Once In Joburg — Hotel in Gauteng

My partner and I arrived at the hotel, and we're denied access, as she had no identification documents. We had to drive back to the Sandton CBD through the night to acquire her passport copy.

I had personally never heard of the law/rule that says that Identification of all parties/individuals checking in have to presented at reception. Be that as it is, if the hotel insists that it is their legislation, I can respect that. The error then lies with the Third Party booking site, which failed to mention this crucial requirement. My problem really lies with how the matter was handled. The hotel manager was not in on the day of our check-in, only two standby managers. My partner and I arrived at the hotel reception damp after having been rained on at a theme park. Management was not in the least sympathetic towards the scenario. We were left to drip-dry at the reception as we told our story numerous times to each of the standby managers, who would frequently disappear into the back rooms. No towel, blanket or warm beverage was offered, even when I offered to pay for it all. I was told that the check-in process first needs to be completed.

I was deeply saddened by their management's willingness to dismiss us, aso they told us that they also won't refund us for the stay either. Outside the hotel, I made several international phone calls from my cellphone to the Third Party agent, who is based in Hong Kong, still wet fromy the rain, and now standing in the frosty wind. They tried to liaise with the hotel, who also dismissed them by stating that they are just unable to accommodate us. And that was the final say.

After the long drive to acquire the required documents, we finally checked in. The first thing I noticed was that the room looked significantly smaller than what was advertised on the website. There were white stains, as well as a number of disturbing rips on the carpet of their Room 510. The room's air-conditioning simply didn't work, and spent a very cold overnight stay on the fifth floor. The shower in the morning was pleasant either, as the shower nozzle had clearly never been serviced before. Water first bounced off the ceiling before it came down for any use.

The hotel is very young and vibrant. It is well situated, and is a good representation of our city's youth, for all foreigners visiting. Despite the attractions it bears, I was still left with a distaste from the events of my check-in. - Management's easy dismissal and 'get lost' attitude was very evident from our arrival to...

Its my second stay. I love staying there and the concept.: The small modern shared rooms are a great balance between comfort and affordability and the beds are supremely comfortably. The staff are generally superb - very friendly and helpful. Particularly the cleaning lady who was tendering to the kitchen on the 7th September day shift was an angel. being able to check in 24/7 and the free available parking was much appreciated. I like the South African history and murals on the walls

The following minor details prevented what otherwise would have been a perfect experience: there wasn't instant coffee on the morning (some of us are highly dependent on it to function after little sleep), when I ordered one at the restaurant downstairs they didn't have coffee cups so gave it to me in a smoothie cup - I don't know if this thin plastic is safe or carcinogenic at high heat? Regardless, it was hot to hold and inconvenient to carry in car. food that I wanted to order at the restaurant wasn't available some of the "clean dishes" in the kitchen were horribly oily to the touch. This dampened my appetite, but wasn't the end of the world. Just not ideal having to wash your dishes before and after use. I understand that different people have different standards of clean dishes, but it would be nice if there was a dishwasher or something to ensure that there's consistency.. The boardrooms are a great place to work and highly convenient for young professionals who need to get work done. However, the internet signal was really poor in there the plugs underneath the tables are very close to the edge and some laptop chargers cant plug in there/may get damged. The boardrooms are in a poor condition in comparison to the rest of the building, and it looks like the plugs, etc. were installed by someone who really didn't know what they were doing.

Maybe I'm just full of nonsense regarding the points above, but it was an exceptional stay regardless. I've recommended Once before and will continue to do so and will stay again anytime I'm in...

This hotel was highly reccommended by one of my tour guides. I was exceptionally pleased to get a room there on such short notice. I was on the 6th floor and overheard the pounding of music vibrations all night long. Though, I could get past that since this is supposed to be a vibrant area!

The next day I approached the front desk for water. They have 2 self service pitchers in the lobby. The first day they handed me a wine glass and asked that I only take it to my room and nowhere else. Following day in this same area, I requested a glass and was handed a coffee cup with remnants of someone's coffee. I showed them and the woman with the blonde braid type hair do handed me another cup. This cup was also stained with lipstick and coffee. Then she told me to ask the gentleman that works the bar area. He told me no bc they had their own cups. I'm 40...I was just trying to take my morning medication. So I returned to the front desk and instead of hunting down a cup or apologizing, she went to the bar to pursue an argument with the young man. Never a cup of water offered.

A new tour guide came to get me. He inquired at the front desk for assistance since I had given him my room number. I was sitting in the lobby, angry about R800 and no cups available for water. They told him to call my cell phone but it would've been an international call for the driver. Because of the subpar service, we were both seated in the lobby for 40 minutes. He had to basically beg for help and mentioned the room number. One of the girls said, oh she's sitting right over there.

I was so angry over the price to service ratio that I never even used the breakfast vouchers.

This is a cool p,ace, located in a phenomenal area and decorated impeccably but don't come here looking for customer service. That's where they...