Season’s Greetings From Ilala Lodge Hotel
As 2018 draws to a close, hotels around Victoria Falls are swinging into the Christmas spirit! Likewise, we at Ilala Lodge Hotel are putting on our Christmas hats, hanging up the decorations and preparing for a festive season full of happiness.
Christmas is a time for sharing and giving, so this year, Ilala Lodge Hotel has committed to providing Christmas gift boxes to two especially worthy causes in Zimbabwe: St Francis’ Special Home and St Lukes Ward. Both charities are affiliated to Ingutsheni Central Hospital, which provides much-needed care for severely physically, and mentally, challenged individuals. St Francis’ Special Home patients range from six to 16 years of age, and St Lukes Ward provides support for young males. The majority of patients have no family and no form of social support.
Gift boxes will include a variety of necessary items such as toothpaste and brushes, soap, face cloths, sanitary pads, combs and diapers. These simple items will go a long way to make the recipient’s hearts very happy. Guests staying at Ilala Lodge Hotel can also buy a gift box for $40 USD using the donation pack within their rooms, which includes a personalised note for your fortunate recipient.
Guests staying at Ilala Lodge Hotel can buy a gift for a child in need via the donation packs available in their room
During this season, we also reflect on highlights from 2018. At the top of the list, is the expansion which took us from 58 rooms to 73 stylish and well-equipped guest rooms. On 15 June 2018, Ilala Lodge Hotel officially welcomed guests to the new Deluxe Wing. Thanks to an excellent construction and management team, the latest expansion ran smoothly and right on schedule, adding another 17 luxurious rooms – all facing the magnificent Victoria Falls.
This year, we were also delighted to be recognised as the second runner-up for the Best Resort Award at the Annual Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents Awards. In addition to attending Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo – an annual Tourism Trade Fair organized by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority – our team enjoyed a very successful launch of the expansion our new Deluxe Wing at the Indaba and We Are Africa trade shows.
2018 was also a hugely successful year for The Palm Restaurant – retaining its position as one of the best restaurants in Victoria Falls, ending the year sitting at #2 on TripAdvisor. Similarly, Ra-Ikane River Cruise was rated the 5th best boat tour activity in what’s known as the adventure and tourism capital of Zimbabwe. Just to top it off, both activities maintained their TripAdvisor rating as ‘excellent’. This is all thanks to our wonderful guests for taking the time to share their experiences online.
We have also been lucky enough to have a professional chef visit and share with us his culinary expertise and advice on how to elevate The Palm Restaurant (LINK) to an even more advanced level of A la Carte fine-dining. Read more about his stay in our previous blog.
As we look ahead to 2019, let’s hope for another year filled with good health, happiness and many exciting opportunities. From all of us at Ilala Lodge Hotel Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year!
