By CHATULA KANGALI – THE K60 million Protea Hotel in Ndola, with a capacity to accommodate more than 100 people, has opened to the public. The hotel, the second largest in the city, opened last week after undergoing construction for about one year. So far, more than 100 locals have been employed at the hotel. The hotel is the eighth under the Protea Hotels Zambia portfolio and has made Protea Hotels the single largest hospitality brand in the country. A check at the facility, located on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway close to Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, found some customers flocking into the hotel to inquire about accommodation and other services. The one-storey hotel has 80 rooms, three conference rooms, a restaurant and bar as well as a swimming pool. Front office manager Mwansa Puta said in an interview in Ndola that the hotel opened to the public on Monday last week. “We opened to the public on Monday, and we have received overwhelming response from members of the public. This hotel is the first of its kind in Ndola. We have a restaurant, a bar and a swimming pool,” she said. Ms Puta said the conference room, which has a capacity to accommodate about 150 people, was still under construction and that it would soon be ready. She said the hotel was currently running a promotion and that the rooms were currently costing between $100 and $120 at the rate of K10.5O per United States dollar. Velos Enterprise, a local contractor, was engaged to construct the hotel. Protea Hotels is a member of the Marriott International, a leading global hotel group.