I first stayed at a Latitude property in Lusaka, Zambia at the start of a bespoke safari with Africa Exclusive. The last thing I expected to find in the city – which is hardly a tourism hub – was a gorgeous, design focused property with strong eco credentials and a commitment to supporting local artists. But clearly there’s strong demand: this year Latitude has opened its third hotel in Kampala, Uganda. (The first hotel in the group is in Lilongwe, Malawi).
Right now, Latitude is one of the coolest brands in Africa’s tourism sector. Unlike many of its high end competitors, it offers a purely urban product, and it’s an authentic, local brand which has grown organically.
Yes, lucky tourists get to stay, but the buzz at the Lusaka property, Latitude 15°, comes from Zambian entrepreneurs networking and building their business in The Works, Latitude’s stylish and impressively equipped co-working space; NGO and embassy staff catching up over coffee and cocktails on the terrace; and well dressed couples on dates, savouring the imaginative and beautifully presented menu in the hotel’s restaurant. Latitude 15° is undoubtedly a place to see and be seen, but also to make well connected local contacts who can help you get under the skin of the city.
Latitude 15°’s broad, high ceilinged corridors and rooms are well suited to Zambia’s hot climate and always feel light and breezy (though the effective AC undoubtedly also helps). The stark white walls are the backdrop for an extensive gallery of contemporary artworks by African artists. Latitude is investing heavily in the indigenous cultural scene around each of its properties, and states that the hotels are “proud to be true ambassadors for emerging African talent.”
The hotel interiors are carefully curated by leading designers, who utilise a variety of recycled, upcycled, and sustainable materials. In one room, your eye might be caught by a beaded curtain upcycled from fragments of glass bottles; in another it’ll be life size photographs or huge collages which demand your attention. This approach not only boosts the local economy and stimulates creativity, but also ensures that wherever you wander in the hotel, there is always something intriguing and attractive to look at.
The combination of imaginative design and attentive service makes Latitude 15° an oasis in a city (and, indeed, a country) which can often be physically draining. Fatigue caused by long distance road travel and an oppressive heat seem to drift away when you cross the hotel’s threshold: the lush green of the garden is a balm for your soul. I’m not one for the gym, but the turquoise waters of the outdoor pool were so inviting that I had to swim a few lengths, if only to justify the cocktail I then had lazing beneath a parasol on the terrace.
The Spa experience at Latitude 15° is equally sublime. The massage styles may come from around the world – you can choose a Malawian massage as well as more familiar Balinese and Swedish ones – but the treatment products are all derived from plants grown closer to home. As far as possible, the ingredients are natural, and many of the oils and extracts have been used in traditional medicine for millennia. Pink African clay, baobab, aloe vera, and rooibos make for a superb detoxing face mask; and a coffee scrub followed by a tea tree and lemon food mask will have you raring to go and dance the night away.
I was equally impressed with the food. Agriculture is important to the Zambian economy, so wherever possible Latitude 15°’s chefs source their fresh produce locally. Other ingredients such as seafood necessarily come from further afield, and when they arrive in the kitchen, the magic starts. Dishes such as Korean barbecued quail, grilled Thai fish cakes with a Nambrik sauce, and an ox tail hot pot with Indian spices showcase the chefs’ cosmopolitan tastes and their flair for creating fusion food. Every meal I had here was a feast, every mouthful a bite to be savoured.
Latitude is a great success story. It demonstrates that tourism (and economic) development in the Global South can be both native and of the highest quality. I look forward to seeing the hotel group expand sustainably into many more of Africa’s metropolises, and to experiencing their hospitality again.
Explore Africa in style with luxury travel specialists, Africa Exclusive, using Latitude Hotels as your urban gateway to adventure.
Sophie Ibbotson is an entrepreneur, writer, and lover of wild places. She’s the author of five Bradt Guides, including the first guidebook to South Sudan, and provides tourism development consultancy through her company, Maximum Exposure.
