Luxury hotel group Hilton has opened the refurbished 20-floor mixed-use development Society Business Park which houses Hilton Garden Inn in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
In 2011, Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) entered into a 20-year concession agreement using a public-private partnership procurement model for the $100-million redevelopment. Hilton was subsequently awarded a management partnership to open the Hilton Garden Inn as part of the development.
The hotel offers guests access to 148 guest rooms with panoramic views of the capital, including four junior suites with kitchenettes on the 18th floor. It also has an all-day dining restaurant catering to both leisure and business travellers.
Hilton vice-president for Africa and the Indian Ocean Jan van der Putten said the hotel had great potential.
“I am confident that Hilton Garden Inn Lusaka Society Business Park will contribute to the growth of the tourism sector as well as create employment opportunities. What we are witnessing today is part of our strategic five-year expansion plan for Africa,” Van der Putten said.
Zambia’s Minister of Labour and Social Security Joyce Nonde-Simukoko said Hilton’s investment demonstrated confidence in the Zambian market.
“This investment has transformed the outlook of Lusaka’s central business district by adding the much needed modernity to infrastructure. It is my government’s wish that other property owners in the CBD (central business district) will be motivated to give a facelift to their buildings,” Nonde-Simukoko said.
