Kariba Bush Club


Overnight we were lucky to have as Guests at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, Carmen and Geoff Greenwood and their two children. Carmen and Geoff have connections with Kariba Bush Club . The Club is managed by Peter Nel an old friend of ours and his dad Brian is one of our fish suppliers too! Bream Fillets asap please!

“Established in 2003 originally as a back-packer’s lodge and guesthouse able to accommodate 32 guests, Kariba Bush Club has grown extensively over the years with the addition of another guesthouse, four luxury chalets and two houseboats, now being able to accommodate a maximum of 76 guests excluding the campsite.

The lodge has something to offer everyone – whether on a tight budget or not. And of course there are the many activities for all to enjoy, as well as various facilities that the lodge has to offer guests. These facilities include a swimming pool, volleyball court, bar, restaurant and much more. Wildlife to be seen around the lodge includes bushbuck, puku, impala, duiker, zebra, bush-pig, warthog, ostrich and the ever-so-inquisitive monkeys, to name some. Baobab and Marula are both unique in their own way, but both are fully furnished and self-contained, offering a perfect retreat for groups of families or friends.

Baobab House (check the photo) is a double-storey thatched cottage built atop a ridge alongside a massive Baobab Tree. This house sleeps 6 people, is equipped with DSTV and offers private parking. It has shown to be a favourite amongst guests, with its large verandah elegantly wrapping around the front of the house, showing off the spectacular views of Lake Kariba that this house has to offer. Facing west, it is perfectly situated allowing guests to watch the infamous sunsets over Kariba without having to move further than the verandah. It is also ideally located in the sense that it is a mere 100m walk from the main lodge swimming pool yet still tucked away in its own corner, maintaining that true feeling of tranquility and privacy.”

That’s the blurb. I’ve never been there but it sounds stunning. How do you get there? Ah! Going from Livingstone turn right at Batoka and it’s about 200kms I was told! I also notice there’s no map on either the brochure or the website! Lol! I’ll find out sometime and let you know!

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Twitter For Sales – Guillaume Thevenot


I’ve been a follower of Hotel Blogs for ages, and Guillaume Thevenot (above) is always full of ideas. I’m taking a well earned day off today but tomorrow morning I shall do this:

“How you could use Twitter to find potential customers

Twitter- Most hotel industry examples out there have been exposed on past posts here and there, but I realize again today that very few hotels use Twitter as a way to find potential customers who could walk in their doors quicker than they can think of.

Hotels haven’t really used Twitter for finding qualified leads.

Today I asked on my Twitter account:

“Let’s see if Parisian hotels are listening. Where is the perfect hotel in Paris to hold meetings in the lobby or over a coffee?”

Guess how many hotels did respond to that question? Big zero. And some of you warned me afterwards that they would be surprised to see any answers.

When I was in Boston earlier last month, I tweeted “Arrived in Boston” and almost within 1 hour I had 2 or 3 hotels in Boston already sending me a greeting message and invitation to come to their hotel.

How did they guys found me?

Pretty easy.

You just have to use the SEARCH function on your Twitter application or use simply search.twitter.com and type some relevant key words that could end up in some interesting reaction with potential guests.

OK. So what do I need to search for? Key words like “hotel paris” would be a good start.”

Tomorrow

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The Ben Reed Interview (3)


This is the last part of the feature kindly written by Ben Reed on Adventures With Ben about Chanters Lodge. Thanks Ben!

“Sunday evenings from 800-900 P.M. are dedicated to The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient Featuring George Soulchild. on 107.7 FM. It’s an outlet for him to live his dream of becoming a DJ, promote Chanters Lodge and have a little fun. On the evening he invited me as a guest, Richard gave away dinner for 2 at the lodge to local listeners. Contest applicants had to text their guess to that evening’s question to win. What was the question? What country was tonight’s guest from? I think my accent gave it away.

In an instant, Richard’s phone was buzzing with responses and well-deserved accolades on his return to radio after a brief hiatus. He’s popular among the radio station staff and the local community. A dinner for two at the lodge is a special treat for many:

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The Ben Reed Interview (1)


I was recently interviewed by Ben Reed from Adventures With Ben and here’s the first part of what he had to say about me and us!

“Richard Chanter and his Lodge

Tucked away down a small dirt road, around the bend lies an assuming guest lodge in Livingstone, Zambia. But don’t be fooled, this 11-room complex in the middle of a bustling residential neighborhood is one of the premier places to stay when visiting Victoria Falls: Chanters Lodge.

