The President Hotel Bantry Bay, situated idyllically on the Atlantic Seaboard of Cape Town, is leading the way in inclusivity and accessibility among South African hotels with the introduction of Deafgard devices in its hotel rooms.
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Making use of a vibrating pad and flashing lights, the Deafgard device provides instant alerts during an emergency for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The device is placed on the bedside table and the vibrating dongle goes inside the guest’s pillowcase under the pillow so that it can be felt when asleep. Tent cards, with instructions on how the device works, what to do in the event of it flashing and/or vibrating, as well as WhatsApp contact details for more information and assistance, are placed in the room.
‘In our journey to become more inclusive and accessible, we wanted to improve the guest experience for our deaf and hard-of-hearing guests,’ says The President Hotel’s general manager Reinard Korf.
‘The device gives them peace of mind when staying at the hotel so that they feel comfortable and safe – and in turn, we create a more welcoming environment for our guests.’
The Deafgard device is the latest in a series of inclusive measures implemented by The President Hotel.
The hotel has accessible parking bays located close to the entrance, as well as wheelchair accessibility to all floors of the hotel. In addition to this, specially designed accessible rooms are available – all with wider doorways, hand bars in the bathrooms and sleek wide showers that can accommodate wheelchairs.
Specially trained staff are also on hand to assist less abled guests, as well as staff who are fluent in sign language.
Service dogs are also welcome at The President. In fact, the hotel is pet-friendly for all, so families are more than welcome to bring their four-legged members with them when they go on holiday.
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‘Pet-friendly hotels are not that common in South Africa, however, we realise how much people love and value their pets and how they improve the lives of their owners, so we introduced a pet-friendly policy as part of our mission to make The President more inclusive to all,’ says Korf.
‘For many pet owners, this also removes the stress of worrying about their animals’ well-being if left in boarding kennels or with pet sitters,’ he adds, explaining that pet-friendly rooms are available on the ground floor of the hotel with small outside areas for the pets to play.
‘The room features dog beds, bowls and a toy, and we also have a special dog-friendly menu,’ says Korf. ‘We even host a doggy high tea in the summer months!’
In addition to being pet-friendly, The President Hotel proves to be extremely family-friendly with its range of room configurations to suit families on holiday – such as one- and two-bedroom apartments with separate lounge areas, a special children’s menu, a play area, special children’s spa treatments and even kiddies foam parties in the pool.
The hotel also has halaal options on the menu, as well as Qibla arrows in all rooms so that Muslim guests can see which direction to face when praying.
‘In the world of hospitality, inclusivity is a key driver of success and guest satisfaction. More than just offering accommodation, true inclusivity is about understanding and valuing the varied needs and backgrounds of each guest. We are committed to making every one of our guests feel respected, understood and as welcome, comfortable and safe as possible, says Korf.
‘We hold workshops to train our staff in dealing with a diverse range of guest needs and are constantly looking at ways to improve the guest experience. In addition to this, we strive to offer an inclusive work culture which improves our employee satisfaction and happiness – which ultimately translates to an enhanced overall guest experience.’
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Picture: Supplied
