Times Of Swaziland: HAPPY VALLEY CONSTRUCTING 60 ROOMS WORTH E73M HAPPY VALLEY CONSTRUCTING 60 ROOMS WORTH E73M ================================================================================ BY KWANELE DHLADHLA on 12/03/2018 07:07:00 MBABANE – The upsurge for leisure and conferencing facilities has prompted Happy Valley Hotel to construct an additional 60 rooms worth E73 million. General Manager Luigi Rossi explained that Construction Associates (CA) had been granted the tender to undertake the development of additional rooms with different sizes to be fitted with exclusive furniture and fittings. Rossi said construction works at the Swaziland National Provident Fund (SNPF) owned establishment began in May last year and were expected to be completed in November this year. “As a company, we prioritise presenting business opportunities to local companies, which provides the main reason why Construction Associates was appointed,” said Rossi. In terms of job creation, Site Agent Bongani Khumalo from Construction Associates explained that 180 Swazis had been provided with a steady source of income as a result of the development. Khumalo said 65 people were employed by CA directly while the rest of employees had been employed by sub-contractors. The sub-contractors are Kellina Investments, Boab Investments, NNBZ Investments and Chaves Investments while the specialist contractors are: Alternative Energy (electrical works), Swazi Lifts (lifts), BR Doors (aluminum works), Interior Solutions (ceilings) and Swazi Roof Masters (roofing). Khumalo said the building was designed by Steve Hall Development Consultants and the engineers are FMC Projects and MA Dlamini Consulting. The site agent said the triple storey building comprises of basement parking with two lifts, court yard area with splash pool for adults and children. The ground and first floor has 30 rooms each. Site Engineer Andreas May explained that the building was being constructed under very strict conditions. He said technically it would be strong and durable to guarantee the safety of guests. “We do not compromise standards here,” May assured. Elaborating on what had been the motivation behind the project, Rossi said the need for accommodation facilities at the fast developing Ezulwini town and the growing number of people who visit the kingdom had prompted management to increase their guest hosting capacity. Rossi said the construction of additional rooms was part of management plans to improve the facility’s competitiveness over the other hotels in the valley. When the development was first publicly announced, it had been stated that the hotel currently has 65 rooms. This effectively meant the hotel would have 125 rooms in total. The Happy Valley Hotel and Casino is rated as a facility. Another Four Star hotel is the four star Royal Swazi Sun Hotel, which has over 140 rooms.