Chanter’s Lodge was my home away from home during a 3-day/ 2-night stay in Victoria Falls. It was truly the perfect retreat for this travel blogger after a hectic 40-day sprint through South Africa. During my stay I had the opportunity to catch up with the owner, Richard Chanter, and ask him what makes Chanters Lodge so special…

Having accumulated over 40 years in the hotel industry (30 of them in Zambia), Richard knows how to manage a hotel. “This business is about people” he says.

It Started on Trip Advisor
And it’s the people that keep him working all these years. A chance encounter with an ill guest led Richard into the world of social media and the Internet. He explained,

“I took him to the doctor and brought him back. He said, “Have you ever heard of Trip Advisor? Join it. It would be in your best interest.””

And so Richard did, “It was very easy to join in the early days. I registered and put a picture of the lodge.” Shortly thereafter, his first review appeared from the guest he assisted…

“There’s nothing that Mr. Chanter won’t do to help you.”

It was at that moment that Richard realized the potential of the Internet. “We said, hey, we need more of this stuff.”

Thanks Ben

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Late Jonathan Lungu


We were very sorry to hear recently that Jonathan Lungu had passed away. Here’s a photo of him doing what he really did best – sorting things out when the ‘the authorities’ were involved. On this occasion water from the City Council! Jonathan’s on the left in the photo.

Late Jonathan worked for Chanters Lodge from early in 1999 until early 2009 as an accountant and assistant manager and was widely known and liked in the City, and by our Guests. He was particularly helpful when I had to be away from the lodge for any reason. He helped us set up our initial systems and was good at keeping the Chanters Girls in order when necessary! He was an exceptionally good cook!

We pass our condolences to Jonathan’s father, and sister Elizabeth and her family in New Zealand, and hope that Jonathan has found peace.

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It’s In The Eyes!


I love Seth Godin’s blog. This is what he had to say the other day in his usual succinct manner. Read it a couple of times and think about it:

“You can see the determination in his eyes That’s the way a friend described someone she had just met. She was sure (just as I’m sure) that he’s going places. Once the determination is in his eyes, the learning will take care of itself.

On the other hand, if I can see the fear in your eyes, then I’m not sure that learning alone will take care of the problem. No one can prove that the path you’re on is risk free or guaranteed to work. Searching for more proof is futile. Searching for more determination makes more sense.”

There’s some nice brown eyes there!

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Offices, Chanters Lodge



Here’s two good photos of the new offices at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone. You can see immediately that the pictures weren’t taken by an amateur! They’re the work of Phil Broadhurst at www.fishfilms.co.uk who’s staying with us at the moment as he’s part of the crew filming ‘Lion Country‘, the ITV documentary series being shown in UK about the Lion Encounter, out at Thorn Tree Lodge. Great conservation effort, super activity and wonderful TV programme!

In one of the photos with me are Annastasia and Melinda. ‘Why do we all look a bit fed up?’ I hear you ask. Well, it was pouring with rain, and we were worried about all the activity cancellations that were coming in – upsetting our Guests. Helicopters don’t fly, lions don’t walk and elephants don’t safari in the pouring rain! And, most of our Clients this week are from UK – naturally more weather conscious than others! We were also tired from a busy week made more hectic by moving offices!

The construction of the offices started at the beginning of December and I suppose 4 months start to finish wasn’t too bad for the build considering Christmas, New Year and Easter in this period with their long public holidays, plus the fact that we were working during the rains. I had doubts about this project, but not any more. It’s great to have a new attractive office facility and we’re really looking forward to the conversion of rooms 1 and 2 into an executive suite. Without new offices this wasn’t going to be possible.

Like any move anywhere it was all quite stressful, but Annastasia’s pleased with her new office next door to mine though we need phone extensions – due to be installed next week. Anny’s previous location has re-invented itself as a linen store! “Come to the office!” Has definitely taken on a new tone at Chanters Lodge!

Thanks again to Phil for the super pictures!

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No Limit


Seth Godin gets it right on his blog. I wish more people had this attitude.

“It’s absurd to look at a three year old toddler and say, “this kid can’t read or do math or even string together a coherent paragraph. He’s a dolt and he’s never going to amount to anything.” No, we don’t say that because we know we can teach and motivate and cajole the typical kid to be able to do all of these things. Why is it okay, then, to look at a teenager and say, “this kid will never be a leader, never run a significant organization, never save a life, never inspire or create…”

Just because it’s difficult to grade doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taught. Never mind a teenager. I think it’s wrong to say that about someone who’s fifty.

Isn’t it absurd to focus so much energy on ‘practical’ skills that prep someone for a life of following instructions but relentlessly avoid the difficult work necessary to push someone to reinvent themselves into becoming someone who makes a difference?

And isn’t it even worse to write off a person or an organization merely because of what they are instead of what they might become?”

The picture? Or son Henry nearly 8 and full of it, enjoying a day out in Botswana!

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