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2016: A Year in Review at Hideaways

Tales from the Bush

Looking back on a busy and successful year for us at Hideaways, we thank you for your continuous support and would like to update you on what’s happened in the last 12 months!

We Rebranded

In 2013, Garth Jenman fulfilled a life-long dream to develop a luxury portfolio consisting of properties with an eco-philosophy, namely African Luxury Hideaways. Since then, the company has grown and its unique offerings have evolved, allowing us to take the brand to an exciting new level. As guests continue to look for unique and experiential travel ideas, the word ‘luxury’ often no longer forms part of their quest for a holiday of a lifetime. As a result, the company name has changed from “African Luxury Hideaways” to “Hideaways”. Our new logo will keep the Baobab tree – a symbol of life and prosperity – and we look forward to sharing this new journey with you.

New Bookings Website

Hideaways has launched a brand new, improved website of eco-lodges in Southern Africa for travel agents and direct customers, to make online bookings easier and more efficient.

In the process of expanding, we are constantly looking to improve our offering on every level. For a new customer or agent, this starts with our website. We redesigned the site to make the user experience for agents and direct customers’ more seamless, easy and enjoyable.

The highlights of this new re-design is the new modern look, live availability and reservations system built into the website, live chat offering immediate assistance with an enquiry, useful and detailed travel information and all the latest news on Zimbabwe and the Hwange area.

In the coming months, the website will also offer a backend for travel agents, whereby they can now book accommodation for their clients, add-on safari packages and activities and even download their own invoices.

We turned 3!

Can you believe it’s been 3 years since we open our doors and started making safari dreams come true? Guests who came to stay during our birthday month experienced some extra birthday love as our staff planned something special every day of the month. Birthday cocktails, complimentary champagne, birthday cupcakes, boma dinners and cake – as well as Zimbabwean birthday songs –made it a special birthday experience at Elephant’s Eye, Hwange.

TripAdvisor

We climbed up the ranks on Trip Advisor, reaching the number 2 spot for speciality lodging in the Hwange area. Thank you to all agents and guests who have taken the time to review us.

New Reservations System

The implementation of the new reservation system, Nightsbridge, is leading to a faster turn-around time for bookings and enquiries. Travel agents will now have access to live availability and will be able to book online without having to visit our website. You can access our Nightsbridge page here.

Creating Change

At the beginning of 2016, Hideaways, in association with a number of other lodges in the Hwange region, created a collaborative group called The Conservation & Wildlife Fund (CWF). The objective of the CWF is to work together with the wildlife authorities of Zimbabwe to raise awareness, adequately resource local authorities, and promote the sustainable use and management of the wildlife in Hwange National Park and its surrounds.

We have boosted our collection efforts by offering a CWF massage, and have partnered up with Amarula to produce the CWF Cocktail, which has been added to our bar menu. All proceeds from these two initiatives will go to the CWF.  The funds raised by the CWF have helped kick off several conservational projects, including the installation of numerous boreholes which are aimed at sustaining Hwange’s elephant population during the dry season.

We also sponsored a night at Elephant’s Eye, Hwange, at the Friends of Robins Auction. The proceeds from this auction was used to replace the pipe to Detema Dam, the main source of water in the Robins Camp area.

We’re Growing

We’re happy to announce the arrival of our new reservationist and marketing specialist Nicole Bowes. She is stationed in our head office in Cape Town but is looking after all lodge reservations, customer queries and will be taking over as Marketing Representative for Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa. We are also proud to welcome our new pro guide Tendai at Elephant’s Eye. Professional guiding is important to us and the phenomenal feedback Tendai is receiving from guests is important to us.

Plan Your Safari

Get in touch with our dedicated reservations department, where our consultants are eager to assist you in selecting the ideal destination and lodge that perfectly aligns with your preferences.  Let our experts guide you through the exciting possibilities and help you craft a trip that will create lasting memories.

Explore our Destinations

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