SEYCHELLES: Bird Island Lodge A Tourism Asset

“Bird Island Lodge has created an eco-friendly affordable hotel for Seychelles, which blends well with the environment and is perfectly fitted within the concept of eco-tourism.”

The statement was echoed by Alain St.Ange, the Minister for Tourism and Culture, after visiting Bird Island Lodge last Friday, as part of his on-going door-to-door visit to licensed tourism establishments.

Minister St.Ange gave a thumbs up to Guy Savy, Director of Bird Island Limited Company and owner of Bird Island Lodge, and his team for giving an authentic service to its clientele.

“We’ve taken stock of the cleanliness of the Island. Over the years, Guy Savy and his team have managed a hotel which does not over depend on electric generators, because the rooms are not air-conditioned. It has been the inspiration of the Bird Island Lodge management team to ensure that the hotel remains affordable and keeps attracting visitors on a yearly basis.”

Minister St.Ange said Bird Island Lodge is a remarkable establishment operating with a 100 percent Seychellois workforce.

“Bird Island Lodge employs 24 workers, and all of them are Seychellois. This is remarkable for a hotel, which keeps running on high occupancy. It’s a clear illustration that a hotel owned and run by Seychellois is an asset for the country.”

Minister St.Ange’s door-to-door visit at the privately-owned island was an opportunity for him and his team which included Anne Lafortune, Principal Secretary for Tourism; Benjamine Rose, Principal Secretary for Culture; and Sherin Naiken, the Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, to discover not only the property but the hundreds of thousands of sooty terns’ breeding season. Minister St.Ange said the breeding season of sooty terns is a spectacle of nature that continues to impress visitors and Seychellois.

“It is an island that not only keeps tourists coming, but its hundreds of thousands of birds that land annually for their breeding season as well. This is something even for a Seychellois that we are taken aback by, because of its exceptional beauty. It is remarkable to see the same birds returning year after year to lay their millions of eggs,” concluded Minister St.Ange.

Bird Island Lodge - simplicity at its best

Built in 1973, Bird Island Lodge’s 24 bungalows, nestled within palm trees and overlooking the island’s unrivaled powder-stretched beach, are doing well in business. Long described as offering a unique blend of Seychelles’ hospitality, despite undergoing renovation of its bungalows, Bird Island Lodge has kept simplicity at its best.

The privately-owned bungalows built on an idyllic coral atoll ethos give holidaymakers an island experience while being close to nature.

The 24 wooden bungalows, each with a king-size, four-poster bed and patio, offer a rudimentary-at-its-best accommodation, without falling into the trap of a five-star hotel concept. Bird Island Limited Company has kept the concept as its most convincing marketing tool.

This concept has made the success of Bird Island Lodge. Today, Bird Island Lodge is operating on a 65 percent occupancy rate.

Guy Savy, the Director of Bird Island Limited Company and owner of Bird Island Lodge, said this concept has transformed the way the company is doing business. “Europe remains our main market, but we are receiving more and more Chinese. We’ve insisted on keeping the simplicity of the lodge.”

“There are no televisions or air conditioners in the bungalows. We’ve, however, introduced Wi-Fi in the bungalows which are so far a clean form of technology. We believe it is a concept that works, and with our occupancy rate, it is proof that it’s workable.”

Mr. Savy said Bird Island Lodge also prides itself on promoting the concept of domestic tourism.

“Bird Island Lodge offers special rates for residents, and this has triggered the interest for Seychellois to come and experience the product of the lodge.”

Bird Island Lodge has made a giant leap forward in the recycling of the lodge waste. Empty aluminum cans and glass bottles disposed by the lodge are compressed, disposed, and shipped to Mahe on a monthly basis, said Mr. Savy.

Mr. Savy said the state of the tourism industry is healthy, and this contributed to give Bird Island Lodge a bright future.