Sources said it could have been chalked up for US$10 million by the “broke government”. The Quality Hotel, which housed the famous “Norfolk Bar” later known as “Trade Winds Night Clun and Restaurant” has now been closed and is being renovated for government business only, sources said.
“The hotel was sold and, therefore, we had to close our night club,” said the Managing Director of Trade Winds Night Club in an exclusive interview. “I was told by some businessmen that the government had bought the hotel and would turn it into a “hotel for government chefs and officials only” but I cannot confirm this”.
He said the hotel had faced numerous challenges, the major one being that there was no business since it was in a “very badly lit area of the capital city, Harare”.
Quality International Hotel was “infamous” for the “High Rate” boys who blew their money after exchanging Zimbabwe Bearer Cheques for the United States greenback when the worthless Zimbabwe dollars was still used as legal tender.
Top business executives then began shunning the hotel moving to restaurants located on Fourth Street.
Sources said the Quality International Hotel would be used to host Ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), Senators, as well as Chiefs when they are in Harare for business such as attending Parliament or when they were simply away from their bases.
“This is meant to save government cash so that instead of booking these VIPs into major hotels, government can just book them into the Quality International Hotel which is going to be renamed soon when it reopens,” a source said in an interview.
“The government will obviously benefit tremendously and save lots of money because right now it does not have a single cent as revealed and said by the Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, in his National Budget Statement for 2011.”
The sources said the hotel could have been sold for about US$10 million but this figure could not be independently confirmed.
Property analysts said the figure (US$10 million) could be much lower since the area is not within Harare’s Central Business District (CBD).
Post published in: News