President Hotel wins global award

The President Hotel in Lilongwe has received The Best Hotel in Malawi Award from World Travel Awards.

The hotel was nominated alongside four other establishments, namely Kaya Mawa on the Likoma Island, Mvuu Lodge in Liwonde National Park, Ngala Beach Lodge in Nkhotakota, and Pumulani Lodge in Cape Maclear, Mangochi.

The award was presented at event that took place on Sunday night in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and was attended by the hotel’s representatives and some Ministry of Tourism officials.

Reacting to the news, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule said the award means a lot to Malawi.

She said: “This is a positive development which will instil confidence in visiting tourists. It is my hope that the hotel management will take this as a challenge to do more and better.”

Kamtukule also disclosed that the hotel has been making profits from around 2021 following major losses in the tourism sector which was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The minister said the President Hotel sits on 39 hectares of land, adding there is room for more investment.

On his part, Umodzi Holdings chief executive officer Steve Lwanda said the hotel is excited with the award, which is in recognition of the excellent service they offer.

He said: “We will continue improving on our services. We are currently in the refurbishment phase to improve the ambience of the hotel.”

Lwanda said the award comes at a time in the tourism industry after Malawi just celebrated the World Tourism Day.

“We are constantly participating in international marketing events so that we can strategically position ourselves as the preferred hotel for business in Malawi,” he said.

On her part, executive director Memory Momba-Kanthunzi said the development is a huge achivement not only to the stablishment, but also to Malawi.

“Malawi has so much to offer such as breathtaking destinations that need to be showcased to the world,” he said.

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

According to information on its website, the awards support, promote and develop the global travel and tourism industry by identifying and rewarding excellence and inspiring its practitioners to continually raise the standards of their product and service offering.

Reads a statement on the website: “Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. The programme, its winners and its sponsors are represented globally across multiple platforms.”

The President Hotel, which has 100 percent government shareholding, operates under Umodzi Holdings and was the first local hospitality establishment to be awarded the five-star status.