Work has commenced on the construction of a new Protea Hotel in Zambia, located in the city of Ndola opposite the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium along the important Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway. This hotel will increase the Protea Hotels presence in Zambia to 8 hotels.
With properties geared to service both the tourist and the business market, Protea Hotels, a member of Marriott International, is confident in the potential of the Zambian economy to deliver results. From a tourist perspective, facilities in Livingstone and Chipata open up to iconic sights like the Victoria Falls, and to safari and game-viewing, as well as offering a gateway to neighbouring countries such as Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Described as the Commercial Capital City of Zambia, Ndola is the 3rd largest city in the country. Situated 320km north of Lusaka, Ndola is the gateway to the mineral producing region of the country, including the Zambian Copperbelt, and also serves as the end-point for the oil pipeline from Dar-es-Salaam, providing a refinery for the processing of oil for the country, an all-important part of the Zambian economy.
“This means that business travel to the area is significant and, as such, we see great potential for future business in the area,” explains Mark Satterfield, Chief Operating Officer for Marriott International, Middle East & Africa and Marriott International’s Business Leader for Protea Hotels. “This new hotel development under the Protea Hotels brand reinforces our focus on continuing to grow the footprint of Protea Hotels and Marriott International in strategic growth areas such as Zambia throughout Africa.”
These sentiments are echoed by Mark O’Donnell, Chairman of Union Gold, the company that owns the Protea Hotels in Zambia, who says, “Union Gold Zambia Ltd has every confidence in the long-term growth of the Zambian economy. Our commitment to Protea Hotel Ndola is an indication of this confidence. Protea Hotel Ndola will be the eighth hotel in the Protea Hotels Zambian portfolio and it will make Protea Hotels the largest hospitality brand in the country. The Protea Hotels brand is highly respected in Zambia and is synonymous with a high quality and trusted stay experience combined with warm and genuine service to ensure every guest feels important and appreciated.”
The building will be a 2-floor hotel offering 80 rooms, as well as three conference rooms. Large conferences of up to 100 delegates will be possible in the facilities. In terms of size, this will be the second largest hotel in the city, and it is anticipated that up to 180 jobs will be created through this new initiative.
“The projected date of completion of the construction is Q3 2016” Satterfield says. “Protea Hotels looks forward to continuing successful business ventures in Zambia.”
