Radiant: the answer for Oubaai Hyatt Regency golf resort - When choosing lighting solutions for the new five star Hyatt Regency golf resort at Oubaai in the Western Cape, project managers faced two major challenges common among establishments in coastal areas: the high salt content of the air which is highly corrosive, and with the power supply being a concern, the need to use energy efficient lamps.   

Self-cleaning painting operated by nature - Hospitality establishments now have access to self-cleaning exterior wall paint – a first in South Africa – thanks to Duram NanoTech, which uses advanced technology called nano to develop a dynamic, protective molecular layer on the paint. These self-cleaning, photocatalytic nano particles are continually energised by the sun’s UV rays, even on cloudy days, to loosen and decompose dirt, mildew, fungi, algae and pollution. The paint also includes a protective layer of ‘sunblock’ that is embedded in the paint, helping to preserve its vivid colour.

Unlike conventional paints that deteriorate over time, NanoTech’s active ingredient is continually working to ensure longer attractiveness of the building, years after exposure. In addition, the paint has an inbuilt hardness, is scrub resistant and requires low maintenance. Duram has designed a pure acrylic formulation with a smooth matt finish that resists fading and chalking, bridges hairline cracks and minor imperfections, and comes with an 8-year guarantee. As an environmentally-friendly product working with nature to self-clean, NanoTech is water-based, non-toxic, lead and heavy metal-free and contains no added harmful ingredients.

Bringing art to life - Establishments, who are looking to offer their guests more a more interactive experience with artworks on display in their establishments, may find KWV’s recent initiative very interesting. KWV has taken up membership of Business and Arts South Africa, and is readying its first-ever travelling exhibition as part of a new engagement with wine consumers.
 
The 10-month travelling exhibition is the brain child of art appraiser, Stephan Welz, and will feature 30 works by acclaimed South African artist, Cecil Skotnes. The collection is built around the 1977 piece Skotnes created especially for KWV, titled “The Origin Of Wine” which is based on one of the oldest stories of humankind, “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. This will be the first time a broad section of the general public will be able to view this remarkable wood-carved panel, which currently hangs in the Laborie Manor House.

Baby, toddlers and teens décor - Kidz Quarters™ is a wonderland of imagination that caters for everything you need for childrens' rooms, including bedding,
curtaining, furniture and soft furnishings. Their products are ready-made or
custom-made to fit the needs and desires of their customers.

Kidz Quarters™ was inspired by the exuberant high costs of baby and kids décor. That's when the company saw and opportunity to deliver affordable décor. The market they intend to target would be everyday mothers and fathers who wish to create a little wonderland for their kids.

The company delivers a superior product made from the best material and the furniture and accessories maintain international standards - safe and lead-free.

For more information contact Sharon Greyling on sharon@kidzquarters.co.za.

Must-have coffee machine - Miele launched its first free-standing CM5000 Countertop Coffee Machine. Designed to hold 250g of your favourite coffee beans, plus a portion of pre-ground coffee to meet individual tastes, it can produce espresso, coffee, hot water, hot milk, dry and wet milk froth, cappuccino and latte macchiato. Easy to operate, it features an integrated water container, refill indicators to remind staff to replenish water or coffee beans, and customisable parameters, which allows you to control the quantity of ground coffee per cup, as well as the temperature. The chrome heated cup tray warms coffee cups up to the optimum temperature as coffee flavours and aromas are best released from a warm cup, and brew unit can be easily removed to make cleaning quick and straightforward. The CM5000 has been designed, engineered and tested to grind and make coffee for up to 20 years.

