WORK is poised to begin on rebuilding the Tintswalo Atlantic boutique hotel on Chapman’s Peak Drive after it was damaged in days of wildfire in Cape Town that saw thousands of hectares of vegetation burnt, two people dead and 13 houses destroyed.
Site clearing has begun and owners Ernest and Gaye Corbett plan to hand over to the builders next month. Five of the 11 suites and the entire main building of the hotel, which was opened in August 2008, were damaged.
Ms Corbett, who is Tintswalo Lodge Collection chief financial officer, estimates damage at R25m-R30m. It has been all insured, but the little things that they bought and put into the lodge over several years are difficult to quantify.
"We always treated the lodge as if it was our second home so there were many things in there that had a special place in our hearts," she says. "I am still remembering so much that I will find hard to replace, especially the things that we collected on our travels, which had a special spot somewhere in the lounge.
"But then I think of the fact that nobody lost their lives, no staff were hurt, and all material things can and will be replaced. The loss of a life is irreplaceable. We were lucky."
While they work towards their target completion date at the beginning of November, she continues to reflect on what the experience taught her.
"As far as business goes, ensure at all times that your insurance cover is 100% accurate and recorded. Have clear emergency procedures and back-up contingency plans, all of which we had in place.
"We were surrounded by so much love, empathy, support, and assistance that I just cry when I think about it. You can never look at anything as a complete loss but perhaps a new beginning and a new opportunity to create something even better than before."
In the fire’s immediate aftermath it was a huge challenge to tackle all their future bookings: contacting guests and agents and moving their reservations to other hotels.
"All upcoming bookings have been contacted and either refunded or moved to other hotels in the Cape Town area," says Ms Corbett. There were 14 guests in the hotel at the time.
"We relocated them to the Twelve Apostles (Hotel and Spa) as this was the closest location that was not threatened by the fire. Some guests were locals, so they went home. We have even had many who are willing to postpone their bookings to next year, so eager are they to experience Tintswalo Atlantic and no other."
Staff were reassured they would not lose their jobs. Initially they helped relocating guests and Ms Corbett says some hotel groups were "phenomenal" in taking on some staff in temporary training swaps. They also "dived into the community projects with such enthusiasm, which is heart-warming to see. They have already completed a project at the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) offices, cleaning and repainting them as a thank you for all the NSRI did to assist us during the fire."
The Tintswalo Atlantic team went into the local Mandela Park community, where a charity organisation helped them identify an old lady, who looks after her two orphaned grandchildren alone, for aid.
Team members hope to help South African National Parks (SANParks) with its office clean-up. Although the parks authority’s buildings were not affected by the fire, the ash from the Tokai Forest left the offices in a mess.
SANParks spokeswoman Merle Collins says that a preliminary report on the extent of the fire damage has been received, and a final report would be made public sometime after Easter. The Table Mountain National Park has lost 5,500ha in the "big fire", and 1,000ha in a fire started by lightning at Cape Point.
The cause of the "big fire" had not yet been determined. The park’s administration offices were damaged by water and ash, and the park itself suffered about R6m in infrastructure damage, although a final assessment is pending.
The Tintswalo Atlantic is one of a small group that has its roots in a company the Corbetts founded in 1975. Their goal was simple: survive at least 100 years in SA. Their initial focus was on developing retail shopping centres in rural areas. But when their daughter, Lisa, and her husband, Warwick, joined, they expanded to include the five-star Tintswalo Lodge Collection in 2003.
First came Tintswalo Safari Lodge and Manor House in the Kruger National Park. The intention was for it to be a rustic, tented camp that would appeal to adventure-seeking families, just like theirs. But things took a luxurious turn, as was the case later on with Tintswalo at Waterfall, in Kyalami, Johannesburg. Last came the Tintswalo Atlantic
"We had been threatened by fire before and I was certain that our sprinkler system and spraying down the roofs would keep the lodge safe," says Mrs Corbett. "I thought it would stop before it reached the lodge. I did, however, start to worry when I learned that the fire had come all the way from Muizenberg and that the winds were gusting up to 40km/h. It was then that I realised we were in trouble.
"We will be hosting a charity dinner every year on the anniversary of the fire to raise funds for the NSRI, Volunteer Wildfire Services, and SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)," she says.
"This dinner will be called the Phoenix — rising up out of the ashes, which is quite symbolic for us."
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