ABOUT
Conservation Collaboration
Deep in the north-western desert
of Namibia Natural Selection have
opened Hoanib Valley Camp in
partnership with local communities and
the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
The camp is located on the Obias
River, which is a foraging area for
desert-adapted elephants, lion and
black rhino, as well as giraffe. Hoanib
Valley Camp’s six guest tents blend
into their magnificent surroundings,
and elements have been sourced
locally wherever possible, using local
craftsmen from Rundu carpenters to
Himba carvers and basket weavers
drawn from the Omba project in
Windhoek. The camps are placed on
composite decks made of bamboo and
70% recycled material
and are solar powered to
ensure carbon emissions
are kept to a minimum.
Dave van Smeerdijk,
co-founder of Natural
Selection says, “I started
building camps in
Namibia in 1999 and I am
thrilled to be building a
responsible business again
in Namibia. We believe
our camp can not just
deliver an outstanding
safari experience but
also make a meaningful
contribution to the conservation
agenda via our partnerships with the
local communities, government and
local conservation organizations’’.
Robots at Your Service
Jena, and her colleague, Jeno, are
new robotic recruits at the Hotel
Jen Orchardgateway and Hotel Jen
Tanglin Singapore and are able to
independently take the elevator to
guest rooms to deliver amenities
and room service to guests. Both
automated figures are about three feet
tall and are inspired by the concept of
a butler, with a jacket and tie for Jeno
and scarf for Jena, created by Toby Tan
30 ILHA
(@tobyato) from the art community
Band of Doodlers.
They travel at a speed of 1.5 miles an
hour, about half the average human
walking speed and are equipped with
sensors to detect obstacles in their way.
Here’s how it works: a staff member
will place the desired items inside the
robot’s compartment, unlocking it
with a pin number, and then keying
in the room number. Once the
robot arrives at the designated
room, it will call the guest to let
them know that it is outside their
door. When the guest opens their
door the robot’s compartment lid
will automatically open and the
guest presses “All Set” and rates
the experience. The robot will wait
five minutes and then return to its
docking station in the hotel lobby.
“Hotel Jen is proud to be the first brand
in the Shangri-La group to introduce
this technology,” said Cetin Sekercioglu,
executive vice president of Shangri-
La Hotels and Resorts. “The new
“colleagues” will be great team players,
get important things done well and
deliver in Jen’s distinctive style. Known
to curate playful experiences, Hotel
Jen, through the Relay robots, yet again
proves that it can surprise and delight
urban adventure-seekers.”
Talk to us
Hoteliers - tell us your story! What
interests you? How did you get to
where you are today?
Share with us, email and send pics to
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