6
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JUNE
2014
>
MARKETPLACE
A subsidiary of the global Atlas Copco Engineering Group,
Atlas Copco South Africa does not pay lip service to the
Group’s values of innovation, interaction and commitment.
“We live these values in our day to day activities and consider people
core to our business,” says corporate communications manager,
Kgothatso Masekela, “Our community is therefore extremely
important to us. We want to give back and make a difference in the
lives of people who are in desperate need, and one way to do this
is by supporting deserving community projects such as Vita Nova.”
Vita Nova, which means ‘New Life’, was established in 1977, thanks
to the efforts of the Eastern Transvaal Cerebral Palsy Association
(ETCPA) who recognised the needs of children and adults suffering
from severe cerebral palsy. “But we also care for people with other
disabilities including Autism and Down Syndrome,” says Vita Nova
director, Michelle Immelman.
The director, who started working at the center in 1998, explains
that an amendment of the Centre’s Constitution during 1999 allowed
the Centre to cater for a wider range of disabilities and conditions,
“with particular emphasis on the needs of the previously disadvan-
taged local community,” she adds.
Atlas Copco became involved with Vita Nova because the father
of one of the patients worked at the company many years ago. From
the first monetary donation in 2008, which was used to remove blue
gum trees that were causing damage to the property, the company’s
Transformation Trust Fund to Vita Nova has continued unwavered.
“We believe that a community project can only be successful through
a long term partnership. Because we have supported Vita Nova over
a long period not only are we able to share in the Centre’s develop-
ments but it is also such a rewarding experience when we see how
our donations are used to improve the Centre. We can actually see
the difference our support makes and it is an honour for us to be
involved with Vita Nova,” says Masekela.
“The tremendous financial support that we have received from
Atlas Copco has enabled us to do a number of building upgrades
and extensions to ensure that our patients are cared for in the very
best environment and surroundings for their well-being,” continues
Immelman. Some of these projects include painting and fitting of
curtains in the ladies’ hostel in 2009, extensions to stimulation rooms
the following year and the erection of palisade fencing in 2011.
“Regular maintenance, which is essential for a facility such as
ours to ensure that our patients receive the best care, is expensive
and there is always something that needs to be repaired, replaced
or improved. This year we have to paint our exterior walls and the
department of health has requested that we fit new doors. “We owe
our survival in no small part to the ongoing support from the Atlas
Copco team.”
TRUST FUND
GIVES NEW LIFE
From left: Kgothatso Masekela – corporate communication manager,
Atlas Copco SA, Hercules McDonald – trustee, Atlas Copco Transfor-
mation Trust and Michelle Immelman – director, Vita Nova.
Atlas Copco South Africa’s support of the Vita
Nova Cerebral Palsy Centre over the past six
years has greatly assisted the facility with
upgrades and extensions which have improved
the quality of life of their patients.
>
on the path to being a major economic force
in the region.
All the planned projects for Cote d’Ivoire
and Rwanda are on site and are planned for
opening between 2014 and 2015.
Hotel brands
The pipeline data according to the hotel
brands was also analysed. The top 10 brands
by number of hotels and rooms in their pipe-
lines are shown in Table 3. Radisson Blu
and its sister brand, Park Inn by Radisson,
occupy the first and third positions on the
list, respectively in terms of the number of
rooms in the pipeline. The rankings of the
two brands, which are operated by Carlson
Rezidor, slip to the second and fourth posi-
tions, when considering the actual number
of rooms planned, overtaken by Hilton and
Marriott, with larger hotels.
The Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott,
Radisson Blu, Kempinski and Sheraton
brands all have a far larger average size of
hotel than the others in the top 10.
Mangalis, a new entrant to the survey and
to the African market, features its two core
brands on the top 10 rankings by the number
of hotels planned – the Noom brand is ranked
fifth with eight hotels planned, while the Seen
brand ties in seventh position with Hilton
Garden Inn, with seven hotels planned. The
Noom brand also ranks eighth in the top 10
list of rooms planned, at 1 180 rooms.
Conclusion
New countries, new brands, and a clear
focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Those are the
main stories in the 2014 hotel chain devel-
opment pipeline report. More hotel chains
are opening development offices in Africa, or
in some cases in the Middle East focused on
Africa, and generally growing their resource
base, in order to take advantage of the strong
economies on the continent and the hotel
deals that arise as a result. Africa has never
been an easy place to do business, and
is likely to remain more challenging than
Europe, or even China. But most of the conti-
nent is so lacking in quality hotel rooms, not
just in the capitals but also in the secondary
cities, that it is our belief that the pipelines
in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to grow,
and that even more international players will
enter the market.
The flip-side of the sub-Saharan Africa
story is that less than 60% of the rooms in the
pipeline are under construction, compared to
75% in North Africa. Is that because they are
new deals, and will be on-site soon? Or are
they more projects suffering from the inevi-
table delays? Time will tell.
The big story next year will be ‘what
did Marriott do?’ After their acquisition of
Protea Hotel’s operating assets, they are
now the largest hotel chain on the African
continent. Will the other global players leave
that unchallenged?
