PROTEA SET TO ADD FOURTH PROPERTY IN UGANDA
(Posted 09th December 2013)
Usually reliable sources in Kampala have confirmed late last week that Protea Hotels will manage a new hotel in the town of Hoima, which is also the seat of the Bunyoro Kingdom and located in a part of the country where much of the oil finds have been made so far. The proposed 80 room Protea Hotel Hoima is reportedly under construction already and should be opening in 2014.
Protea initially entered the Ugandan market in time for the Commonwealth Summit in 2007, before opening the Protea Hotel Entebbe in 2012 and then adding the Protea Hotel in Mbale, the main town in Eastern Uganda.
The same source also confirmed that the Entebbe property is due for expansion, doubling the number of rooms, which is reflecting sustained demand for the location. The Protea Entebbe is the nearest hotel to the international airport, and the only international brand and as such ideally placed for passengers arriving late at night and shying away from the 45 kilometre drive into the city.
In a recent article here it was mentioned that Marriott has made an offer to purchase Protea Hotels, which once completed next year will catapult Marriott to the top of the rankings in number of hotels in Africa as well as in number of keys. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from East Africa’s hospitality industry.
