In March last year, Tintswalo Atlantic in Cape Town burned to the ground. Just seven months later it reopened to guests, completely rebuilt and raring to go in time for the peak season. Sue van Winsen spoke to Tintswalo Atlantic management to find out more about the process, from total destruction to its celebrated relaunch.

It’s every hotelier’s worst nightmare come true. In the early hours of the morning on March 2, 2015, the iconic Tintswalo Atlantic along Chapman’s Peak, near Hout Bay, was caught in the path of a wild mountain fire that blazed through the Cape Peninsula.

At 01h15, the security team at the property saw the flames and immediately began emergency fire procedures. This included turning on the sprinklers, preparing hoses, fire equipment and notifying the fire department.

GM of Tintswalo Atlantic, Ryno du Rand, was immediately called on site and, together with Assistant Manager, Tania Batista Hofer, a decision was taken to evacuate all guests while staff stayed on the property for as long as possible. However, soon Tintswalo management made the call to evacuate all staff too, to ensure their safety.

One of the first priorities was ensuring that the guests were accommodated elsewhere. Lisa Goosen, CEO for Tintswalo, says, in particular, the 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa, was extremely helpful, taking on guests at short notice. The Tintswalo reservations team also began contacting all future guests, ensuring they were redirected to local properties that could accommodate them.

Initially, Tintswalo Lodges Group management was unable to fully assess the damage to the property, as the fire continued to blaze and the fire department said it was too dangerous to allow anyone on site. While everyone hoped that the damage would be limited, through offshore observation, management could ascertain that at least 60% to 80% of the property had been destroyed, including the main area, and Tintswalo Atlantic would have to be out of operation for an extended period of time.

Gaye Corbett, Tintswalo Lodges Group owner, says: “The greatest challenge initially was just getting over the shock of losing the lodge. We had to get to grips with the fact that it was all gone and to somehow see the rebuild as an exciting challenge and not a complete loss, which is what it felt like after the fire. We realised that the only time you can truly and totally lose something is if you feel you can never recreate it again. When we had decided to go ahead, we put a deadline in place, it was easy.”

The initial date set to reopen was December 1, 2015. Discussing the process of claiming from insurance, Goosen said the company they used immediately authorised an amount to start clearing the site, which enabled them to start the rebuild within just two weeks of the fire. “With hindsight, we wouldn’t do anything different in terms of our insurance, as we had good cover with a very good company,” she adds.

Tintswalo Atlantic says it was also a priority to ensure that its staff were taken care of during the rebuild, and they all remained employed and assisted in the rebuilding of the property. “This was one of the main highlights of the rebuild process, with everyone getting involved,” adds Goosen.

Training was also offered to lodge staff so that they could have the opportunity to work at Tintswalo’s other lodges, should they choose to do so. An office was set up in Hout Bay, which became the central hub for the next few months.

“Once the site was cleared, it was a matter of convincing the original builder to come out of retirement, which he did, and the work commenced,” says Goosen. The building team comprised Keith Rudd and Caroline Wright from Spatial Concepts, as well as the lodge’s owners, Ernest and Gaye Corbett and Lisa and Warwick Goosen. Things moved very quickly from that point onwards, as much of the structure is made out of wood and glass. In fact, reconstruction progressed so quickly, that the opening date shifted forward by a month to November 1, 2015.

Refurnishing the lodge posed a more a difficult challenge as the only item that was saved from the original lodge was a silver table. Most new pieces were sourced locally and, rather than trying to recreate or replicate everything as it had been before, the property aimed to rather retain the same atmosphere, while bringing in new elements.

One of the special décor elements is the reclaimed wood from the burnt milkwood trees that surrounded the property. Forrest Creations used salvaged pieces of wood to create platters, stools, side tables and a bar counter. In addition, local business, Just Trees, donated 750 trees to replace those lost during the fire and past Tintswalo Atlantic guests were invited to help plant these along the surrounding mountainside.

Tintswalo staff also initiated and ran several projects in the Hout Bay community during the rebuild. This included the setting up of an annual charity event commemorating the City of Cape Town emergency services, NSRI, the fire department, volunteers, as well as the Hout Bay community, which will take place on March 2 each year.

SATIB are Tintswalo Atlantic's insurance brokers.