Protea Hotel Pretoria Hatfield — Hotel in Gauteng

I booked my room through the Marriot bonvoy app, given that the hotel was transitioning to the Marriot brand. I booked a luxury room, city view with balcony. The first night I was kept awake by a nightclub opposite, and so the manager moved me the next night to another room, room 225, which was an internal room but no sofa, balcony or city view. But it was quiet. The room itself was spacious and clean enough, although the door looked like it had been jimmied at some point and the bed was oddly positioned next to it. Frankly it looks like it was at some point a store room that was converted, but still was clean and I was really only there to sleep. The issue came at check out when the staff wanted to charge me for the luxury room for the whole week, even when i challenged the lack of balcony and sofa. There was also no city view (it was an internal room and my view was an air duct). In fact this room does not exist on the Marriot booking app, which is not surprising because it is not a Marriot-standard room. Eventually the manager agreed a discount and kindly offered a bottle of wine. |Other observations- we ordered a chicken club sandwich and fries the first day, they took 1.5 hours to arrive- we were told variations of stories like ‘chef is grilling the chicken’ or ‘toasting the bread’ or ‘building the sandwich’. I think you need to teach your chef to make a grilled chicken sandwich as I could have prepared a whole chicken dinner in that time. We had no water for a whole day, and instead of being upfront with when the water was coming back we were fobbed off, told it was filling the tank on several occasions when in fact the water had not returned. I get utilities can go a bit awry in ZA, just tell your staff to be upfront and say they don’t know. However we were offered a room to shower in, and a bucket of water to flush our toilets, so all was good in the end. |Whilst I think the hotel itself is not a Marriot standard (yet) I do appreciate that between the excuses the staff was brilliant. I know I’m not an easy guest if my expectations are not met, but they remained calm and courteous and ultimately we were able to reach agreement. So I think your staff are definitely Marriot standard even if the hotel is not. A particular thank you to the student from the international hotel school, Lerato, who served us in the restaurant each night. She was great! |So whilst I wouldn’t rate this hotel as a Marriot just yet, I think it has a lot of potential and so hopefully with a bit more care to the rooms it will be...

Staff is friendly and effective, 10/10. Special shout out to the reception team who goes out of their way to make you feel welcomed. However, the reason for my rating is for issues beyond them. My room had old Funiture which even had graffiti on it. The door handle of the bathroom door was falling off indicating lack of maintenance. The windows were dirty indicating that they have not been cleaned in a long time. Also if you’re a female and make use of tissues, expect to be provided with only a small 10 pack tissue upon your arrival and never again. There was one specific security guy by the car entrance who is never by his post and you have to wait for him to come back from wherever he is in order to gain access to the parking lot. Further to this, I would also recommend that the chefs explore alternative menus. Was in the hotel from the 11th to the 18th of July and there was nothing exciting or new in the menu throughout my stay. It was 90% replica of the day before. The desert section lacks creativity. Throughout my stay, it was always cake squares, cup cakes and pudding. No change whatsoever. While the hotel is centrally located and easy to navigate around, those are the things that I think need to be improved. Oh! The air conditioner in my room was faulty and shows obvious signs of wear and tear once again, this is a maintenance issue. The small fridge also does not light indicating functionality. I had to stick my hand inside to see if it works before I stored things inside it. The chair in my room was also dirty indicating that was missed. Not sure was the previous occupants did it to. The food dining area is also small to accommodate everyone. WiFi is not consistent and not strong especially in the dining area. Once again the staff is friendly and I would recommend a raise or bonus for all front of house...

Wow experience at Protea Hotel. The Staff are very welcoming, accommodating and were always at our service.

We stayed 6nights and it was awesome. Itz best to book online cos itz cheaper online and weekends are cheaper than Week days.

For a family, they have baby cot, bath bowl, microwave and fridge when you request.

4bottles of still water is also available and can be replaced at all time for no cost.

The cleaning department always on point. We call for cleaning lots of times cos of the children and they come without complaining.

The meals are buffets at 175 and 195rands for breakfast and dinner.

Although, there was really no variety (for me as a Nigerian) but am sure the food was great for others.

Lots of fast food joints and Chinese restaurants around. Wimpy restaurant is a good place for breakfast, ocean basket next door is a great place for seafood, Romans pizza is also great and the Chinese restaurant close to city lodge is also good.

Its advisable to always have a bag for your phones and money safe around your neck or in your pocket.

Its advisable not to walk alone when going out of the hotel.

There is a gym area on the 7thfloor.

The manager and the receptionist were great... they provided a babysitter at a cost per day.

There is a movie theater very close to the hotel *9mins drive.

The hotel also provides free shuttles before 5pm.

They can also change money from dollar to rand as long as you have your International passport.

In this Town, u need uber app. The local arrangements are more expensive.

There is also a children Park about 15mins walk from the hotel. If u have kids, you will love the park.

The mall Opposite the hotel is also full of great things ... VISIT the crazy store and the creativity shop.

I had a lovely time at protea. Thanks...