Bed bugs - more dangerous than you thought! - Even though there is no proven correlation between bed bugs and MRSA, a superbug that is resistant to most commonly used antibiotics, an alarming amount of people bitten by bed bugs end up in the hospital with severe infections, MRSA being one of them. Scientists in Canada studied five bedbugs taken from three patients treated at a hospital and concluded: “If bed bugs are capable of carrying and transmitting MRSA the way a mosquito spreads malaria, it could mean a whole new vector of human disease.”
Housekeepers will understand the serious of the matter given that:

• MRSA can live for up to 7 months on dust
• MRSA can live for up to 8 weeks on a mop head
• MRSA can live for up to 9 weeks on cotton (towel)
• MRSA can live for up to 203 days (over 6 months) on a blanket
• MRSA can live on the skin of otherwise healthy individuals, with no symptoms, indefinitely

Cleanliness is most important to consumers - Ecolab Inc. launched its "Why Clean Matters” awareness campaign at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago to share new research and insight about the impact cleanliness has on the performance of an establishment. Cleanliness tied with food taste as the most important attribute in choosing a restaurant, according to surveys of 13 000 restaurant consumers by Technomic, a leading foodservice research firm.
The surveys found that cleanliness consistently ranked as one of the most important attributes. Key insights included:

• Cleanliness of tableware (dishes, glasses, silverware) consistently was ranked as the most important attribute to full service customers – with 93 percent saying it is their top attribute.
• Interior cleanliness ranked as the second most important attribute, tying with food temperature in the 2010 survey responses.
• There was a positive correlation between chains with the highest cleanliness ratings and loyalty factors such as “intent to return” and “recommend to others.”

News Roundup

Industry news

Sho't Left to rock the local travel industry - South African Tourism recently showcased its revitalised Sho't Left campaign, aimed at motivating a new generation of South Africans to explore their own country and put the spotlight on domestic travel. Award-winning deejay Black Coffee, popular Soweto rock band BLK JKS, SAMA-nominated pop duo The Arrows, television personalities and fashionistas the Cream Cartel, writer and poet Natalia Molebatsi, innovative graphic designers Am I Collective and acclaimed painter and artist Mary Sibande are the Shot's Left trend-setters, will travel to all corners of South Africa and will feature in the new domestic tourism campaign.

Funding for Victoria Falls Wildlife Protection Trust doubled! - The Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit (VFAPU) started in 1999, but recently the Victoria Falls Wildlife Protection Trust was formed to oversee the running and operations of the unit which is the sole beneficiary of the fund. Unfortunately financial support within Victoria Falls itself has declined and VFAPU is under great pressure. In acknowledgement of the significant impact the VFAPU efforts have had on the area, a leading local hospitality and tourism company, Africa Albida Tourism (AAT), have doubled their funding for the unit, which will make a huge difference to the programme.

Gauteng Goes Virtual at Tourism Indaba 2011 - Gauteng is often overlooked as an exciting tourism destination in its own right. But at Durban's Tourism Indaba 2011, the third largest event of its kind in the world, the Gauteng Tourism Authority revealed its wonders. Gauteng's Great & Secret Show highlighted everything from exciting trips on the Gautrain and giant puppets from the Joburg Carnival to dancers from the acclaimed 'Moving into Dance' ensemble and a fashion show to showcase Gauteng's design talent on the recreated Nelson Mandela Bridge.

Cape Town Tourism's Winter campaign - Tourism role-players across the globe have expressed concern over the impact of rising fuel prices and the costs involved in travel for long haul and domestic tourism. According to Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism: “Value-for-money is the order of the day, whether on a large or small scale. We need to package our destination in a more competitive, diverse and creative way that offers the visitor incredible, once in a life-time experiences and added value has to be our focus.” In response, the City has Cape Town Winters are Cool… a campaign targeted at winter travellers and identifies great winter deals through a central website portal on www.capetown.travel.

Table Mountain could generate R1.4 billion a year! - An independent impact report has predicted a R1.4 billion annual tourism bonanza for South Africa if Table Mountain is named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The detailed report conducted by Grant Thornton, found that tourism to Table Mountain, and thus Cape Town, would increase by about 20% and approximately 70% of these visitors are expected to be international tourists. This would generate an additional R1.4 billion in revenue for the year or about R116 million a month, and the expenditure would support around 11 000 employment opportunities in South Africa. To vote for Table Mountain visit www.votefortablemountain.com or SMS "Table" to 34874. SMSs cost R2 each and voters can vote as often as they like.

