Power cuts and your rental: the backup power guests look for

Few things end a five-star stay faster than the lights and the Wi-Fi going off while a guest is mid-meeting. Power interruptions, whether scheduled load reduction, local faults or a substation outage, are part of life in South African cities. Guests know that, so they look for listings that have planned for it.

What guests actually need when the power goes

Guests don’t need the whole apartment running as normal. They need:

1. Wi-Fi that stays on. This matters most for business travellers.
2. Lights in the main rooms.
3. A way to charge phones and laptops.
4. A way to make coffee and cook something simple.
5. Security that keeps working: gate motors, intercoms and alarms.

The options, from simple to complete

• A small UPS for the router and fibre box. Inexpensive, and keeps the internet up for hours. If you do only one thing, do this.
• Rechargeable lights in the lounge, bedroom and bathroom.
• A gas hob or gas cooker. Guests can still cook, and it’s a selling point in itself.
• An inverter with a lithium battery to run lights, plugs, the TV and the Wi-Fi through an outage. This is the setup we recommend for business-focused apartments.
• Solar panels with an inverter. Lowers running costs too, but needs body corporate approval in most complexes.

Say it clearly in the listing

Backup power only helps bookings if guests can see it. Add it to the amenities, mention exactly what runs (“Wi-Fi, lights, TV and plugs run through outages”), and show it in a photo. Be precise. “Load-shedding-proof” sets an expectation a small UPS can’t meet.

Does it pay for itself?

For apartments aimed at business travellers it usually does, through better reviews, fewer cancellations and more weekday bookings. When we estimate revenue for a property, backup power is one of the features that lifts the estimate.

Managing a property with Stayease? We’ll recommend the right setup for your unit and budget. Talk to us.