Sujata Agrawal

As one drives into the city from Lusaka international airport, the vista is one of verdant fields, interrupted occasionally by small housing clusters. Lusaka is a still-developing city of 1.3 million inhabitants, where multi-storeyed buildings are steadily displacing elegant colonial houses with big lawns. Rows of shops line the roads, peddling a panoply of products, and glittering shopping malls suggest a metropolis riding a booming economy. The Taj Pamodzi fits just right in this advertisement for urban renewal.

Visitors to the Taj Group's premier hospitality property in Africa are greeted by a courtly driveway that cuts through manicured lawns, stately Jacaranda trees and colourful borders of flowers. As you step out of the car after a 30-minute drive from the airport, you enter a world of understated luxury. The lobby is spacious and well appointed, but not outspokenly opulent. Authentic African artefacts adorn the walls and the carved tables. Sourced from local craftsmen, these are more than mere showpieces; they are part of the Taj's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to encourage local craftspeople.

The hotel began in 1979 as part of the state-owned National Development Corporation and was operated by British Caledonian Hotels. In 1990, the Taj Group signed a 10-year contract to manage the hotel. When the Zambian government decided to privatise the hotel in 1995, Tata Zambia picked up a 70 per cent stake and the hotel was called the Taj Pamodzi. In 2003, the property got a complete facelift to bring it up to the superior standards of the Taj. The Atrium Design Group of South Africa redesigned and refurbished the rooms, restaurants, lobby, health club and the pool at a total cost of $8 million. In June 2003, the new-look Taj Pamodzi was opened by the president of Zambia, HE Levy Patrick Mwanawasa.

Each room and suite at the Taj Pamodzi has its own little balcony. That little luxury is complemented by creature comforts such as a tea / coffee maker, a personal safe and a minibar. The toiletries are tastefully arranged in a wicker basket, a signature feature of Taj hotels worldwide. The business executive rooms have a specially designed reading desk and include valet service and a complimentary cocktail hour every evening. The deluxe suites have an exclusive sitting room, a dining area and a spacious work area; the bathrooms here have a separate shower cubicle and a Jacuzzi. The Presidential suite tops the lot with a Jacuzzi in the balcony, which you can delight in while savouring a panoramic view of Lusaka.

The hotel's three restaurants offer an eclectic choice of cuisines. The Jacaranda Coffee Shop delivers everything from juicy steaks and char-grilled kebabs to brick-oven pizzas and braised ox-tail. Steaks 'n' Grills provides for an intimate dining experience under an African thatched roof while being serenaded by a jazz band. The menu is continental, Indian and Zambian, and includes charcoal-roasted quail and brochettes of crocodile tail. The Marula Bar serves a heady array of exotic international wines, cocktails and spirits.

A great place to relax is the lounge next to the bar. The kettle is always on the boil and one can count on a quick cup of tea (regular, mint or herbal) as well as some spicy titbits to munch on while listening to the soothing notes of a piano player. A 24-hour fitness centre, swimming pool, squash courts and a spa with three treatment rooms add to the facilities on offer.

"This is a business hotel and our customers are usually business people from the mining industry or from agencies such as Unicef, WHO, World Bank, UN and UNAID," says Anil Mohan, the Taj Pamodzi's general manager. The hotel also has five meeting rooms, including a boardroom. Theme nights based on Indian or Zambian motifs are organised on request. A business centre, high-speed Internet connectivity, secretarial services and workstations mean that guests can always stay in touch with work and office. The service is vintage Taj: warm, hospitable, professional and comfortable.

Mr Mohan moved to Lusaka from the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, in October 2003, and took over as general manager when the property was in the middle of its makeover. "Those were tough times," he recalls, "Room occupancy was down owing to the renovation. The main challenge after the reopening was to bring back customers." Occupancy is up to 59 per cent and Mr Mohan is confident the figure will rise to 70 per cent by 2006.

Mr Mohan has put together a comprehensive plan to increase revenue from food and beverages, in addition to higher room occupancy. He plans to promote food festivals at the restaurants and aggressively market theme parties to conferences. Promoting the spa experience and hotel's health-club memberships to local corporate houses is another avenue being explored, as is marketing alliances with airlines flying in to Lusaka. Apart from luring customers online, he has proposed setting up a sales office in Johannesburg to tap the enormous potential that South Africa presents.

The year 2005 has been declared 'Visit Zambia Year' and Mr Mohan is working closely with the Zambia National Tourist Board to bring in leisure customers. Zambia has many national parks, which offer great opportunities to view big game in their natural habitat, apart from the spectacular Victoria Falls, the highest waterfall in the world.

Mr Mohan leads a team of over 300 dedicated employees, of whom some 90 per cent are locals. Like any other Taj hotel, various HR tools (employee-satisfaction tracking, performance management systems, staff welfare activities, etc) are applied to train, motivate and encourage employees. "Our biggest challenge is the distance factor," he says. "The challenge is to stay linked." Operational processes and systems are easily put in place, but it is the cultural link — the ethos of the Taj Group — that must cascade down and be understood by even the newest employee.

Fortunately, a lot of communication has started flowing in from the corporate office. Mr Mohan holds video shows, a town-hall-style meeting every two months, and regular departmental meetings. News and events are posted on the hotel's notice boards, and the intranet has helped in bringing the property's employees together.

Grace Chilomo, who joined the Taj Pamodzi as an assistant housekeeper (when it was still the Pamodzi) and is today the executive housekeeper, agrees: "We did not know much about the Tata Group earlier. But now we visit the website and the intranet, so we know what is happening in other Taj hotels. I even get online help from housekeepers in other properties."

Brenda C. Kolala, senior sales and marketing executive, has attended international sales and marketing conferences in India. "There are a lot of things I learned there which I apply in my dealings," she explains. "I also train my people to do the same. It would be nice to work in another Taj hotel because of the exposure one can get." Kolala hopes the Taj Pamodzi will one day host a prestigious international conference. "The feedback from the market has been very positive after the renovation. We have a better product now and we are rightfully proud of it."