Selma Ikela
Windhoek-City Lodge Group, whose portfolio comprises 57 properties in sub-Saharan Africa, spread its wings to Namibia when it opened the Town Lodge in Windhoek, one of its operations offering a wide spectrum of accommodation.
Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta officially opened the new Town Lodge, situated in Kleine Kuppe, on Tuesday evening. It aims to meet the accommodation needs of both business and leisure travellers and has 147 rooms ranging from double beds to twin beds (two single beds in a room).
Interleading family rooms are also available and certain rooms have been specially designed to cater for the needs of physically challenged guests. The Town Lodge, which is situated next to Lady Pohamba Private Hospital, opened its doors for business on 5 October.
According to City Lodge Group marketing assistant, Julie Green, the Town Lodge has a swimming pool, sundowner bar and three boardrooms comprising two 12-seater rooms and one six-seater room, which are ideal for a variety of “meeting needs”. Green added that in the morning they offer a hearty full English or continental breakfast.
The hotel is within easy access of Windhoek’s international and domestic airports, as well as the CBD, sports and entertainment facilities.
She said they do not have a grading yet but they are aiming for a three-star hotel status. City Lodge Hotel Group originated in South Africa but has extended its business operations into sub-Sahara and now Namibia.
The Windhoek hotel is the 13th town lodge in the group, complementing 10 town lodges in South Africa and one each in Nairobi, Kenya and Botswana. It is its 58th hotel and the group also owns and operates Fairview Hotel, Courtyard Hotel and Road Lodge brands in South Africa, Kenya and Botswana.
Shifeta said accommodation is a fundamental element of the Namibian tourism product.
He said not only is it the largest and most visible sub-sector within the tourism industry, it also accounts for one third of total expenditure but it is an essential ingredient of Namibian tourism experience.
Shifeta said it is therefore vital that the availability of accommodation in Namibia be it campsite, bed and breakfast, guesthouse, lodge or hotel represent an image of Namibia as a tourist destination, as it is a basic requirement of tourists in their travel.
The success of a tourism destination is highly dependent upon the appropriate development of accommodation setup, and the availability of accommodation in Namibia has been a serious limiting factor, especially this year.