Lockdown has been tough on everyone – we can all agree on that purely based on our first-hand experience.
Pack your things and let’s go – we’re ready to travel again! The days of looking out the window, remembering the great holiday trips you used to take are over, we can travel again and we couldn’t be more excited. You may be asking yourselves, though, “has the threat of COVID passed, then?” Definitely not, while there are still people carrying the virus, there is always a risk of transmission happening. But government and health officials believe the peak to have passed and that is cause for celebration – tempered with caution, of course. We’re firm advocates of taking a holiday to break out of the ‘new normal’ you’ve been trying so hard to adjust to. We know it’s been a challenge, which is why you deserve a holiday. At City Lodge Hotel Group, we’re proudly telling our guests that we’re travel ready – meaning you don’t need to think twice about whether you’ll be safe in our…
In many ways, we feel like little kids staring out of the window as the rain pours down, ruining all the fun activities we had planned for the day. In fact, that metaphor sums up COVID-19’s impact on 2020 as a whole; it feels like nothing can really happen, everything’s been cancelled and we’re just stuck waiting it out. Staying safe ©Halfpoint /Shutterstock.com The threat is still real – and we implore you to take every precaution possible to keep each other safe. In moments like these, where the infection rates and mortalities are quoted daily, it’s easy to de-humanise the situation. Each and every case is a family member, a brother or sister, a parent or grandparent. For the sake of the vulnerable, please be safe no matter how ‘over it’ you’ve become. Psychologically this has been tough to navigate too, mainly because we don’t really have a definitive answer on when things can go back to…
We’re all feeling a bit of COVID-fatigue. We’ve been on high alert for so long that we’re just wishing and dreaming for something to feel like normal. Level 5 of lockdown was obviously extreme, but even the levels that followed with more relaxed restrictions haven’t been easy. Remembering to take a mask with you and checking you have enough hand sanitiser is now just part of the routine. For us, it’s been difficult as well. Though we’ve obviously implemented the most stringent protocols to ensure the safety of both our guests and our staff, we know that, for the time being, the best way to keep safe is to stay at home. As soon as we had the opportunity to open some of our hotels for business travel, we jumped at it. The tricky balance of staying safe but keeping our economy going is important – so we wanted to…
Like young birds anxious to get out the nest and fly, you’ve probably been feeling a bit anxious to get out and feel a bit normal again. With coronavirus alert level 3 came some new freedoms – a larger window to go exercising, alcohol was allowed to be sold again and, importantly for us here at City Lodge Hotel Group, business travel is being allowed. But we are not out of the woods yet, as all the protocols you face everywhere you go remind you. It’s important for us all to still remain as cautious as possible. Some might even feel like it’s still not safe at all to leave your homes and, while we cannot speak for other places, we wanted to explain why that is not true of our hotels. Full Consideration of Our Staff’s Safety ©Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock.com Staff that work in a public space, such as ours,…
To fight the spread of COVID-19, there have been a number of precautions implemented across countries, businesses and even just on an individual level. Some feel like a hack, some are just new ways of doing what was done before, but many have been wondering – what does life look like after the lockdowns have lifted? South Africa’s alert level approach shows that normality will be phased in, but just how ‘normal’ will life be at level one – or zero, if it even goes that low? Or, could there be a lasting impact that changes how we do things for good? Physical touch ©Erickson Stock/Shutterstock.com We miss hugs. Being apart from loved ones during lockdown is certainly one of the hardest aspects and, even if we were able to freely leave the house and visit them, social distancing rules would frown at getting close enough to embrace them for the time being. But, as tough as it may be, imagine a time…
The Western Cape has it all! From golden beaches to rugged mountains and everything in between. Luckily, a lot of these amazing places can be reached by jumping in the car and having a road trip. We love exploring The Cape along all the highways and dirt roads that connect the province. Here are a few of our favourite road trips that offer incredible experiences for those wanting a bit of adventure. CHAPMAN’S PEAK ROAD TRIP It’s world-famous and for a reason. Driving Chapman’s Peak will give you the chance to experience unforgettable views of the Atlantic Ocean, sunsets that would make any moment special and you might even see a few baboons along the way. The winding road is squeezed between the chilly waters of the Cape coast and the rugged mountains that have made Cape Town iconic. Only a short drive from Cape Town, this is a great start to your…
COVID-19 has thrown a spanner in most people’s #TwentyPlenty, forcing them to be at home instead of being out there living their best life. But, as with everything, it’s a matter of perspective. Whether you’re adjusting to remote working or just biding your time until you’re able to get out there and do your thing, lockdown presents a unique opportunity to do some of the things you’ve been meaning to for ages. Here’s our list of lockdown survival tips to help you thrive! ©fizkes/Shutterstock.com Upskill Yourself You’d be surprised how many resources there are out there to teach you skills, and some of them are even free. Whether it’s skills that are great to have around the house, from gardening tips to step-by-step recipes to learn, or work-related skills, like management or practical tasks. There really is no limit to what you could teach yourself while you’re waiting out your 21 days. You might even feel intimidated about where to…
COVID-19 requires an extraordinary response in order to protect our people – particularly the vulnerable. It is already creating uncertainty in the global markets and this will undoubtedly have rippling effects for quite some time. President Ramaphosa called for a 21-day national lockdown in an effort to combat the spread of the virus. City Lodge Hotel Group fully supports this measure – when so many lives are at stake, it is important to take the utmost care. And so the Stay At Home movement began. ©Halfpoint/Shutterstock.com As a hotel group, this has some ramifications for us, which we will be unpacking in this post. During the lockdown all of our South African hotels will be temporarily closed. Should any individual hotel be called on to provide support to government or essential businesses – we are more than happy to help, and these hotels will remain open for those purposes. In essence, our hotels are ready to reopen at a moment’s notice when we are called…
Conservancy is a hot topic and takes many forms – reducing single-use plastic, minimising your carbon footprint and preserving clean water. City Lodge Hotel Group takes its role in addressing all three of these issues very seriously. We have managed to reduce our energy consumption as a group by 30% since 2011 and just last year, we rolled out solar projects at nearly 50% of our properties. The next project we’re excited to get moving on is our drinking water solution! The Goal ©fizkes/Shutterstock.com Travelling can be a tiring task, and it’s common to greet your guests with a bottle of water waiting for them in their room upon checking in. Sometimes these bottles don’t get touched, sometimes they get partially drunk, but the overall issue is that they, in general, create an unsustainable amount of plastic waste that City Lodge Hotel Group no longer wants to be associated with.…