The five-year-old Protea Hotel Cairo Road in Lusaka’s CBD is undergoing a refurbishment worth more than US$300 000.
The public areas have so far been revamped, with the room renovation soon to be underway. The reception area, bar, restaurant and conference room on the ground floor have been transformed while the restaurant has been converted from an open plan area to a more private setup. The bar area is now separate from the dining room with extra seating.
The next stage of the refurbishment will incorporate all of the 75 bedrooms. The bedrooms will undergo a soft refurbishment giving them a more contemporary look.
Protea Hotels Zambia chairman Mark O’Donnell says Protea Hotel Cairo Road opened in June 2006 and it still remains the only internationally branded hotel in operation in the CBD of Lusaka. “In an effort to maintain our competitive edge Protea Hotel Cairo Road embarked on a transformation process, modernising the hotel to meet the same brand standards as newer properties within the Protea Hotels Zambia portfolio. Our refurbishment programme is also a reflection of the confidence and commitment Protea Hotels Zambia has in the hospitality industry in Zambia,” he says.
Protea Hospitality Group director of sales, marketing and revenue, Danny Bryer, says the revamp of older property stock within the Protea Hospitality Group continent-wide ran to the hundreds of millions of Rands. “Each Protea Hotel is unique, but the things they all have in common are a culture of service excellence and a quality accommodation offering. Some 15 properties within the group are being refurbished to meet those modern expectations of accommodation excellence to be on a par with the standards of service excellence.”
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