Maputo AFECC Gloria Hotel: Where mysticism, glamour, business and pleasure come together in one place

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Maputo AFECC Gloria Hotel: Where mysticism, glamour, business and pleasure come together in one place

3:56 CAT | 27 Jul 2016

The Maputo AFECC Gloria Hotel, is located at Marginal Avenue in Maputo, right at the beginning of the beach, and it is part of the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre (JCICC) compound. This project, is just one of the many examples of the cooperation between the governments of Mozambique and China.

The construction of the hotel started in 2014 as a result of a partnership between the Mozambican government and the AFECC group (Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group, lda), a large-scale multi-operational enterprise.

The AFECC group is the company that built the JCICC, opened on June 25th 2003 in order to host the 2nd African Union Heads of State and Government Summit held from 4th to 7th July, 2003.

JCICC is the biggest and most prestigious conference centre in the country, where the highest profile events such as the SADC extraordinary summit, and the meeting of the SADC ministers, took place. Named in honour of Mozambique’s second President, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, the centre has conference rooms to accommodate up to 15, 80, 120, 250, 800 or 2000 participants.

JCICC is the institution in charge of the hotel construction project, which has been designed to respond to the need of a facility that could provide services related to logistics and accommodation of the visitors that come to attend meetings and workshops.

According to the Director of the centre, Armando Muiuane Jr. the fact that the hotel is located right beside a high level international conference centre, gives it an outstanding value. AFFEC Gloria aims to become an international reference, where the incoming guests can have the opportunity to stay in a 5 star venue, take care of business and still enjoy the beach and other tourist attractions that the city offers.

Once opened in September 2016, (perhaps in one of the auspicious days for openings according to the Chinese calendar for September: 8th, 20th , or 28th ), the Hotel will be operated by Gloria, a Turkish worldwide luxury hotels and resorts chain . Gloria hotels & resorts opened in 1997 as a joint venture between Gloria Golf Resort and Gloria Golf Club. It has hotels and resorts located in cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh in the Middle East, and also in East African countries such as Uganda, Rwanda and South Africa.

The new Maputo Gloria five-star hotel is a US$300 million investment, and will generate more than 200 new jobs. It has 257 rooms in total, among the presidential, executive suits, and standard rooms, all of them with a priceless ocean view and the best of Chinese silk in bed sheets and curtains.

The AFFEC Gloria will have four restaurants, including a high level service and cuisine Chinese restaurant, which is to have 16 private dining rooms available. The hotel’s pool is another innovation: it has been built at the third floor of the building, with an ocean view. Gloria will have a gym but also its own luxurious Spa, where guests can enjoy a truly relaxing massage with oils made from selected herbs. A three floor building shoppping centre that will host some of the best food and clothes brands is also part of the project, Armando Muiuane Jr. told Club of Mozambique.

Every single detail in the hotel will make you wonder whether you are in Mozambique or in China, starting from the high ceiling supported by tall pillars, huge luminous chandeliers, countless mirrors and Chinese decoration details. The walls are painted in beautiful shades of yellow, gold, blue and green mostly at the Chinese restaurant, corridors and Spa. The other restaurants and the gym have lots of blue and cream, giving them a more western touch, in a combination of modern and classic design.

Those who wish to have some experience regarding the Chinese traditional lifestyle without leaving Maputo, can count on the Gloria Hotel tea room, where visitors will be pleased to enjoy a traditional Chinese tea, made with natural herbs, evoking a centuries-old ceremony. Even the layout of the room is unusual, its mixture of Asian architecture and rustic design giving it a special ‘ambiance’. With the Buda image in there, you cannot help but feel the Chinese spirit surrounding you.

By: Ilda Mathombe