Animal ambassadors at hotels across SA and the world

If you’ve ever had the good fortune of staying at The Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga, chances are your first hello comes not from the uniformed doormen, or even the reception desk. Rather, it’s Skabenga, the cat that lays claim to the red carpet at the front door of this iconic seafront hotel, one of a number of furry (and feathered ambassadors) that call luxury hotels their home.

Having arrived as a stray a few years back, Skabenga — a “vagabond” in Zulu — was quickly adopted by the hotel staff, and decided to stay.

And who can blame him, given that he now has the run of the oceanside terrace and spacious gardens, with a favourite couch in the lobby and a steady stream of visitors to offer him treats. But Skabenga isn’t the only local cat to lay claim to five-star digs.

At the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, Nellie prowls the lobby of this Belmond address. Another fortunate feline, Nellie was born on the property roughly 16 years ago and has become a fixture of this celebrated five-star hotel.

Apart from his own nook alongside the concierge, on any given afternoon you’ll typically find Nellie also cruising between the tables, currying favour with guests enjoying the bountiful afternoon tea spread.

“Smoked salmon tops the list, and guests love to feed him scraps,” says the hotel’s Mariette du Toit. “Nellie loves our lounge and veranda areas, and spends most of his time there moving from chair to couch doing his rounds and supervising the staff.”

Hotels worldwide have a long tradition of employing feline front-desk staff.

In New York City, the historic Algonquin Hotel in Times Square has had a cat in residence since 1923, when the first stray strolled in off the street. He was soon dubbed Hamlet, for the signature stage role of a famous actor who had rooms at the hotel. Since then, the Algonquin has seen eight hamlets — and three Matildas, taking gender into consideration — grace the reception desk, in what has become a much-loved quirk of the property.

Not a cat person? Not to worry.

In Johannesburg’s suburb of Rosebank, the Home Suite Hotels aim to offer a true home-from-home, and that extends to a friendly pooch waiting on the doorstep.

Hazel joined the hotel’s payroll in September 2019, after being adopted from a local animal shelter by founder Gidon Novick.

“She was already fully trained, with the sweetest nature. We aren’t really sure exactly what she is but our guests say she looks half Bull Terrier and half kangaroo as she has a real spring in her step,” says Home Suite Hotels’ CEO Jonathan Meyer.

And unlike the hotel cats that may look imperiously down on guests, Hazel is only too happy to be adopted by residents during their stay.

“Guests love to sneak her up to their rooms for midnight snacks and they also take her on walks. It’s a great way for guests to get some exercise,” adds Meyer. “She gets the most online reviews of all our staff, which make the rest of the team really envious.”

And it’s not only furry creatures that make for fine hotel mascots. In the US city of Memphis, the Memphis Peabody plays host to a resident flock of ducks.

The tradition of the Peabody Ducks dates back to the 1920s when —  the story goes — the hotel’s owner returned from a hunting expedition with a handful of live ducks. Well lubricated by Tennessee whisky, he thought it a hoot to install them in the hotel’s lobby fountain, where they fast became a hit with guests.

A century on, the Peabody Ducks — five North American mallards — are stars in their own right, with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Sesame Street on their résumé.  

The ducks spend most of their time in a rooftop penthouse, refurbished at a cost of about R3m, complete with marble fittings and a duck house crafted as a replica of the hotel itself. At 11am each day the hotel’s “duckmaster” escorts the fowls down from the rooftop, and across a red carpet in the lobby to the fountain. Their shift ends at 5pm, when they’re walked back to their rooftop suite.

But their life of luxury is short-lived. The Peabody ambassadors are wild ducks, and every three months the small flock is re-released back into the wild, and a new clutch of lucky ducks takes their place.

And if you fancy canard à l'orange during your stay? You’re out of luck. For the past 30 years, duck has been banned from the menu at all of the hotel’s restaurants, including the acclaimed French eatery Chez Philippe.