The Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG)’s flagship hotel and conference venue, the Rainbow Towers and Conference Centre, which underwent a major refurbishment exercise ahead of the 44th SADC Summit, has been transformed into a contemporary accommodation and event venue space.
The hotel hosted several meetings and exhibitions which preceded the Summit. These included the 7th SADC Industrialisation Week meetings and exhibition as well as the SADC and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) Investment Forum. An exhibition also ran concurrently with the forum.
Before and during the events, the hotel used its social media handles to provide the market with updates on and results of the refurbishment exercise.
“The…Conference Centre has undergone a spectacular transformation, re-emerging as one of Africa’s leading convention venues. Its crown jewel, the Colosseum amphitheatre, now boasts a stunning new design and remains the largest in Zimbabwe,” the hotel posted.
A few years ago the hotel repaired the 4 500-seater conference venue’s seats but the effort fell short as the facility’s seating needed a complete overhaul. This time around the venue’s decades-old purple seats were replaced with grey modern ones. The seats are fitted with charging ports for delegates’ convenience.
“Our seats are equipped with 3-pin, USB, and C-type charging ports for your ultimate convenience. Get ready to experience world-class events in a world-class venue,” one of the hotel’s posts read.
The refurbishment was not only confined to the hotel’s conference facility. Its rooms and diplomatic suites were also refurbished and redesigned to meet the tastes of different classes of guests. Additionally, two new lifts were installed in the building as part of the refurbishment.
Opened in 1985, the Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre are one of Zimbabwe’s premier accommodation and events facilities. The Conference Centre is renowned for its impeccable acoustics, ensuring every note and word resonates perfectly. With a towering presence at 104 metres, the hotel is a major landmark that one cannot miss in Harare. Apart from its 4 500-seater auditorium, the facility has ample indoor and outdoor exhibition space and a lot of parking room. Its location from the hustle and bustle of the city centre is its other plus.
Over the years, the hotel and its conference centre have hosted many international events. These include the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in 1986, the African Telecommunication Development Conference in 1990, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1991, the UNESCO World Solar Summit 1996, and, recently, ICASA conferences in 2015 and 2023 among others.