Cresta Lodge - Harare

It feels safe here, with the whole property fenced in. The staff are friendly, helpful and very nice. There’s a large lobby with charging stations, and the power is secured. The rooms are a good size with updated bathrooms. A peaceful garden and pool are close to the city center, making the lodge a good fit for business or a holiday.

The rooms are clean, beautiful and semi modern, and $110 a night is an excellent rate. But I’m a Zimbabwean woman from Bulawayo, and the service at Cresta has become prejudicial in a way that appalled and disappointed me. I studied at UZ nearly 16 years ago and attended many events here, so this isn’t the Cresta I remember. Meals took hours to arrive and were overly salty or tasted stale. The managers tried to make things right with complimentary breakfast and a late checkout, but including those reactive fixes wouldn’t make my review honest. “Mangwanani Akanaka” is a thoughtful standard greeting, but care is needed so it doesn’t come across as pushing a tribal narrative. I hope branches around the country use regional languages, such as Khalanga in Plumtree and IsiNdebele in Bulawayo, or consider how this affects the brand.

I stayed at Cresta Lodge, Harare for a convention in late August and really enjoyed the week. Taku at the front desk was always smiling and ready to help. I liked talking with her, and the rest of the staff were great too. I’d book here again.

Good value compared with other hotels in Zimbabwe, and both the location and service were great. The room was a little tired but still fine. Hot water was very unpredictable, which made showering difficult.