Monday, March 27, 2006

Champagne Castle Hotel Noise Pollution

This weekend I was in the Drakensberg, a stone's throw from the Champagne Castle Hotel, where Penny and I spent our honeymoon nearly 5 years ago. This time we were in a log cabin with a beautiful panoramic view and a persistent noise coming from a pump belonging to the hotel. It sounds like the damn thing just needs some oil, but it's probably a bearing that is on its way out.
Whatever the cause, the hotel management doesn't care. It can't be heard from the hotel itself, but their neighbours have been complaining about it for months. Can you imagine stepping outside your home every day to be confronted by a noise that you cannot ignore, almost as loud as a burglar alarm?
If that noise went off in a city suburb for longer than 5 minutes you could complain to the police and the municipality. But this happens in a World Heritage Site, so it's OK, I guess.
I walked up to the hotel reception and asked them what could be done, and they said they would mention it to the owner. But the noise carried on the entire weekend, and I could hear it all night with all the doors and windows closed. Thank you Champagne Castle Hotel for destroying the tranquility of my weekend.

See HelloPeter complaint | Hotel Web Site

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Donn for taking the initiative on this. I have emailed the Hotel with a formal complaint (copied you) and given them a month to sort it out before we take it more formally to the press.

It is one of those issues that will require someone to "dig into his wallet", which ilways takes a bit more pressure than one would expect necessary.

However the noise from the community may soon drown out the sound of the pump by comparison!