Protea Hotel By Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton

“May”

Excellent Hotel and very nice people. Excellent inroom dinner. I fully recommend this hotel event for affairs or holidays. Hotel is very close to Nelson Mandela Square and a shuttle to drop you directly to the square is working very 30 minutes

“Tried to look after us”

Well located hotel with a heritage style look and feel for main building housing reception, restaurants and bars. Great decor. Well maintained and clean. Appreciated the shuttle bus to the local mall and the extensive breakfast. Staff pleasant. Unfortunately the budget for bedrooms must have … more

Well located hotel with a heritage style look and feel for main building housing reception, restaurants and bars. Great decor. Well maintained and clean. Appreciated the shuttle bus to the local mall and the extensive breakfast. Staff pleasant. Unfortunately the budget for bedrooms must have disappeared. Dull blues and greys used like student accommodation or hospital. Nothing vibrant on wall to show you were in Africa. Sockets literally behind your pillow making charging gadgets an issue. Patio doors not closing properly. Limited space for hanging clothes.

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“So-so property. Room for improvement in the infrastructure. Excellent staff though!”

We needed to spend one night back in Johannesburg and selected this location. I would describe this location as a good Sandton location, about two blocks from the mall and Mandela Square. This was our first and only stay in a Protea hotel. It was…different. We were visiting from North Ameri… more

We needed to spend one night back in Johannesburg and selected this location. I would describe this location as a good Sandton location, about two blocks from the mall and Mandela Square. This was our first and only stay in a Protea hotel. It was…different. We were visiting from North America and chose this property for its location, and because we are Marriott Bonvoy members. We were expecting something of a Marriott-caliber hotel. What we got was an odd mixture of outdated buildings, coupled with decor and attempts at ambiance with a richer feel. So the lobby was nicely done. Where it exceeds most Marriott properties was in the landscaping and public areas which were frankly lush and almost tropical, with nice pool settings! But then, where this hotel lost us was in the room. While I think we were upgraded to a large room, it was, and I don’t know how to say this nicely…ugly! Though it’s been recently repainted, the decor is from the 70s, and the bathroom from the 60s. In short, it needs a good refurbishment! Public hallways have old 1970s-style carpeting with sections of brown terracotta tile floors. The whole ambiance is just an odd mix! Almost like it’s trying to be something it’s not…but could be. But let's give credit where credit is due. The staff were wonderful! Everyone from the front desk team, to the bellmen, and concierge. All were very friendly and accommodating with a customer service drive and eagerness to please! While I doubt we’ll be back to South Africa (it’s just too far for people from the West Coast of North America to travel to regularly), if you have business to attend to in the Sandton area, this hotel likely serves a useful purpose. If however you are looking for something with a bit more style and modern amenities, we stayed at the African Pride our first three nights in Johannesburg (see my review for that property) and would certainly recommend them.

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