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Langalakhe Mabena

THE hospitality industry in Bulawayo is thriving, with numerous success stories of locals who are running effective lodges and AirBnBs.

The city consistently welcomes tourists and business travellers seeking accommodation during their stay.

Recognising a gap in the market and the ever-present need for lodging, some families, particularly those in Bulawayo’s leafy suburbs, have transformed their homes into profitable AirBnBs.

Ntombikayise Dube, a local businesswoman with a background in property investments (primarily flats in neighbouring South Africa), is among those who have capitalised on Bulawayo’s hospitality boom.

Inspired by her travels and experiences in luxurious hotels and lodges, Dube decided to enter the hospitality industry herself.

In just nine months, Dube constructed De Lux Villa, a modern lodge in Bulawayo’s Sunninghill suburb.

This 20-person capacity facility features a conference room and a swimming pool for guest enjoyment.

Driven by a desire to invest in her hometown and contribute to the city and country’s hospitality sector, Dube chose to bring her business acumen back to Zimbabwe despite her existing properties in South Africa.

“The creation of the Villa was a way of countering the narrative that nothing comes out of Bulawayo. A lot has been said about the city and most of the businesspeople within the community are not doing much to beautify and invest in local businesses. So with this project, we are challenging that stereotype and we are saying we are here to change the landscape and the business perspective of our beautiful city.

“The whole concept is redefining luxury because we have created a space that is exquisite with all needed facilities in a good local area which is Sunninghill. Our targeted market is the professionals and anyone who wants to spend time out. We are also targeting corporations because we have a conference room in our facility,” said Dube.

De Lux Villa embodies a strong commitment to women’s empowerment. 80 percent of the staff are young women, whom Dube specifically chose to provide meaningful job opportunities and the chance to build independent lives.

“This reflects her belief that young women deserve the same access to professional growth and economic self-sufficiency as their male counterparts.

“We have employed locals. We have got a full-time chef who has been in the industry for over 12 years and we have five full-time employed young people from the admin to the helpers around as well as three attaches.

“As a woman, I know how it feels to be unemployed and not have the power or means to fend for yourself.

“So my recruiting policy is simple on empowering women so that they can be able to take care of themselves and their families,” she said.

While the upcoming Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) from April 23-27 wasn’t the direct motivation for De Lux Villa’s opening this month, Dube sees it as a fortunate coincidence. The new lodge is already well-positioned to help alleviate the accommodation crunch during the trade fair, with bookings secured from both Harare and Botswana.

“We opened early this month and it coincided with the ZITF and this has seen us having bookings day in and day out. We had calls all the way from Harare with people seeking accommodation at our place for the ZITF week.

“We also have guests coming all the way from Botswana and thanks to social media which has helped us attract these clients.

“We know very well that during the ZITF week accommodation prices go high at some places but the services and the standard won’t be upgraded.

“But as De Lux Villa Lodge we have done our research on the market and our prices meet the standard of what the targeted audience expects as well as matching with our services,” said Dube.

Dube stresses De Lux Villa’s commitment to guest safety. The lodge boasts the endorsement of the local community and its security measures.

“We would like to give thanks to the local Sunninghill community for welcoming us with both hands.

“A lot of them took their time to come and view this place before it even opened and they endorsed it.

“We have since joined the neighbourhood trust and security which means we are totally safe and welcome here,” she said.