Protea Hotel Ndola — Hotel in Copperbelt Province

I was on my way to Kalumbila and booked Protea since it was the closest to the airport as well as the TA reviews along with my own experience staying at a Protea in Namibia.||I arrived at the Ndola Airport only to find that my vehicle, which I ordered and reconfirmed, was not there 😕. After a flurry of calls to the Hotel, I was informed that the driver is on the way to pick me up and after about 10 minutes of waiting, the excuse was that there was traffic on the road. On my way to the airport, it was obvious that the roads were deserted but I didn’t want to make an unnecessary fuss since this is Africa and things like this always happen. ||Check in was an absolute breeze with no delays whatsoever. My room was ready and I was shown to my room within a few minutes.||Overall, the room was very nice without being overwhelming but I booked a single room and this I received. The bed was comfortable and since it was winter, had a very good comforter that made my sleep warm.||The breakfast was good with adequate amount of options, especially for a non pork/beef eater. I won’t say that this was a breakfast that had multiple options but for a business traveler, the breakfast was good with fruits & egg station that made it filling. Overall, the breakfast rates as being good.||This is a good hotel and for anyone staying for business or pleasure, I have no hesitation in recommending...

Returning to the Protea after a year and interested to see how much had changed since the last visit. The rooms as usual were clean, airy and spacious. Staff as ever were professional, courteous and friendly. Top marks for having maintained that in all my visits in a time were consistency is a problem. I still think the food can still improve. Both the conferencing and a la carte meals were below the standard you would expect from an establishment like this. The braai on the Friday was a breadth of fresh air however and we thoroughly enjoyed that. They have a new wing with executive rooms and suites. If you have the extra money they are worth booking and staying in. If you are a Marriot member do check everything on checkout to ensure everything is in order and your points are allocated to you. All my visits have been a pain to get my points allocated as despite instructions to the front desk at check in and check out, they go an do their own thing making it. mountain to climb to get your points. Not sure if it is ignorance of the process as of all the Zambian Protea Marriot hotels this is the only one I consistently encounter this issue. It is because of this and the food that the hotel gets a 3 star instead of a 4...

Returned to the Protea for the first time post COVID. Kudos to the staff for excellent service, professionalism and friendliness. Always available to happily attend to your needs the hotel definitely deserves and 11/10 for their staff. The rooms were clean, airy and spacious (spacious showers you could easily fit two). I would have thought they would offer more television channels than the few they gave but then again I am not one to spend too much time on screen. The lack of air conditioning in the restaurant and reception area meant on really hot days it was quite uncomfortable to relax there. The food in general was ok, nothing to shout about, but the Chef did make a special dish on one of the nights (but that has its own review). Altogether probably the most comfortable accommodation you will get in Ndola and quite honestly the best staff by far. 3 stars due to the food being average and inconsistent, but there are two or three great Indian...