The Meikles Hotel is a significant historical symbol which has hosted the banquet of the opening of the South Rhodesian Parliament back in 1924 and the Independence banquet in 1980. The standards of the hotel are just outstanding.
The five-star hotel, which celebrated 100 years last year, has undergone some major renovations to the tune of US$ 9, 000 000.
A tour of the rooms, restaurants and bars showcased the elegant new look. The design reflects the international standards of hospitality that the hotel was founded on just over 100 years ago. Not only is the building looking dazzling, but the staff are also on point.
PIC : COURTESY OF MEIKLES HOTEL | Imperial Suite
La Fontaine restaurant, which is the hotel’s flagship restaurant, has had an exquisite makeover. The immaculate room comes with the ambiance of royalty making it a desirable place to dine often…and before you can complain about price, you can get a scrumptious meal at lunch for as little as $12.
From the La Fontaine we moved to yet another pimped up joint, the Pavilion Bristo, which was officially opened on February 29, 2016. One of the guests was America’s new Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Harry K Thomas Junior–this is the best space for those folks who want to have a good meal or just a drink with friends, family or even discuss business in a laid back environment. The joint has a barista who will brew some of the best coffee you can get in the capital. You can also get a meal from as little as $15.
PIC: COURTESY OF MEIKLES HOTEL | Imperial suite Bathroom.
Other impressive renovations were completed in other restaurants and bars in the hotel but you will have to go and check it out for yourself because we are now moving on to the rooms.
Now in this section we were blown totally blown away.
The rooms vary from standard to presidential suites, with prices respectively ranging from $195 to $2 300 per night depending on where you choose to sleep.
One room that stands out is the Imperial suite. It is effectively a fully-furnished four roomed house. It comes with a spacious bedroom, bathroom, lounge and dining area. This luxurious room is ideal for vacation or family getaways.
For a lower budget, you can get the Deluxe suite which is very comfy.Both the aforementioned rooms get you access to the all-new Meikles Club, where only the hotel’s executive guests wine and dine. Unfortunately we could not get access to the presidential suite as it was occupied during the time of our tour.
For the moment, despite all these steps taken by the Meikles team, business is not all rosy for the hotel.
“Since August last year, we have witnessed a significant decline in the number of guests coming from South Africa and these were our major clients,” said the hotel’s general manager, Tinashe Munjoma. “The slump of the South African Rand has really affected us but we are hopeful that things will turn around and we can see a rise in the numbers of guests we are accommodating daily.”
