?
CM: Yes, I have enjoyed a delightful and enjoyable two decades in the Cresta group, firstly in the finance operations and latterly in executive management. It is a wonderful working environment and I have enjoyed my work and my interactions with management and staff at all levels, as well as with a large number of customers.
It is rewarding to know that we have so many friends and supporters throughout the community and across the world in the travel and tourism sector. Each day is a joy for me, and I really enjoy the many successes we have had over the years.
ZC: What would you say were your major achievements as country manager?
CM: As head of Cresta in Zimbabwe I have been thrilled that we were able to steer the ship through the trickiest time in our history, which was the period of Covid-19, when life more or less came to a standstill for so many people and businesses.
To have emerged strong and resolute, and to have so quickly taken up the challenge to regroup, refocus and restart was exciting. It showed we are a team to be reckoned with and we saw that our business strategy was both successful and correct.
ZC: Tiffany’s restaurant has been closed for some time, 10 years to be specific, what was the reason?
CM: Tiffany’s has been an institution in the hospitality industry and we were excited to be able to re-open it last year, positioning it as a fine-dining venue not just for in-house guests, but also for dinersfrom outside the hotel, including Harare residents.
We have much work to do to promote it and build up its position, but we are delighted with what has been achieved so far and with the public response to the cuisine and service laid on here.
It was originally closed because the loss of our traditional customer base from the CBD hit us hard, but we have resolutely brought it back and we are pleased with results.
ZC: What does the future look like for the Cresta Group in Zimbabwe?
CM: Cresta Hotels has full and unqualified confidence in the current and future potential of the travel and tourism offerings of Zimbabwe and the whole Southern African region, and we are poised strongly and firmly to take full advantage of the growth that we see coming to this region.
ZC: Looking back, how did you manage to overcome the challenges brought about the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns?
CM: The Covid-19 era was distressing and it is one we do not wish to see repeated, but we learned a great deal about how to manage a business in times of unprecedented challenge and how to pre-empt where possible and react where necessary.
It showed us our business model is effective, as we were able to weather the storm and emerge ready to swing back into action the moment that became possible.
I am grateful to our whole team for their fortitude, determination and support throughout the crisis period.
ZC: In terms of the Zimbabwe tourism sector, do you see it achieving the government’s US$5 billion vision by 2025?
CM: The vision of a $5 billion tourism economy is entirely possible and it is not only one that is held by the government, but also by all of us in travel and tourism.
What is needed is a clear focus on what we can and must do to foster this success and to take our sector from its current level to a whole new level, yet at the same time retaining our position as a destination that is not overtraded or saturated by visitor numbers.
We must also ensure that environmental sustainability remains at the forefront of all growth and development, so that our product is unharmed, but rather enhanced by such growth and development.
ZC: What are your major concerns as a hospitality operation in Zimbabwe and in the current economic environment?
CM: There are a number of challenges that face hospitality operators, chief of which is the high cost of running a business in Zimbabwe. This makes it necessary for us to price ourselves higher than we would wish.
It is our hope that private and public sectors will work together to resolve this situation and to help operators offer competitive rates on the back of reduced and managed input costs. If we have a collective will, this is entirely possible.
ZC: What would be your recommendations to government to improve the operating environment?
CM: Our liaison with government is ongoing and positive and our only wish to is to see the teamwork, support and co-operation that are inherent to any viable and successful partnership to be maintained and strengthened.
This will result in decision and actions in the best interests of all parties — the travel and tourism sector, government, the national economy and all the markets, which are domestic, regional and international.
ZC: Any last words?
CM: Cresta Hotels is built on past success and is poised to not only maintain its position, but to enhance that position through innovation, creativity and purposeful change. Our hotels have been operational for decades, which means we are doing something right, and we match that experience and tradition with a mix of willingness to experiment with new ideas and to introduce new means of doing business in accordance with market expectations.