Water conservation is culture at Sun International’s The Table Bay

The Table Bay hotel at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town has intensified its efforts to save water as the Western Cape remains in the grips of severe drought. Its concerted drive to conserve this scarce and precious resource includes a mix of technological and behavioural interventions. Through these interventions, The Table Bay has successfully retained similar water consumption during peak occupancy periods to that of its lowest occupancy periods.

“Water conservation has become culture at The Table Bay. We are invested in every drop and we believe that collectively, even the simplest tactics can meaningfully contribute to saving water. We all have a responsibility to use water mindfully,” says Joanne Selby, the General Manager at The Table Bay.

The Table Bay has successfully implemented two systems for collecting, recycling and reusing water. The first collection system treats and stores water from the kitchens and a number of rooms, which is then used to flush the public toilets in the banquet area and also water the gardens around the hotel. The second collection system recycles backwashed water back into the swimming pool.

To improve the water efficiency of the hotel’s gardens, water wise plants are being planted; with the hotel’s flowering plants being replaced with succulents which require less water. In addition, the irrigation system in the garden beds at the main entrance has been replaced with a drip system which reduces water consumption by up to 60%.

Additional water meters have been installed to allow water consumption in different areas of the hotel to be monitored closely. With these water meters, the team will be able to incorporate water monitoring into the Energy Monitoring dashboard to measure usage and generate reports. This will enable the team to identify areas of high consumption and proactively implement tactics to curb it where possible. The hotel is also experimenting with various water saving devices in the kitchens where water usage is necessary. These include devices such as flow restrictors on taps. To inculcate a culture of water consciousness amongst staff, the hotel has implemented training and awareness programmes to ensure that employees apply water smart behaviours in their daily tasks.

The Table Bay has also introduced a campaign to engage its guests in its water saving efforts. Notices are placed on arrival, in rooms and bathrooms to advise guests about the hotel’s water savings campaign and offer easy tips for reducing water consumption that won’t compromise the guest experience. To minimize water use in the laundry, linen in guest rooms is now only changed every third day unless requested otherwise.  

Guests are encouraged to participate in the water saving effort by:

·         Showering instead of bathing

·         Keeping their showers short

·         Switching off the tap when brushing their teeth

“Being a five star hotel with a vast international, green conscious clientele, we have found that guests are very willing to participate in our efforts because they see it as taking positive action towards the environment,” says Selby.

“Looking ahead, The Table Bay will investigate systems to facilitate rainwater harvesting. Water conservation is a long term initiative for us. We hope to inspire other companies to be proactive about saving water,” concludes Selby.

 For more information, please visit www.suninternational.com or call the Table Bay Hotel on 021-406 5000.

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