TBI reports worse than expected - Results of the second Tourism Business Council of South Africa FNB Tourism Business Index (TBI) show that the level of tourism business activity was significantly lower than was expected, in the first quarter of 2011. The index provides a national indication of the current and likely future performance, of the various businesses operating within the South African travel and tourism sector.

According to the index, both the accommodation and other tourism businesses performed worse than anticipated, registering an overall performance index of 79, 6 against a normal of 100. A glimmer of hope comes from the relatively optimistic expectations for the next quarter with an overall future performance index of 94. "Due to the rising input costs such as fuel, electricity and toll-fees, we expect conditions to remain tough for some time. However, we are also hopeful that conditions will improve," TBCSA CEO, Mmatšatši Marobe said. She emphasised the vital role that the index will play in influencing how the sector will respond to the job creation targets of the New Growth Path. The results of the index will also inform the sector's approach the implementation of the new National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS).

TripAdvisor announces Mother City as number one tourism destination - The world’s best known (and most feared) customer-driven traveller advisory site, TripAdvisor, has given Cape Town a new reason to celebrate its tourism status - by naming it the Number One Destination of the Top 25 Destinations in the World in the Tripadvisor 2011, Travelers’ Choice Awards.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban initiate joint tourism marketing agreement - Cape Town Tourism, Johannesburg Tourism and Durban Tourism have initiated a joint city marketing agreement between the three cities. These cities are South Africa’s economic and tourism hubs and the joint marketing agreement will see them collaborate to maximise tourism development and marketing.

Zuma signs tourism deal - President Jacob Zuma recently became the first African head of state to sign the Global Leaders for Tourism campaign — a joint UN World Tourism Organisation and World Travel and Tourism Council initiative to boost international travel and tourism.

Movers and Shakers

Sandton Sun wins TripAdvisor Award - The Sandton Sun has been acknowledged a 2011 Excellence Award Winner by TripAdvisor, reputed to be the world's largest travel website. The TripAdvisor Awards take place each year and recognise properties that consistently receive excellent ratings.

AHA signs up the Saint James on Venice in KZN - African Hotels and Adventure (AHA), the property management company of Tourvest’s Accommodation and Activities division, has secured the sales and marketing contract for the Saint James on Venice, the company’s first contract with a boutique hotel in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

The Gateway Hotel assigns new manager - Barbara Smith has been appointed as the new deputy General Manager and F&B Manager of The Gateway Hotel.

IHS' New Vice Principal - Johann Oosthuizen is the newly promoted Vice Principal of the International Hotel School’s Sandton campus.

New faces for Red Carnation Group - The Red Carnation Hotels Collection has announced the appointment of two key staff members to their South African sales team. Sally Gray takes up the reins as Sales Manager, who will be working closely with Nicole Smith who will be responsible for sales for the two sister properties in the group, The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa and Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat.

Three Cities' portfolio expanded - Three Cities has expanded its portfolio to include the Caledon Boutique Hotel and this coincided with the Hotels first birthday! “We are thrilled to enter into the management contract with the Three Cities Group, who we believe will make a significant impact on our business and be an integral part of our vision to make The Caledon Boutique Hotel an iconic destination on the East Coast,” says Paul Barnes, co-owner of The Caledon Boutique Hotel.

Latest trends in hospitality

Valverde Country Hotel's new health workshops - Valverde Country Hotel in Muldersdrift launched its new health workshops with day-long workshop, including breakfast, lunch and course material, free of charge. Guests also received an interactive DVD, complimentary product sample hamper and a voluntary Vital Statistics health assessment.

Winter weddings at Knorhoek Estate - Catering to a new trend among brides-to-be who want to tie the knot outside the manic, over-inflated wedding season, Towerbosch Earth Kitchen at Knorhoek Wine Estate has created the picture perfect setting for a magical winter winelands wedding celebration, where fairytales meet an enchanting haven of old-fashioned culinary bliss at welcome low season rates.

Upgrades at The Riverside Hotel & Spa - Conference upgrades at The Riverside Hotel & Spa include new conference furniture, new carpeting throughout, a brand new executive boardroom, fresh paintwork throughout, a full technical upgrade including DSTV in all venues, and new uniforms.

