Hotel Sky Sandton — Hotel in Gauteng

My stay at the Hotel Sky Sandton was extremely unpleasant. I booked about a month before going to the hotel. Before I arrived at the hotel for check-in I received an SMS with the link that takes me to make payment for my booking, I emailed both the hotel and Lekkerslaap to confirm that there's no outstanding amount due which was confirmed by Lekkerslaap.

On the day of arrival, I double checked my booking at reception and everything was fine at the hotel. Later that evening I asked the waiters on the 5th floor around dinner time to advise me how the restaurants at the hotel work and what is downstairs, the waitress had said only the 5th floor restaurant is open this is A la carte. The food ordered came cold and it was distasteful. After dinner I went downstairs to have a look only to find out that there was a buffet option for dinner.

The next day my room wifi was not working and the aircon was not staying on the heat setting, at reception they advised me to connect to the auditorium and gave me the password and sent a technician up to assist only to be told the aircon is programmed on a low setting so the heat setting won't work as it did the day before. On the day I arrived my name appeared on the TV welcome screen and the days that followed it did not and I notified reception. The next day even my towels in the room were not replaced I had to go ask for this to be done when I returned back to the hotel.

The hotels website advertises a bar by the pool which was not in operation. On Friday night the emergency fire alarm goes off around 8pm, none of the staff inform any of the guests as to what is going on, they all carry-on with their tasks. I had to find out from other guests that it was a "fake alarm". The next morning around 7am the same thing happens with the alarm and the staff say nothing as to what is happening, they keep working. The headboard in the room kept moving every time someone opened and let their doors slam , this happened on every day of the stay. Before 1pm on Saturday I was in the middle of getting ready to be on my way out and someone kept knocking on the door multiple times. It was the lady who replaces towels ( her name starts with the letter M which I cannot recall at this point in time) , she kept insisting I'm in a room that shows is vacant so the room must be emptied. She showed me on her tablet and I showed her my booking confirmation sent to me by the hotel. Even after showing her, she still insists the room must be vacant. I told her I will be speaking with management about this. She did not even allow me to continue getting ready, again knocking continued on my door until I opened it. The same lady brought the manager Nirushka to my room. Nirushka doesn't even bother asking me if it's a good time to speak, both she and the cleaning staff continue to treat me as if Im not a guest at the hotel. Nirushka demands I give her my booking reference because she does not know who I am. At this point I was furious and Nirushka was extremely unprofessional and lacked customer service, I was not treated as a guest at the hotel who paid to be there. Nirushka was sent the booking confirmation via whatsapp. I left the hotel and returned, I checked at reception Sinegugu ( I do stand corrected with the name) assisted, she said there's no issues with my booking. Nirushka did not apologize to me at all neither did the cleaning staff clean the room and replace the towels. I had to go down to reception and complain about this.

It's extremely disappointing that the hotel looks exquisite but fails at...

Something strange happened at the hotel. I checked out early in the morning to catch a flight to Cape Town and, in my rush, I forgot the money I had locked in the room safe the night before. I wasn’t too worried since the safe was secured with a code only I knew. Once in Cape Town, I realized the mistake and asked my brother to go to the hotel to retrieve it for me.

When he arrived, he contacted me on a video call and spoke to the receptionist. She recognized me and confirmed I had checked out that morning. I explained that I had left some valuables in the safe, which was still locked. She said she would consult her manager to see if they were allowed to open the safe. A few minutes later, she returned and informed both my brother and me over the call that they had opened the safe, but nothing was inside except for a small piece of paper.

I was shocked. I knew I had left the safe locked, and now they were claiming it was already opened. I asked why they had opened the safe without my brother being present, as he was there on my behalf. She said she had just gone to ask the manager whether they were allowed to open it. But why would they open it without notifying us?

Frustrated, I threatened to fly back to Johannesburg and involve the police. She then said she would get the manager so I could speak directly to him. Moments later, she returned, claiming the manager had already left the hotel. This was odd—how could the manager open the safe and leave so quickly?

At this point, I was visibly upset. Another hotel agent who spoke French came over and suggested that he and my brother go to the room to check the safe again. I stayed on the video call as they entered the room (316). When they got there, the safe was still locked, just as I had said. I gave my brother the password, and he opened it—inside was the money I had left. The agent even took pictures for proof.

My brother told me the staff seemed embarrassed, and I had so many questions. Why did they lie and claim the safe had been opened when it hadn’t? Why did they insist my brother leave when they were clearly not being honest? The receptionist had twice said that nothing could be done because the safe had already been opened, and now we found the money right where I left it.

They tried to dismiss the incident by saying the receptionist was an intern and inexperienced, but that didn’t explain the supposed manager’s involvement. Who was this manager, and why did they both insist that the safe was empty? I am extremely disappointed and feel traumatized by the entire experience. It feels like there was an attempt to deceive me, and I am left questioning their...

Overall : my go to hotel for short stays :)

Key highlights : breakfast buffet and on site entertainment.

If u enjoy upmarket style : the hotel will not disappoint. It oozes luxury in terms of design. Think gold walls,glistening chandeliers & spiral staircases.

Room : the std room is R1200 or so , but is very tiny. It's okay if u won't be staying long or be in the room much, but it left me feeling claustrophobic. It reminds me of a micro hotel which is designed to keep things compact to save on costs.

Streaming: no Netflix. Wifi is available tho.

Room amenities : limited. There is no kettle , u have to walk down the corridor to access hot water for hot drinks etc. There is a cappuccino/coffee machine available in the passageway.

Water : the water at the hotel is filtered,which is great.

Breakfast : the BEST buffet I've ever experienced. The food delivers on quality and everything is fresh. Expect homemade chocolate cookies! There is even a barista so u can have have lattes, rooibos cappuccinos' etc. This is the best thing about the hotel. Enjoy a cappuccino while overlooking Sandton - makes u feel all fancy ;)

Restaurants:There are two restaurants. The seating at the restaurants is comfortable,spacious &the service prompt. Both offer views of Sandton. Stunning!

Dinner : There is no buffet. Food is pricy , flavourful but very small portions. Expect to pay R200 +. The pizza is bland. I also had the chicken supreme : delicious but portion size is small. Don't expect a spur or mugg n bean size :think gourmet.

Dessert : this disappoints. It costs anything from R120 to R170 and the portions are tiny!!! Doesn't deliver on taste or price.

If you're a small eater,it's fine but if u want something to share , satiate u or u want a sweet treat at night, I'd suggest u look at Mr D.

Entertainment : dance classes, and various other shows r on offer throughout the week.

Check in :Self service check in is available.

Lifts : lifts and hotel floors are accessed with the key card.

Parking : safe. Have your drivers on hand - this will need to be scanned.

Staff : friendly & very helpful.

Room service : provided by the restaurant so make sure u order before the kitchen closes ie it is not 24/7.

App : the restaurant menu is available on the app if u wish to order room service. The call function on the app doest not work. So call reception & ask to be transferred to the restaurant if ordering in.

Spa :a spa is available.

Airport shuttle: available.

Conferencing : available facilities.

Guests: popular with foreigners on business.

Room rating : 3 Location :...