Golden Peacock Lilongwe sealed over hygiene

Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule has temporarily revoked the licence of Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe for falling short of operational standards, including pronounced bad smell at the facility.

The hotel has been given 90 days to rectify the shortfalls if it is to be granted the operational licence again.

Speaking to journalists after sealing the hospitality facility yesterday, Kamtukule said despite issuing warnings and notices to the hotel management to improve the standards such as cleanliness and hygiene, nothing changed for two years

She said: “They have contravened Section 9 sub-Section 5 of the Tourism Act. The standards are very low and the main issue is that management has been non-compliant.”

Officers from the ministry arrived at the hotel in the company of armed police officers at about 10am and informed staff at the front desk that the facility was closed with immediate effect.

Some of the hotel’s guests, who were in the lounge, could be seen panicking and trying to figure out what was happening.

One of the guests, who introduced himself as Mwangi, said he had just checked in some two hours earlier and that it was frustrating to start looking for another hotel.

Kamtukule apologised to some of the guests at the hotel for the inconvenience.

Golden Peacock, a Chinese franchise, operates two hotels in the country, one in Blantyre and the other in Lilongwe.