HILTON GARDEN INN WON’T CLOSE – GM

MBABANE – Following recent reports that the Hilton Group will temporarily close over 1 000 of its establishments worldwide, this will not be the case for the Mbabane-based hotel. 

This was disclosed by the General Manager (GM) at Hilton Garden Inn; Christine Ndlovu, as she stated that it would not be the case for the local establishment. 

This follows news reports that the international hotel group was shutting down over 1 000 of its hotels worldwide with the Durban and Cape Town establishments having already been closed.

Impact

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected the tourism sector on a global scale and many companies in this industry have had to make tough decisions, such as temporarily closing their establishments and placing staff on layoffs. 

According to reports from one of the leading news channels in South Africa, eNCA, the Durban branch was temporarily closed partly because the nearby International Convention Centre (ICC) had events cancellations to the tune of E60 million. The other hotels were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse effects on the economy, making business not viable in some countries.

South African Business Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tshifiwa Tshivhengwa stated that this then caused a loss of revenue for the nearby hotel as it was heavily dependent on the ICC being operational since it normally attracted conferences from all over the world and guests normally then booked into the hotel. 

Ndlovu said in response to market conditions, Hilton has had to temporarily suspend its operations of over 1 000 hotels at various points throughout the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.

Market

“The vast majority of these hotels have now resumed trading and we continue to monitor the situation in each individual market where we operate.  I can confirm that HGI Mbabane remains open to guests and operating in adherence to all local protocols and the Hilton CleanStay Programme,” she stated.

Ndlovu further stated that as part of the CleanStay Programme, the Hilton Group would begin a worldwide rollout of a new programme to deliver an industry leading standard of cleanliness and disinfection to Hilton properties. 

“The programme was created in collaboration with Lysol and Dettol maker Reckitt Benckiser (RB) and Mayo Clinic, which includes new procedures to help Hilton guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay during the pandemic,” she said. 

Furthermore, she stated that the Hilton and RB had expanded this partnership to support the global portfolio of hotels and the trusted RB family of products, which would be used in multiple markets around the world.

Worth noting is that the establishment was the first hotel to be awarded a Safe Travels stamp certification by the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Moses Vilakati. This then made the country to be the first in the Southern African Region to obtain the prestigious Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

This came after the hotel was assessed to ensure that the COVID-19 regulations that were launched were accordingly adhered to.

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