Lesotho Sun Hotel re-opens after facelift

MASERU — Lesotho Sun Hotel and Casino last Friday re-opened to the public after six months of refurbishment that gobbled up M140 million.
Sun International and the government of Lesotho — which has a stake in the hotel — contributed M110 million and M30 million respectively towards the facelift.
Lesotho Sun said in a press statement the refurbishment gave the hotel “the competitive edge over other accommodation establishments and raises the bar in accommodation standards” in the country.
According to the statement, the revamp focused mainly on furnishings of bedrooms and dining areas as well as consolidating casino operations.
Lesotho Sun has 158 air-conditioned rooms, including two royal suites and four duplex rooms.
The guest rooms each have an en-suite bathroom, a 32-centimetre LCD television set, a digital safe and Internet services.
The refurbishment has also seen the casino introducing a cashless gaming system.
“The casino will have eight tables and 130 slot machines offering the latest gaming entertainment,” the hotel said.
Lesotho Sun also offers conference facilities.
“Conference venues are state-of-the-art with rooms for small or big groups and the (hotel’s) professional team will offer an unforgettable conference experience for up to 320 people,” the hotel said.
Lesotho Sun also offers dry-cleaning and car rental services as well as a buffet restaurant.
The facelift has a come at a time Lesotho is positioning itself to cash in on the football World Cup tournament in South Africa next year.
The football extravaganza is expected to draw thousands of fans and tourists to southern Africa.
South Africa has indicated it might not be able to accommodate all the World Cup visitors, leaving neighbouring countries with an opportunity to benefit from the spinoffs.
Teams participating in the tournament might also want to set training camps in the region before the gala starts.
Lesotho — totally surrounded by South Africa — is geographically well positioned for the economic spinoffs.
But most of the country’s accommodation facilities do not meet international standards.
This leaves Lesotho Sun, after the refurbishment, good enough to attract World Cup visitors and other tourists.