City Lodge Hotel Group's Integrated Report for 2021 out now

This year, the IR is themed 'Getting back to living', reflecting the direction of the tourism and travel industry as well as business and leisure travellers. “After the initial shock and uncertainty of early 2020, we quickly pulled together as a group. Teamwork and innovation led the way to embracing the new status quo. While we remain vigilant in the face of each new wave, we have worked hard to keep our doors open and our guests safe and happy,” says the group’s CEO Andrew Widegger. “We used the quieter time to implement several innovations in enhanced health and safety protocols, exciting new food offerings, digitalisation, environmentally-friendly solutions and a range of special offers that allow guests to access our top-of-the-range services for less, such as our WKND Special and #YourPrivateOffice offerings.”

Chief financial officer, Dhanisha Nathoo, notes that the group has published an IR for 11 consecutive years. The report is aligned with the highest international IR reporting standards, and due to the dynamic business environment and constantly evolving IR principles, integrated reporting is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. She adds, “This report further refines our reporting, building on the solid IR foundations we have laid over the past decade. The content has been developed in consultation with all our stakeholders, supported by input from reporting specialists. Following the format of last year's report, we deliver a view of the year under review according to the six capitals that our group leverages to deliver value to its stakeholders, namely financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social and relationship, and natural. We believe this approach not only ensures our compliance with the latest IR standards but also makes for a more user-friendly document.”

When asked what stood out for the group in this past year of crisis, the leadership team, made up of Widegger, Nathoo, chairman Bulelani Ngcuka and chief operating officer Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, said: “We were encouraged by the resilience and innovation of our people and their willingness to do whatever was necessary to keep our guests satisfied. We encounter amazing stories daily of people caring for people, both guests and colleagues. Our Rate Us guest satisfaction questionnaires are returning higher satisfaction scores than before the pandemic, demonstrating how well our customer-facing staff stepped up. We also applaud our central office and support staff for so quickly adapting to the remote working environment and for always being available to deal with the curveballs that came their way. Our Covid-19 rapid response team kept the group responsive to the changing realities of the pandemic. As a leadership team, we are unbelievably proud of our CLHG family.”

To read the full IR online, designed to be easy to access and enjoy, click on this link on the group’s website.