Conference and event venues across Cape Town are working hard to reduce water consumption following the implementation of Level 5 water restrictions earlier this month.

The restrictions require commercial properties to reduce their monthly consumption of municipal water by 20% compared with last year, while all water users remain limited to 87 litres per person per day for an overall collective target of 500 million litres per day in the city.

Tourism Update conducted a survey, asking readers whether the recent water restrictions had affected their business. A total of 56% of our readers voted ‘yes’, while 44% voted ‘no’.

All respondents said they had implemented measures to curb water use.

When asked if they had seen a decline in visitors to the area due to the restrictions, 83% said ‘no’, while 17% said ‘slightly’.

This week, the SA government allocated R74 million (€4.7m) in relief funding to respond to the persistent drought in the Western Cape.

Hotels reduce water usage

According to Darron Moore, aha Hotels and Lodges Operations Director in the Western Cape, all the stops are being pulled out to reduce water usage at their venues. 

He says swimming pools at their facilities in the province had not been topped up since the water scarcity alert was issued earlier this year.

“At aha Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites, the pump has remained off and we have also placed stickers on the bathroom mirrors as an advisory for our guests to remember to use water sparingly. The property has also had a solution placed into the pool that forms a covering over the top of the pool that assists with less water evaporation.”

In line with the company’s water conservation and sustainability strategy, a recent refurbishment at aha Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel included a complete overhaul of all the bathrooms where the bath tubs were replaced by new spacious walk-in showers.

According to Moore, communication with guests and delegates attending events is critical in reducing water consumption.

“We have created signage that is allocated to all the rooms that includes tips to assist in saving water.” He says guests are also encouraged to re-use linen and towels during their stay at the hotel. “The hotel will only wash these on request by a guest,” Moore says.

Glyn Taylor, joint CEO at Century City Conference Centre and Hotel, says efforts to minimalise the impact of its operations on the environment have been in place from when the facility first opened its doors in 2016.

This has been supported by a number of policies and procedures put in place to address the water crisis.

He says the facility makes use of recycled water in the toilets throughout the facility, as a result, saving 1 812 240 litres of fresh water since opening in February 2016. He adds that Century City Conference Centre and Hotel has since been rated four-stars by the Green Building Council of South Africa.

“We’ve also installed timers in our showers to help guests remain aware of their water usage and our shower heads have built-in reducers, while all the taps in our public bathrooms have automatic timers. Posters are also visible throughout the establishment to remind staff and guests to save water,” Taylor says.

Tsogo Sun Operations Director for the Cape region, John van Rooyen, reiterates the importance of communication with guests, saying it is central to any water saving strategy, while constant monitoring of water usage is just as important.

“Staff members are constantly monitoring water usage against certain targets through newly installed dashboards in our hotels in Cape Town,” he says.

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa’s Cape region is encouraging members to find new and innovative ways to save even more water. “As we face this drought disaster, we are reminded every day that we simply cannot do without water. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do our bit to conserve and take care of this scarce, much-needed natural resource,” says Jeff Rosenberg, Fedhasa Chairperson.