More improvements for Peermont - As one of South Africa’s leading casinos and hotels group, Peermont has to look remarkable and offer their guests nothing but the finest. In addition to the R115-million makeover it recently received, the group has more improvements in the pipeline.

Stylish 'NEW' A'Zambezi River Lodge completed - Just a few of changes include a lovely large, rock water-feature at the entrance, an extension to the restaurant building to include a lounge on one side, furnished in warm and fresh maroon and white, a new a la carte restaurant, the new Zambezi Bar, and a wooden deck stretching across the entire length of the building. Also new is the 100-seater conference centre. The swimming pool area now boasts new red teak furniture to match the style throughout the hotel.

Country's finest restaurants combine culinary and clay art - In a world of excellent chefs in competing restaurants, good presentation and fine tableware are paramount. This is why the dinner sets of three of South Africa’s top restaurants in Franschhoek have all been fashioned by porcelain master David Walters, one of the country's most distinguished potters.

David Higgs of Rust en Vrede near Stellenbosch, recently voted top restaurant in the country, was one of the first to appreciate the value of consulting with an original craftsman he admired to achieve a good partnership between his superbly conceived food and the plates and bowls it is presented on. The other two top-three restaurants, Jordan Wine Estate and The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais, also use some of Walters’ bespoke dinnerware.

Prestige business addresses offered by Three Cities - For the business traveller, it’s about using time efficiently within business travel, ideal meetings and conventions facilities, a central location, efficient check-in and check-out, reliable and high-quality technology, comfortable work spaces, attention when you need it and silence when you don’t. Three Cities Group hotels have successfully focussed on these needs of the business traveller at a selection of prime establishments in every location, with heel clicking service and a warm welcome promise for an enjoyable stay.

Events

Indaba 2011 a success - INDABA definitely did not disappoint this year; delivering innovative new products and creative marketing concepts and it continued to pull in travel specialists from around the globe. Unaudited figures show 11 205 people passed through the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre's doors over the four exhibition days, with 1610 exhibitors and 661 local and international media registering to cover Indaba. 

Cape Town Tourism shares learnings from ITB 2011 - Social media and new technology once again took centre stage at the world’s largest trade show ITB in Berlin earlier this year. Research shows that people spend the most time in the planning and memory phase of their holidays. Facebook has replaced holiday albums and Flickr is the new slide show. Read more…

Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards 2011 - The 2011 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards programme is now open for entries. Organised by the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA) in conjunction with the Department of Tourism, Absa, the Department of Water Affairs, the Industrial Development Corporation, Eskom and Don't Waste Services, Imvelo is open to any type of tourism or hospitality business in Africa.

Imvelo awards businesses that implement sustained responsible tourism programmes. Winners will receive their awards at an awards ceremony to be held in Johannesburg on World Responsible Tourism Day, 9 November. Entries should reach the organisers by 31 August 2011.

Hospitality Sector Minimum Wages - The new minimum wages for the hospitality sector, effective as from 1 July 2011 until 30 June 2012, has been released. The current wage increases have been determined by utilising the CPI (exluding owners' equivalent rent) reported by Stats SA on 17 May 2011 (4.2%) plus 1% as stated in the current Sectoral Determination. The total wage increase is therefore 5.2%.

Valverde Country Hotel goes green - Providing a useful to-do list for those establishments who want to go green, Valverde Country Hotel has instituted a grey water recycling plant and now make their own compost. They also have a worm farm, where earthworms convert kitchen waste into supercompost; recycle paper, glass and cans; and use water-saving devices such as low-flow showerheads and toilet flush diverters.

Five students one step closer to their education dream - One of South Africa’s most prestigious training centres, The International Hotel School, provides the ideal environment for youngsters to gain knowledge and experience regarding everything that the hotel environment encompasses. Recently, 30 Matric students from different regions in South Africa were invited to gather at the International Hotel School’s Sandton Campus for the first of this year’s semi-finals which would decide the five finalists going on to compete for a life-changing R160 000 bursary. The five finalists announced were: Kymberly Wentzel from Brandcliff House, Vincent Bernhardt from St Dunstan’s, Mpho Mile from Roosevelt High, Natália Dos Santos from Maragon School, and Sandra Madonsela from Queens High.

