Background
The Park Inn by Radisson in Newlands, Cape Town, is the second NextGen concept hotel in the global Park Inn stable. Designed to be spacious and built with Generation Y in mind, Carlson Rezidor’s NextGen hotels will offer fast free reliable wireless internet with multiple plug points available in the Live-Inn rooms.
Where Is It?
The hotel is about a 20-minute drive from Cape Town International Airport and offers an airport shuttle service at an extra charge. It is in the leafy suburb of Newlands, close to the renowned Newlands Cricket Rugby stadia. The suburb of Newlands is vibrant and exciting with excellent shopping, dining and natural attractions and is nearby the University of Cape Town.
Room Facilities
The check-in experience was friendly and efficient and I was rapidly on my way to my room. The lifts (elevators) are security controlled with the room access card allowing one to select only the floor on which your room is located.
The hotel employs several hearing impaired personnel (identified by a red badge) and the folder containing the room access card has some basic sign language instructions. There is a great team spirit amongst all the staff and they all want to ensure that your every need is taken care of.
The hotel has 122 rooms comprised of Guest rooms, Superior rooms and Accessibility rooms with special features catering for guests with disabilities. All the rooms have laminated wood flooring, mood lighting, air-conditioning, and a self-service coffee and tea station. One of the more unique features is a mood light around the headboard.
My Guest room had a remote-controlled high quality flat panel TV with connectivity to a select bouquet of Satellite channels. The bathroom consists of a shower with an overhead rain shower and a ‘telephone’ shower, a hand-basin and a separate toilet. The room was quite small and I would have liked a desk space to work at. There are several plug points, making it easy to keep electronic devices fully-charged. My room had twin beds, but I believe that one can request other bed options upon making a reservation.
There is complimentary Wi-Fi coverage throughout the hotel. I found the bandwidth speeds to be very fast and the connectivity consistent. I was able to work efficiently with the levels of connectivity and with the bandwidth on offer. I am reliably informed that installation of fibre-optic connectivity to the hotel is in progress and that this will substantially increase bandwidth speeds.
Bars & Restaurants
The hotel’s Live-Inn breakfast room is situated on the ground floor beyond the reception area and near the lobby bar. The buffet breakfast includes a comprehensive range of eats with something for every palate. Aside from breakfast, one can enjoy several favourites throughout the day and into the night. Some of the more popular items on the menu include burgers, salads and sandwiches.
The lobby bar is a great place to meet for drinks and leads to an outside area with comfortable seating where some colleagues and I whiled away some time. The range of drinks is vast and they also offer a broad range of cocktails.
Leisure Facilities
The hotel has ample underground parking facilities. It also offers a 24-hour workout room (gym) with modern equipment and a small swimming pool for guests to use.
Conference Facilities
The conference area within the hotel offers five meeting rooms ranging from 20m2 to 150m2. I found the conferencing and banqueting staff to be most helpful, eager to please and efficient. The room that I used for my presentation was equipped with high-level, state-of-the-art projection and audio facilities. Catering for my mid-day function was excellent, and was served exactly on time.
Verdict
My first impression upon arriving at the hotel was that there is a sense of order. The clean lines of the hotel’s exterior are complemented by minimalistic décor in an expansive lobby which gives a sense of space and organisation. The earthy wooden floors, modern furnishings and funky colours within the lobby create a welcoming atmosphere and reinforce a feeling of cleanliness.
Lance Rothschild
Contact Details
Address: 10 Hemlock Road, Newlands, 7700
Tel: +27 21 822 6500
Website: www.parkinn.com/hotel-capetown-newlands