After a decade of fluctuating fortunes caused by economic and political uncertainty, Zimbabwe's premier tourism destination, Victoria Falls, is hoping for meaningful growth in tourist arrival figures during 2010.
Matching this expectation with action, hoteliers are undertaking activities to prepare for an upsurge in arrivals and carrying out programmes of refurbishment and improvement.
As the best-known hospitality establishment in the area, The Victoria Falls Hotel spent 2009 carrying out a series of improvements, strategically preparing "the grand old lady of the Victoria Falls" for what is generally thought will be an increase in interest by international travellers.
Some of this is inspired by the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament in neighbouring South Africa.
The hotel has a long and proud history, having been opened in 1905 at the time of the northward expansion of the railway -- the famed "Cape to Cairo" effort that was to link north and south and open up Africa to travellers of all kinds.
Since that time, it has played host to hundreds of thousands of visitors, many of them the rich and famous of the world, from royalty and statesmen to pop and movie stars and from business moguls to sports stars.
Situated close to the Victoria Falls, the hotel has unique, spectacular views of the gorges of the Zambezi River just below the falls and of the famed road and rail bridge spanning the gorge and linking Zimbabwe with northern neighbour Zambia.
Guests look up to the spray from the falls rising hundreds of metres into the sky just above them.
Now run by a partnership made up of leading local hospitality operators Meikles Africa Hotels and African Sun, the hotel started 2009 with a new general manager, Mr Karl Snater
Mr Snater, a former deputy general manager in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has since that time been gaining experience in management elsewhere in Zimbabwe, as well as in South Africa and Mozambique.
"I have spent my first year managing a programme that has placed this hotel on a level to cope with expected increases in arrivals and to reinforce its long-standing reputation for excellence in product, service and ambience," he said.
Much of the action has been behind the scenes, far from the eyes of visitors, but in areas essential to the smooth running of a hotel with almost 170 suites and bedrooms.
Work undertaken includes extensive repair and maintenance inside and outside the hotel buildings and the creation of a new kitchen for one of its restaurants, Jungle Junction, where breakfasts are served daily and where evening buffet meals are hosted for large groups. The hotel exterior was fully repainted.
A boundary fence was replaced, essential to keep wildlife from the adjoining national park from coming into the grounds, and in the area of food and beverages there was training of staff, introduction of a new cocktail menu and revamping of the wine list and restaurant menus.
A new staff uniform modernised their physical appearance. New air-conditioning units have been installed, carpeting replaced in all public areas, and various items of operational equipment and furniture either replaced or upgraded.
"The work we have undertaken has allowed us to return the hotel to full operational capacity, and we have taken steps to ensure that all staff are geared to hosting increased numbers of guests in the coming year," said Mr Snater.
An innovation during 2009 was the opening of an art gallery, run by internationally famous wildlife and nature painter Larry Norton.
This facility is proving popular with guests of the hotel and other visitors to the Victoria Falls area and adds to the considerable peripheral amenities provided by the hotel for its guests.
"Our focus during 2009 was on making sure that this hotel, with its long and fine tradition of high standards, is ready and able in 2010 to host the world's most discerning travellers, and that in every aspect of our operations we achieve exceptional results," said Mr Snater.
"As we look ahead into 2010, we will undertake the promotional activity necessary to stimulate increased occupancies, both related to the World Cup and also to general trends of increased interest in Victoria Falls by international visitors.
"The Victoria Falls Hotel this year marks its 106th anniversary and we look forward not only to improved tourist numbers, but also to giving guests an unforgettable and exciting experience while here."
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