What’s it Like?
A recent addition to the Sandton skyline, this stylish hotel is well geared toward the business traveller as well as leisure travellers. Guests are greeted by a bright, airy, ultra-modern design. Much thought has been put into the vibrant interior decor, and it suitably complements the progressive style. Perfectly set up to accommodate all the needs of the busy Sandton business traveller, The Park Inn brand is a part of the Radisson group worldwide, and as such falls within Goldpointsplus.com, the group’s innovative loyalty programme. This allows guests to accumulate or redeem points on their Goldpointsplus.com loyalty cards. As a brand-new property, The Park Inn is not yet graded, but is expected to receive a four-star grading in the near future. Secure underground guest parking facilities are also available.
Where is it?
Located in Sandown on Katherine Drive, The Park Inn is conveniently situated to all the major business areas in Sandton and the Northern Suburbs. Easy access is assured by its proximity to the M1 highway’s Grayston Drive off-ramp. A 5–10 minute complimentary shuttle service to the nearby Gautrain Station next to Sandton City makes OR Tambo International airport a mere 25–30 min trip to and from the hotel.
How Many Rooms?
The hotel has 273 rooms consisting of six Junior Suites (42m²), 66 Business Friendly Rooms (27m²) and 201 Standard Rooms (23m²).
Room Facilities
The rooms are well equipped, and all have high-speed Internet access which is complimentary in Business Class rooms and suites. The rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with coffee-makers, mini bars, safes, an interactive satellite television system (whereby you can view your bill and any information regarding the hotel), as well as a work desk. Room service is available from 06h00-23h00 with an in-room menu from the RBG Bar & Grill. Business Traveller was accommodated in a Business Friendly Room and found it to be spacious and very well appointed with pile carpets and a large and very modern en suite shower and bathroom facilities. One comment was that the window was covered with a non-retractable blind – it would have been great to be able to see outside. The desk in the room was well sized for a laptop, and there was a data point as well as a telephone. The Business Friendly suite is equipped with a double bed. A very convenient feature is the express check-out, whereby one can check out the night before and thus save valuable minutes in the morning.
Restaurants and Bars
Dining consists of the hotel’s trademark RBG Bar & Grill. The RBG serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner was à la carte; my dinner order of a 300g sirloin was very tasty. The service was impeccable. There is also a lobby bar, which has a lounge/relaxation area located next to it. Breakfast was a buffet, with the usual options of cereals, cooked breakfasts and the like.
Leisure Facilities
The hotel has a fitness centre equipped with treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bicycles and free weights. There is also a swimming pool near the dining area, around which guests can be served meals from RBG or drinks from the lobby bar.
Meeting and Business Facilities
The hotel is very well equipped for meetings and conferences and is an ideal choice for event organizers. State-of-the-art high-speed wireless Internet and audiovisual equipment is available in all facilities. There are both inside and outside pre-function terrace areas, as well as four boardrooms and 450m² of conference facilities that can be split into smaller rooms if required. The conference facilities can hold a maximum of 160 people if seated in a cocktail layout, and meetings from as few as 10 people can be accommodated.
Verdict
A perfect hotel for the business and leisure traveller to Sandton, slick and ultra-modern. All your needs for a business trip are accommodated in a hotel that is ideally located in one of South Africa’s key business areas. The RBG Bar & Grill is worth a visit in itself.
Contact
The Park Inn Sandton, 118 Katherine Street, Johannesburg 2146, South Africa, tel +27 (0) 11 303 1004, parkinn-sandton.com
Andre Schild