(200 rooms, 21 suites) Haile Selassie Av, PO Box 32201, Lusaka 10101; tel: 01 250000/250600; fax: 01 251880; email: lusaka@interconti.com; www.intercontinental.com
This is the second of Lusaka's two five-star hotels, but in spite of a recent change of ownership it remains both impersonal and rather unwelcoming. The display of masks in the lobby is the hotel's only obvious concession to its African location.

Rooms are reasonably big, so you can expect an en-suite bath/shower, TV with M-Net, fridge and telephone. Rooms with double beds have enough space to include both a couch and a desk, and the décor is always plain, clear, and slightly uninspiring.

For meals there's the Savannah Grill and Restaurant, which has both a buffet and a daily à la carte menu served either indoors or on the terrace over the pool. More upmarket is the Olive Grove, a Mediterranean-style venue open Mon–Sat for dinner only. There's also a rather soulless bar, typical of such large hotels.

The InterCon's lobby is a good meeting place, with huge windows looking out to the front and a café whose piano is sadly only for show. Nearby there is a small arcade of upmarket shops, including an office for South African Airlines and an excellent chemist, where you can buy a good range of imported cosmetics and suntan lotions. There is also an expensive jewellery shop, and some smart gift shops. The more active can take advantage of the hotel's gym, swimming pool and floodlit tennis courts.