Matetsi Victoria Falls Zimbabwe
Matetsi Victoria Falls
Matetsi Private Game Reserve, Kazangula Road,
Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe
www.matetsivictoriafalls.com
HOTEL INFORMATION
Shareholders
Privately owned
Date of Creation
2016
Hotel General Manager
Jono Hudson – Matetsi Victoria Falls is thrilled to announce that Jonathan Hudson has been appointed as the property’s new General Manager, taking over from Matetsi’s former General Manager, Franco Rienzo, who has returned to his native Italy. With over three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Jono prides himself on delivering service excellence with authentic Zimbabwean hospitality.
Zimbabwean born and raised, Jono began his career in London where he trained in the F&B sectors of The Dorchester Hotel and Sheraton Belgravia Hotel. Since then, he has gained extensive experience working in high-end safari lodges and hotels in Africa and has planted roots in the Victoria Falls region.
Hotel Positioning
5 Star Luxury
Development Strategy
Our owner has plans to develop an additional luxury safari lodge on the Matetsi Private Game Reserve by 2020. In the interim plans are being made at this very moment for some romantic / honeymoon suites in stand alone areas of the reserve to offer the ultimate in a private getaway.
Matetsi Victoria Falls
History & Story
Matetsi Victoria Falls formerly Matetsi River Lodge has been in existence for the past 10+ years. It closed down for a period and our owner – John Gardiner, originally an Australian native who has been living in Zimbabwe for 30+ years, became aware of and negotiated a lease on the property approximately four years ago. This is very much a family run operation with a great vision for having the ultimate safari lodge offering in Zimbabwe and Africa.
Date Renewal
The project was under taken in 2015/16 with the first section of the lodge opening late 2016 and the balance in 2017.
Main Strengths, Special Touch
Without question the unique points of Matetsi Victoria Falls are that we are one lodge occupying a 55 000 hectare private game concession. This area is essentially the same size as the neighbouring Zambezi National Park that has 6 lodges that occupy it. Additionally it is extremely rare to find a lodge with absolute privacy on the river front, Matetsi Victoria Falls offers 15km of private river frontage with no boats having access to the section of river in front of where the lodge is located.
Location
Set on a private 15km stretch of the mighty Zambezi River, 40km upstream from the UNESCO World Heritage site of the famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Matetsi Victoria Falls is unique in its offer of both a world class safari experience and an idyllic retreat from which to visit the Falls.
Key sites/activities in the area
Game drives and walking safaris within Matetsi Private Game Reserve as well as Zambezi River cruises and canoeing. Bespoke excursions including helicopter flights, white water rafting and other adrenalin activities, visits to local communities to mention a few are available. All transport arrangements and services are monitored by the team at Matetsi Victoria Falls to maintain a premium standard.
Children’s Corner
Matetsi Cubs is the official name we give to our childrens program at Matetsi Victoria Falls. There is no limit on the ages that we welcome to Matetsi, we only limit ages on certain game / river activities due to safety reasons.
HOTEL FEATURES
Accommodation
• Number of suites:
16 River Lodge Suites and 2 River Lodge Family Suites (Master suite connected via an enclosed passage way to an additional en-suite bedroom). These 18 Suites in total are divided into two separate camps – East and West.
•Number of Luxury rooms:
River House is our spacious, exclusive-use villa and offers four airconditioned en-suite bedrooms with an array of facilities. Guests are looked after by a dedicated team, including a private chef, butler, guide and tracker.
• Number of rooms, (keys) in all: 22 including all suites and villa
All suites and the villa have prime Zambezi river frontage and views with the ultimate privacy, peace and tranquillity on offer in the area.
All river lodge and family suites have a butlers hatch for early morning tea / coffee deliveries. Nothing better than being woken up with a warm cuppa before a morning safari experience.
Restaurants & Bars
• In addition to private dining with a private chef and butler provided, guests may enjoy social dining areas at both East and West Camps with camp bars, boma (bbq) area, as well as an intriguing cellar with an extensive wine list.
• We like to surprise and delight our guests with bush dinners after an evening safari
Wellness
• Our selected luxury products and treatments are inspired by the wisdom of Africa’s traditional healers and celebrate our vibrant heritage, communities and plant life. Beginning with a traditional African foot cleansing ritual that clears thoughts and brings calm, your treatment experience is completed with tranquil traditional Rain Stick Therapy sounds.
• We have a 20m lap pool in the guest recreational area, a gym room with brand new technogym equipment and an area to practice yoga.
• Being a private game reserve we are also able to do bush walks with guests
Corporate & Celebration Events
Intimate and bespoke celebrations are available on request
Extra Notable Features
The concept of Matetsi Victoria Falls is to showcase exceptional Zimbabwean talent, from the architectural design, through to each aspect of the guest experience, from food to service and activities on property. In line with this, every small detail of our guest stay has been considered from a warm welcome with cool towels and homemade beverages, to universal plugs in the rooms, iPads for guest use loaded with Bird & Mammal identification apps, as well as top-of-the range safari vehicles. This attention to detail coupled with authentic Zimbabwean hospitality make for a truly excellent guest experience.
Hotel and restaurant Awards
2019
• Top 10 Safari Lodges in Africa 2019
• Top 100 Hotels in the World 2019
2018
• 2018 CondeNaste Traveller Readers Choice Wards
2017
• 2017 CondeNaste Hot List and Readers Choice Awards
• 2017 House and Leisure 6 top safari destinations in Africa
• 2017 About Time Magazine – Worlds most Instragramable hotels
• 2017 Tatler Travel Awards – Winner Wild and Wonderful
• 2017 Travel & Leisure – Best New Hotels in the World
Number of employees
Approx 150