The General Director of EBAT Guest Lodge, Ogomoditse Oggie Maruapula, has said the hosting of strategic annual functions, such as the Northern Letlhafula and Cultural Cuisine Festival, Meet Africa@EBAT in Tatso Ya Setso (Taste of Tradition) in April, July and November, respectively, not only provides a solid calendar of activities but sets it apart from its competitors.
Maruapula said the tantalizing traditional cuisine, complementary western dishes, traditional attire and cultural heritage manifested in all these functions have served as the key promotion components, drawing a sustainable clientele.
As an add-on to the domestic market, the Lodge continues to receive visitors and tourists from as far afield as Egypt, France, Germany, Israel and the Netherlands. International visitors can make direct payment in Botswana Pula (BWP) to EBAT Consultants (Pty) Ltd through the Francistown branch of Bank Gaborone.
For benchmarking and networking purposes, EBAT participates in International Tourism Expos and Exhibitions, mainly through the Botswana Tourism Organization.
“EBAT Guest Lodge is fully licensed by the Department of Tourism, is strategically located within the periphery of the City of Francistown as an out-of-town country-side resort in Tati Siding and is a mere 10 minutes drive from the City centre,” Maruapula told StandardLifestyle “The prominent, visible sign-posting makes EBAT easy to find. Further, its strategic citing to Francistown, Botswana’s second capital city, renders it ideally accessible to travelers from Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to name some regional countries.”
Maruapula added: “By virtue of its internationalized outlook, EBAT offers a strategic and logical transit stop-over along the Cape to Cairo A1 road linking southern African countries and those in the continent’s North. Due to the Lodge’s convenient ambience, companies from neighbouring countries, doing work within the Greater Francistown Area, always make EBAT Guest Lodge their destination of choice.”
With its 18 immaculate guest rooms, EBAT Guest Lodge is a 24-hour secure accommodation facility with camping amenities, dining and refreshment services.
An executive 5 bed-roomed guesthouse on Plot 5519 right in the City adds to the number of beds that EBAT Guest Lodge has on offer. EBAT has excellent layout in tandem with the Meeting Place’s 70-seat conferencing facility tailor-made for retreats and training purposes, said Maruapula.
He added that EBAT Guest Lodge’s Buffalo Spot serves as a drinking hole for patched travelers, who can then quash pangs of hunger in the Heritage Restaurant providing the tastiest meals. Half a day trips are taken to Shashe Dam while the neighbouring Tachila Nature Reserve offers ad hoc sight-seeing for the claustrophobic visitor.
“In addition to affordable and decent accommodation, ancillary services include Wireless Internet access and DSTv, ample landscaping, secure private parking, a reliable and regular airport and city shuttle, laundry, quality customized guest service, special functions, cultural gatherings, as well as local community-based interactions. Executive guest rooms have been installed with rich pickings such as bar fridges, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) plasma screens and other extra amenities.
“Through its Corporate Social Responsibility/Investment Strategy, EBAT Guest Lodge links very well with the community, by giving them back part of the profits year-on-year.”
EBAT Guest Lodge continues to upgrade customer service and improve communication and customer satisfaction as a means of achieving growth and increasing employment opportunities within a clean and tidy environment. Furthermore, staff training in hotel etiquette equips them to provide the most terrific ambience, based on the positive clientele feedback, Maruapula said.
