It may be well known for having some of the best wilderness and wildlife areas on the African continent, but Botswana is so much more than that. Gaborone is bustling and business travellers are taking note of this, frequently making it their African destination of choice.
So you’ve arrived in Botswana. It’s beautiful, expansive, the people are friendly and the food is simply scrumptious. It’s not your typical business destination, but that’s exactly what makes it so enticing.
Where to stay
Lansmore Masa Square Hotel is a business-first luxury hotel that’s redefining the hospitality experience of business travellers in Africa. Located in one of the two iconic towers of Masa Square, the hotel offers 153 luxury rooms, a purpose built conference centre, gourmet Le Touche de Provence restaurant, Lonrho business lounge and an Espretto coffee shop.
As a luxury Lonrho hotel, Lansmore Masa Square is designed to ensure guests become fully connected in Gaborone, while being able to enjoy a few small indulgences during their stay too. All rooms have high-speed Internet access and a large work area for the dedicated business traveller. One of the big draw cards is the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool, where guests can toast the end of the day with fruity cocktails while taking in the spectacular African sunset.
Other first-class business facilities include laptop hire as well as a dedicated guest printer behind reception. Conferences are simple matters at Lansmore Masa. The hotel’s conference team will manage all the logistics, venue, meals and anything else you may need. There are seven meeting rooms all equipped with built-in LCD projectors and Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel Resort is located 15 km from Gaborone’s city centre and offers corporate and leisure travellers a host of activities in grandiose style. The new 80-bedroom hotel, built to four-star standards, provides spacious en-suite accommodation with panoramic views over the golf course. Facilities include Internet connectivity, a coffee bar and swimming pool, with an internationally recognised health spa soon to be introduced.
The hotel is geared to provide guests with not only a comfortable place to stay, but also a chance to enjoy the ample conference facilities, a fine dining restaurant and the pleasure of the challenging golf experience. The demand for accommodation from both the regular conference market and leisure guests having increased substantially over the past few years, the new hotel at the resort means they can now welcome larger groups.
Conference facilities provide for a variety of functions ranging from meetings of 20 delegates; conferences for up to 300; formal dinners, barbeques and theme dinners for 220 guests; and weddings for up to 300 guests.
There are two main conference venues, Tsodilo 1 and Tsodilo 2, which can combine into a single venue for 300 people theatre-style. The Tsodilo Suite is equipped with wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning, a PA system, independently controlled light switches with dimmers and the latest audiovisual equipment. The Astoria Suite is the perfect exclusive venue for between 10 and 30 delegates.
The Grand Palm Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort offers fabulous accommodation, dazzling entertainment and a variety of convention facilities. The facilities at The Grand Palm incorporate the world-class Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC).
The two Peermont hotels located within the Grand Palm resort are the Walmont and Metcourt Inn. The Peermont Walmont is a five-star hotel that provides guests with Botswana’s highest standards of hospitality. It’s beautifully designed and thoughtfully decorated for both business and leisure travellers and is equipped with all the facilities and modern conveniences that discerning travellers have come to expect. The Peermont Metcourt Inn is a modern three-star select services hotel that offers cosy, comfortable, affordable accommodation and delightful service.
The convention centre
The GICC is situated adjacent to the Peermont Walmont Hotel and is a state-of-the-art multifaceted convention facility suited to the needs of both international and local meetings. It is one of the premier conference destinations in Africa. It offers conference and banqueting facilities for up to 1 800 delegates, high-speed Internet connectivity and a business centre for essential corporate services and facilities.
Organisers
Fairground Holdings (FGH) organises key annual events in Botswana including Cultural Night, the Botswana Consumer Fair (taking place from 22 to 28 July) and Cormitex. FGH’s experience in organising these events has equipped it with the critical expertise to assist clients with their own events. FGH offers rental of shell scheme exhibition stands, assists in outsourcing of specialised event suppliers and can also manage the event on the client’s behalf.
Located in Gaborone’s city centre, the 50 ha plot is a versatile venue for conferences, fairs and exhibitions. The conference centre incorporates the 10 000 seater Ditshupo chamber and the 2 000 seater Boipuso chamber, both accommodating people cinema-style. In addition to the main chambers there are three multi-purpose conference rooms that can accommodate 250 to 500 people. There are 13 breakaway rooms, which are often used as boardrooms for smaller meetings. The venue is fully services with security, media facilities and plenty parking.
The newly refurbished Pavilion Restaurant now seats 96 inside and 120 on the Pavilion Terrace. The restaurant serves breakfast on request, lunch and dinner buffets, as well as an à la carte menu, with the addition of a brand new ‘Wok Action’ station for stir fries.
Besides catering within its premises, FGH can do outside catering too – be it a different country’s national day, cocktail receptions at residential areas, weddings at home or board meetings, you name it.
So, Botswana is undoubtedly the place to be.
Useful contacts:
Botswana Tourism
www.botswanatourism.co.bw
Lansmore Masa Square
www.lonrho.com
Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel Resort
www.phakalane.com
The Grand Palm Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort
www.grandpalm.co.za
Gaborone International Convention Centre
www.gicc.co.za
Fairground Holdings (Pty) Ltd
www.fairgroundholdings.com