Hotel Izulu goes green - And if you need a few more going green ideas, try these initiatives from Hotel Izulu, which has gained further applause from guests due to its eco-friendly initiatives.

Just a few ways in which Hotel Izulu is making a difference:

• light bulbs changed throughout the Hotel;
• new eco-friendly showerheads installed in the bathrooms;
• solar energy is used;
• hydroponics systems are used; and
• Gigi’s Restaurant uses only organic herbs and vegetables grown on the premises, all the meat used is from free-range farms and certified hormone free, all chocolate used is sourced from organic producers, and the bread is made daily on the property using only organic flour.

INDABA 2011 - With the theme of "Playing Globally, Winning Locally" INDABA is being hosted again by South African Tourism this year at Durban's Albert Luthuli Convention Centre from 6-11 May 2011. Africa's biggest travel and tourism trade show - which spans 27 000m² - is expected to host more than 13 000 visitors, 1 300 exhibitors, over 170 international hosted buyers and hundreds of local and international media.

Through events such as the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (ETEYA) and the Global Media Face Off and Welcome Awards, INDABA 2011 will also start to address the 2020 goals set out by the National Department of Tourism in the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS). For more information, visit www.indaba-southafrica.co.za.

FoodBiz Africa Focuses on Hotels and Restaurants at AB7 - FoodBiz Africa is an integral part of Africa’s Big Seven AB7, dedicated to showcasing products, services and equipment in the restaurant, hotel and catering sectors of the industry. AB7 runs from 17 to 19 July 2011 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. John Thomson, Managing Director of Exhibition Management Services, organisers of Africa’s Big Seven, says: “Whether you want to promote your hotel, restaurant or catering business, find new products, equipment, suppliers or customers, or simply gather information on the latest trends in the hospitality industry, AB7 is the ideal platform to do that.”

AB7 is a unique seven-in-one trade show, and the biggest food and beverage exhibition in Africa. Last year’s expo attracted 300 exhibitors from 42 countries, and 7 600 visitors. AB7 has a proven 10 year track record of ever more successful shows, and the 2011 event will be the biggest to date. This year’s AB7 is 47% bigger to cater for more exhibitors.

Aysha Raad, Sales Director of the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA), highlights the importance of AB7 to the hospitality industry: “The show takes place at an ideal time of the year, when suppliers launch new products and visitors can discover new trends in the industry.” For more information, visit www.exhibitionsafrica.com.

New hospitality conference and exhibition - A new conference and exhibition, Design in Hospitality (DiH), will be launched as a two-day event on 7-8 July 2011, at the Forum, Turbine Hall, Newtown, Johannesburg. Focusing exclusively on the hotel and hospitality industry, it will give designers and other decision makers the opportunity to grow their understanding of industry trends and to connect with their peers.

The two-day DiH Conference, themed 'Designing the ultimate away experience', forms the core of the event. Conference sessions on day one will focus on hotel development and interior design; while day two will concentrate on designing facilities and services, as well as food design. The exhibition will focus on the hotel design purchasing community such as hoteliers, hotel operations, interior designers and architects as a source of high-end design led products. Delegates will have the opportunity to view and discuss design interiors, exteriors, facilities, catering, green building and technology.

Meetings Africa 2011 sets new industry benchmarks - Meetings Africa 2011 has exceeded expectations and cemented its status as the African continent’s leading business tourism exhibition. During this year’s four-day show at the Sandton Convention Centre over 7,000 official meetings were scheduled, breaking all previous records and exceeding the expectations of platform owners, SA Tourism. Unaudited attendance numbers for Meetings Africa 2011 were 3 353, up from 2 899 last year. South African Tourism hosted 123 international buyers and 32 international media and this year’s Association Day was attended by 52 delegates.