Located just a few hundred meters from one of the world’s most amazing tourist attractions, the Victoria Falls Hotel is not only a place to stay, but also a sublime and elegant place that provides a diversity of new amenities and amenities while staying true to its historic charm. . . The hotel is located at the most sensitive point of a gorge, allowing you to enjoy the soothing sound of the waterfall crashing into the gorge during your stay. Therefore, the hotel’s location lends itself to providing breathtaking perspectives of the surrounding historic road and the railway bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia through the gorge.
The Victoria Falls Hotel opened in June 1904, just before the planned railway from Cape Town to Cairo reached the Zambezi River. Built by the railway authorities, Victoria Falls was the first genuine tourist hotel in the territory just north of the Limpopo River in the early 20th century. In about a year, the famous bridge over the Zambezi River was completed, providing direct access to the hotel from the surrounding areas, as the railway linked what is now Zimbabwe and Zambia. The hotel has been heavily connected to the railways and now even has a personal staircase leading to the station platform inside the hotel.
For the first 60 years of the hotel’s existence, it was the only one on the Zimbabwean side of the Zambezi and was no different from the hotels on the north side of Livingstone city. At first, it was a small status quo with a handful of rooms and public spaces, with all the buildings made of corrugated iron. For much of its early days, visitors came here via rail, but with the new progression of roads in the 1930s, and especially in the 1960s, access to the hotel via road much more quickly and easily. Today, most arrivals to Victoria Falls arrive by air through the modern Victoria Falls International Airport. However, the famous Rovos Rail service connecting South Africa and Tanzania is still popular for getting visitors to the hotel through exercise – a wonderful nod to the hotel’s early days.
From its humble beginnings, the hotel has continued to expand with the arrival of subtle lodging and amenity wings that have brought additional modernization and expansion to accommodate its growing number of guests. The hotel has two main wings that are made larger from its central base: known as “hammerheads”, a design based on the old logo of the Zimbabwe National Railways’ crossed railways. The additional wings are made larger from the front and between the front and rear blocks. In the 1990s, the stable wing was built as a captivating addition that brought the number of rooms and suites to more than 150.
The hotel’s flagship restaurant, The Livingstone, was built in 1917 and is now one of Zimbabwe’s oldest dining venues. Another place to eat called Jungle Junction, built in the 1990s, where an impressive African dance display was held every night in the 50’s and 80’s. The third dining room is Stanley’s Terrace, overlooking the manicured lawn all the way to the terrace. Other amenities and services have evolved over the past 120 years of activity and now feature convention rooms, a comfortable lounge, a patio, a seating area, a retail store, an art gallery, and service spaces such as a hair salon, day spa, and ground operator’s office. The hotel also has a captivating swimming pool located in front of the garden. In addition, recent advancements have noted the recreation of the hotel. of a cocktail bar right next to the lounge, located precisely where the first cocktail bar in the country opened in the early 60s.
The activities presented to visitors are diverse, from river cruises to safaris in the surrounding national parks, a variety of plane and helicopter rides over the falls, and even bungee jumps from the deck. The hotel has its own captivating Anglican church, St. John’s. John’s. Mary Magdalene, which first opened in 1932 and hosts a variety of facilities as well as special events, as well as weddings and baptisms. The Victoria Falls Hotel is believed to be the only hotel in Zimbabwe to have its own chapel, which remains a valuable component of the assets. today. Over the past few decades, an increasing number of hotels and hotels have opened in and around the town of Victoria Falls, but none have the same history and scope as the Victoria Falls Hotel. La hotel’s heritage is represented by its affectionate nickname “The Great Old Lady of Victoria Falls. “
We had the chance to speak with Farai Chima, General Manager of the Victoria Falls Hotel. After running the hotel for about fifteen years, he took over as the hotel’s general manager in 2021. As the hotel manager, he led the hotel through the difficult situations of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the closure and relief of the hotel’s operations. Today, he oversees the ongoing renovation program that has been designed to expand the hotel in a position to meet the desires of its visitors and for the next century of hotel operation.
The renovation of the hotel is carried out in stages according to budgetary, administrative and logistical needs. The first phase has now been completed and has involved the reopening of rooms and suites on the eastern “hammer” as well as on the southern land that extends eastwards from the reception area and the top floor overlooking the hotel gardens to the gorge below the falls. Development activity is expected to continue in the dormitory blocks and public spaces until 2024. The renovation aims to provide visitors with the same amenities and hubs as other hot spots. Generative hotels while maintaining the hotel’s historic Edwardian-style exterior. Speaking to Farai Chimba, he said: “The imprint of this renovation will remain on the hotel for several decades, so it is carried out with care and style so that we can respect its afterlife while also meeting existing expectations. “
Renovation paints lifted the floors and removed the ceilings. They also included relocating wiring, electrical and plumbing pipes, as well as removing brick walls and making sure the very foundation of the hotel is compatible to serve some other century of service. As part of this, some rooms have been renovated, while others have had new privacy walls installed to separate the beds from the living area. The following renovation resulted in the removal of bathtubs in place of giant shower stalls, which are now increasingly sought after by maximum travelers. So far, only about 50 rooms and suites have been renovated, adding Classic Rooms, Premium Rooms, Classic Suites and Super Suites.
Even the hotel’s master suite has been redesigned and now houses two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a huge bathroom and shower, as well as a personal hallway leading to the suite, away from the hotel’s audience. Regions. The Batoka Suite is on the upper floors and features two bedrooms, a living room, and service areas with perspectives as impressive as the flagship suite, which has also been expanded through renovation to modernize its amenities, which are popular with travelers. The renovation design includes new fabrics, sleek new tiles, new carpets and wallpapers depicting the landscape and greenery of Victoria Falls. Every facet of the renovation is designed to optimise the area and ensure visitors get excellent service and can sleep soundly, with Victoria Falls Hotel knowing that every effort has been made to make their stay the best it can be.
The Victoria Falls Hotel has played host to some of the best-known names in the world of politics, business, show business, sport, arts, culture, and many other areas. Notable visits include George Darwin, who opened the Victoria Falls Bridge in 1905 and is Charles Darwin’s son. Many royals have visited The Victoria Falls Hotel and perhaps the most famous royal visit was that of the British Royal Family in 1947 when King George VI undertook his tour of southern Africa to thank the people of the region for helping defeat the Axis Powers’ threat in World War 2. Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother, and their daughters Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret accompanied the king on their two-month tour and stayed at the hotel for a short break over Easter, enjoying a service at the Chapel.
Over the years, celebrities and tourists from all over the world have come to the Victoria Falls Hotel to enjoy its Edwardian features and luxury on-site reports of a magnificent herbal wonder. Now, as the hotel enters its next century of operation with primary renovations and ongoing developments, it is in a position to serve its long-term visitors under the careful direction of General Manager Farai Chimba. Ultimately, at the Victoria Falls Hotel, taste and grace are combined with the best generation and convenience, and it is through those qualities that the hotel will continue to thrive for a century to come.
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