Strand Hotel on track for Aug 15
Managing Director of O&L Leisure, Bruce Hutchison
In January 2015 O&L Leisure will also be opening its 16 all en-suite boutique Game Lodge, Chobe Water Villas, in the Caprivi on the banks of the Chobe River directly opposite the safari town of Kasane in Botswana and at Chobe National Park. This luxury development will bring both employment and purpose to all Namibians in this underdeveloped area of our country.
Two years ago, in July 2012 the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group of Companies centralized the management of their hospitality holdings and brought to life O&L Leisure Hotels & Lodges as owners and managers of Mokuti Etosha Lodge and Midgard Country Estate.
Sven Thieme, Executive Chairman of the O&L Group explained, “In 2012 we created our own team of hospitality professionals and launched the O&L Leisure Brand on the foundations of O&L’s proud heritage as an authentic, Namibian company, with an established history since 1919. The O&L Leisure brand represents what Namibian hospitality stands for: warm-hearted, honest and down-to-earth ‘hosts’ who are proud of our country, traditions and diverse cultural groups.”
Managing Director of O&L Leisure, Bruce Hutchison said ,“Re-positioning the two properties, Midgard Country Estate and Mokuti Etosha Lodge, was a challenging yet exciting exercise. The underlying strength came from the fact that the O&L Group approaches all it does with a clearly defined purpose, vision and objectives. Plans are also in place to create 15 additional rooms and additional conference facilities at Midgard Country Estate. These ventures have achieved significant support from Conference Organizers, Wedding Planners and Namibian Leisure weekend travelers. Hutchison also listed their improved relationships with the Namibian tourism industry saying, “We have approached these important relationships by adopting an attitude that these entities are our true partners and that we are both here to service our international visitors and do our very best to promote our country. We realize that tourism as an industry is one in which automation simply cannot replace the human being and as such we are the foremost creators of employment in any country lucky enough to have an environment which visitors wish to experience. An environment we are passionate about protecting and improving, ensuring that those who follow us will reap continued and sustainable benefits from.” “The fact that our strategies are working is also confirmed by the international internet based worldwide Hotel review platform known as Trip Advisor. Millions of travelers openly post their opinions publicly and share their experiences”, stated Hutchison. Thieme said “In July 2012 Mokuti Etosha Lodge was in position number 15 out of 29 Etosha establishments tracked. Today, only 24 months on, we are proud to confirm that we are in position number 5 out of 29.”
