Project managing Uganda’s Latitude Zero from the ground up
Latitude Hotels is an exciting first-time client for Profica East Africa. Profica is providing comprehensive project management services to the hotel development, from ground-breaking through to completion of construction, furnishing of the hotel and final handover of the project to the client.
Profica’s vision is to make client’s dreams a reality through a diverse team of the best talent. True to this vision, the project is being delivered by a dedicated team on the ground, Deo Rubongoya from Uganda, and Wesley Mathieson from South Africa. In this manner, Profica looks to bring international hotel delivery experience combined with local market knowledge for the benefit of the project.
The development consists of a boutique hotel with both short- and long-stay apartments. There will be 33 executive suites, a fully-equipped gym, offices, a spa, a commercial kitchen and full-service bar, as well as two swimming pools. Construction is currently underway with completion expected towards the end of 2018.
Profica ensures a close working relationship with the Latitude Hotels client representative who is based in Kampala and who oversees the day-to-day activities and approvals. The hotel group is currently taking African by storm, providing a unique African lifestyle hospitality brand based in urban environments. In their drive to bring a 360 degree experience to Africans and business travellers alike, the group has a commitment to authentic development which harnesses local talent and capability and brings diverse features and leisure services to the market. Latitude Zero in Kampala, Uganda, is the most recent of the group’s developments, and will join Lusaka’s Latitude 15 and Lilongwe’s Latitude 13.
Deo says, “This is an exciting opportunity for Profica’s Ugandan office. Our approach is to ensure strict adherence to the specific project execution plan. We also ensure that a collaborative practice is developed amongst the team, and we do this by ensuring efficient and ongoing communication both formally and informally with our client and extended team members. The project is actively managed through constant communication and workshops to pick up on outstanding issues and foresee upcoming events that need to be mitigated to facilitate smooth delivery of the project.”
Deo goes on to say, “By having two project managers on the project, one with a strong local focus and the other with international experience, Profica is able to manage the local teams while at the same time having insight into the international client’s requirements.”