The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, which overlooks the coast along the Atlantic Seaboard of the Western Cape, advocates for the well-being of the surrounding wildlife and makes a concerted effort to participate in local outreach activities.
This year the hotel team adopted two penguins at the seabird rescue organisation SANCCOB to aid their rehabilitation journey and play a role in their protection.
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Every morning, staff and guests at the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront’s Tobago restaurant on the Atlantic Ocean’s edge are greeted by the sounds of crashing waves along the breakers.
The call of seabirds such as seagulls, gannets and cormorants can be heard in the distance. In the distance, dolphins, whales, and other sea life can be seen swimming past the kayaks and putting on a show for the guests as they swim along the bay.
In the past, the property has also had some unexpected guests, like an otter that ceremoniously left the salty ocean to swim in the hotel pool.
Being a hotel uniquely situated along the aquatic biosphere that is the Western Cape’s Atlantic Seaboard means that the hotel, its staff, and all patrons face the reality of the need for wildlife and nature conservation on a daily basis.
The hotel and its staff are staunch supporters of the well-being of the surrounding wildlife and make a concerted effort to participate in local outreach activities.
This year the hotel adopted two penguins from the seabird rescue organisation, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).
Penguins are an iconic part of the Cape Town landscape, with tourists and hotel guests flocking to spots such as Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town to experience them up close. With guests always enquiring about the penguins, it made sense for the hotel to be involved in their protection.
The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront’s penguins, which they named Bluey and Tobi, were rehabilitated and, after meeting all health requirements, released back into the ocean. On New Year’s Eve, Bluey and Tobi sent thank-you postcards and penguin keychains to hotel guests as a reminder of this project.
“Each postcard included a thank you to our guests for the role that they played in the rehabilitation story,” says Nicol Carelse, who kickstarted this project for the hotel.
“We want guests to know that when they choose the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, they are also choosing to support local wildlife, conserve our environment, and uplift local communities,” she adds.
It’s also important to remember that sustainability is about more than just the environment. People and the community play an important role too. That’s why the hotel has partnered with the Secret Love Project, a non-profit organisation that provides free heart sticker packs to members of Cape Town’s unhoused community, which they can sell to support themselves.
During the month of February, the hotel purchased 750 sticker packs to distribute to its guests. The hotel has also acquired an additional 250 sticker packs that are available and sold at the hotel as another way to raise money for charity and benefit the community.
“The Secret Love Project and our choosing to back it and offer the packs to guests is a story of spreading a message of unity in Cape Town.” Through Secret Love, our hotel and guests from countries around the world and all walks of life support local community members in need of their own place to stay,” comments Porche Benjamin, hotel training manager and the hotel’s key person when it comes to responsible business projects.
“We believe in the message of the love economy that the project seeks to promote. And it goes further than the project itself. The love economy and the spreading of those hearts across Cape Town speak to the importance of humans helping each other and conserving wildlife, fauna, and flora alike,” Benjamin notes.
“Hotels aren’t just able to drive sustainability through their own actions but can also help their guests participate in sustainability initiatives in the destinations they visit. I am proud of our team for not only being wonderful in their everyday roles but also for taking initiative and being good citizens of Cape Town,” concludes the hotel’s general manager, Clinton Thom.
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Picture: Supplied
