MOUNTAIN INN HOTEL CHANGES TRADING NAME

MBABANE - Mountain Inn Hotel has announced its official rebranding and signing of new ownership under South African investment holding company, Sakhumnotho Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

The announcement was made yesterday by the new Chairman and CEO of the group, Professor Sipho Mseleku. Sakhumnotho Group Holdings is taking over from the Ward family who have been custodians of the hotel for more than a decade. The group has changed the name of the hotel to Mountain View International Hotel. They have been present in Eswatini for over a decade with its non-profit entities Global Business Roundtable (commonly known as GBR) as well as the Global Fund for Jesus (GFFJ).

Branches

They first established in the country in 2012 and currently have 10 branches across the country, GBR celebrated its 10th anniversary in Eswatini this year. Mseleku said COVID-19 affected the tourism industry and economy of Eswatini negatively, therefore, the group has decided to contribute to the kingdom’s economy by reviving foot traffic coming into Eswatini.
“We’re always looking for investment opportunities across the African continent, with aims to contribute to the growth of the economy, foster job creation and eradicate poverty through our investments,” said the CEO. Mseleku said the purchase of the hotel is not for business purposes only, but to also expand their philanthropic activities in the country. “This work, substantially benefits the kingdom and its people, as our physical presence is already established in the country; not only for business purposes but to expand philanthropic activities”, he said.

Renovation

The professor added that the newly rebranded hotel is under renovation and they had been working hand-in-hand with the Ward Family (who are the previous owners) throughout the transition to ensure that the hotel’s essence and heritage is not lost. He said the South African-born organisation aims to partner with the relevant local government ministries like the Tourism and Environmental Affairs, as well as the Ministry of Finance in rebuilding the economy and its efforts to grow the tourism sector in the country. Sakhumnotho intends to have an official launch sometime in September. The CEO said the current political climate had forced them to postpone the official launch of the hotel. “We are very sensitive to the current political climate in the kingdom and we decided to postpone the launch. However, we believe and hope that we can officially launch the rebranded hotel in September to ensure that we tell the world about the new dawn for tourism in Eswatini,” mentioned the CEO. Mseleku further added that their team on the ground was attending all the necessary tourism conferences including World Travel Market and Africa Travel Indaba, to begin advertising the new hotel brand and inviting tourists to come visit the country.

Assured

In an interview with this publication yesterday, Spokesperson and Group Head Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mosa Ntwampe, assured that the staff need not be concerned about the transition of ownership, as the organisation intended to retain all of them. Ntwampe said they would also ensure that they add value to what’s already been on offer, to accentuate the proposition to both local residents as well as international tourists. “The aim, here, is not to take over, but rather to maximise the hotel’s brand presence and reach which will allow us to welcome a wide range of travellers from around the world,” mentioned the spokesperson.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: