After three years of construction, Hotel Verde Zanzibar – Azam Luxury Resort & Spa will host its first guests on the 21st of March. The 5-star hotel is East Africa’s greenest hotel, has 106 rooms and was commissioned by owner and Zanzibari-born businessman Mr Said Salim Awadh Bakhresa.
Following on from their success and worldwide recognition of Hotel Verde, Africa’s greenest hotel in Cape Town Airport, the project was contracted to South African-based Verde Hotels. Mr Bakhresa, Chairman of the Bakhresa Group, appointed the group to manage the construction and development through to opening, including the marketing and management of this new sustainably responsible hotel.
Some of the sustainable initiatives that were taken include renewable energy generation, reticulated grey and black water recycling systems, waste management, a heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) system and regenerative drive elevators. During construction, the hotel has followed the criteria of the Green Building Council and will manage and operate as a certified sustainable establishment, offering a carbon-efficient stay.
Commenting on the opening of the hotel, Calvin Boia, who is part of the Verde Hotels executive team managing the opening of Hotel Verde Zanzibar – Azam Luxury Resort and Spa, says, “This is an extremely exciting time not only for us at Verde Hotels but also for Zanzibar tourism – the destination is gaining huge recognition as a sought-after holiday and conference hot-spot and the hotel will add even more value. We have combined five-star luxury with sustainable strategies and offer a range of fantastic facilities and activities. We are looking forward to seeing families, conference groups and all our guests enjoy the fruits of our carefully thought-out hotel.”
