South African tourism is on the rise again, with international visitors looking for sun and scenery and local guests keen to escape their everyday lives. None can ignore the high crime rate that is so often in the news, but there are ways that hosts can prevent threats to guest safety without spoiling their holiday or the property’s welcoming appearance.
Online booking platforms are a steady source of B and B bookings for South African establishments. According to Tourism News Africa, the short-term rental market has experienced significant growth and contributes billions to the SA economy. Online booking platform Airbnb has found that they contributed an estimated R14.4 billion to GDP and supported 42,000 jobs in Cape Town in 2023 alone.
Local travellers are familiar with tourism safety because they live with security issues at home. Window guards, security gates and shutters at their accommodation are no surprise and, in fact, are expected. So are lock-up safes in rooms for small valuables and sometimes security guards patrolling the premises at night.
International guests, however, are not always aware of the need to on the alert for crime. This is in spite of travel warnings on their home country’s website. They’re taken aback by the high walls and burglar proofing so common in homes, including their short-term rental.
These foreign travellers are apparently keen to support local B and B properties. What the owners of those properties don’t want is for guest holidays to be spoiled by robbery and other crimes. It’s a balancing act and hospitality property owners may need to explain that burglar proofing is part of everyday life for South Africans.
Once foreign visitors understand the need for safety measures, it becomes clear that it has a purpose – keeping them safe from crimes like house breaking. In a country where burglary is common, hosts must prioritise the safety of guests and their possessions. Burglar proofing is not there to create anxiety. It’s there to ensure guests feel genuinely protected.
How to Balance Safety and Style
Property owners often work hard to create an attractive, hospitable atmosphere, whether it’s their home or a dedicated property. They want to create a good first impression and for guests want to feel welcome.
Metal bars on windows and doors can feel somewhat cold and institutional. But local manufacturer Trellidor offers the following solutions to create a safe, relaxing holiday mood:
1. Louvre shutters
Louvres shutters are the ultimate ‘feel good’ window treatment. They always look fresh and contemporary and are not just for seaside establishments. They work equally well in mountain resorts and game lodges.
Fitted to windows in bedrooms and communal areas, they are the perfect security shutters for Airbnb’s in South Africa. They provide safety without guests even being aware of this function. Closed and locked window security shutters effectively keep out intruders and prevent theft if they are designed to do so.
Well-designed window security shutters enhance a guest’s stay in so many other ways too. With shutters closed, the louvres can be tilted to personalise how much air flows into the room. Sunlight streaming into the room can be controlled to the perfect level. And noise from other guests can be reduced.
Aluminium louvres can either be internal or external security shutters because they are corrosion resistant. The most common installation is an internal fit because the shutters then become part of the décor. They work equally well in a coastal setting, a highveld lodge, or a cityscape apartment.
Security shutters like these are a workable option for sliding glass doors. They are made in the same format or as bi-folding, French, or hinged doors, depending on the space available. Glass doors can be left open for fresh air with the shutters closed and locked, louvres tilted for a cool breeze while guests relax safely inside.
2. Polycarbonate panels
If the biggest crime threat at an Airbnb is monkeys or baboons, not people, then polycarbonate panels are a good option for windows. They’re inexpensive to fit and very effective in keeping these animals out of guest bedrooms, kitchens and public spaces.
Trellidor make a framed version called Poly Guard that will enhance the look of the windows. These are not just strips of polycarbonate screwed into the window frame. It’s a well-designed, neater fitting unit, with the frame attached to the space next to the window. The polycarbonate strips are fixed inside the frame.
This type of fixed security by Trellidor is completely see-through. It won’t block the view that guests have come for, whether its garden, sea, or bushveld, and it enhances their stay at the B and B.
3. Security screens
These are also sometimes called ‘clear guard burglar bars’ but ‘burglar bars’ does not really describe this type of fixed security. Yes, they are a form of burglar guards for windows, but they are not the usual metal bars so common in South African homes.
Instead, clear guard burglar bars are actually woven steel mesh screens with an outer frame. The mesh screen makes up the majority of the unit and is see-through. Guests looking out of their window or sliding door don’t realise that they are actually looking through burglar proofing because they have a complete view of the outdoors through the mesh.
In fact, hospitality establishments that install clear guard often have to point it out to guests. They explain that the screens are there for tourism safety. They are strong enough to keep out human intruders, and fine enough to block out insects like mosquitoes, and other wildlife like snakes and monkeys. An added bonus is that the woven mesh allows airflow into rooms and filters sunlight so that intense heat is reduced.
What these security solutions show is that providing a safe home-from-home for guests is possible without making the accommodation look like a fortress. It shows that the host is willing to go the extra mile to make visitors comfortable. For guests unused to the constant threat of crime, it is reassuring to know that they are protected when asleep at night, and that during the day, their possessions will be safe while they sight-see. The same applies to local visitors for whom security is a norm that blends into everyday life.
