Holiday Inn brings metro glamour to the Sandton hotel scene
The opening in Sandton, Gauteng in October 2008 of one of the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s (IHG’s) new-generation international Holiday Inns has brought ultra-sleek, cosmo- and metropolitan travel trendiness to South Africa’s commercial heartland.
Ideally located close to Sandton City and the Village walk, with panoramic views over northern Gauteng, the brand-new four-star hotel has been designed to provide value-conscious business and leisure travelers with a global standard of hospitality, world-class service, and modern efficiency.
It offers a full range of accommodation, from standard bedrooms to executive suites.
"Each of the 301 bedrooms is welcoming and uncluttered, with locally-sourced furniture of the highest quality, wood-paneled storage spaces, and granite-topped surfaces in the bathrooms," says Andrew Rogers, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Hospitality Property Fund (HPF), the new owners of the Holiday Inn Sandton.
“The bedrooms also contain state of the art beds, imported from the United States, with cushioning designed to create the ultimate sleep experience. Even the pillows are special, with a combination of a soft and firm support that, together, give you the best sleep you've ever had."
In addition, each bedroom is equipped with a plasma TV screen and, for the business guest there is a choice of ADSL or wireless Internet connectivity. In fact, ADSL and wireless connectivity are offered throughout the hotel. Room service is provided, off a full room service menu, 24 hours a day.
Passages are light and wide in keeping with the hotel having been designed and decorated to create a sense of space and luxury. A heated swimming pool, in which underwater music is played, is situated on the 9th floor, along with a comfortable gym facility.
The 9th floor also contains the spectacular 123 on Rivonia restaurant, with its ceiling-to-floor glass windows and glass balustrades providing an extraordinary view over the surrounding area.
123 on Rivonia is Gauteng's only Indonesian restaurant and incorporates the opulent Skye Bar, the Oval wine bar, which serves 123 wines by the glass, and the Shooter, Cigar and Cognac bar.
A fourth bar is situated on the ground floor, near the hotel's dining room, which provides guests with breakfasts and lunch. The dining room gives guests the opportunity to catch up with the day’s news on flat-screen television sets with overhead bubbles that transmit sound directly to their tables.
An entire floor of the hotel is dedicated to seven conference venues – four conference rooms and three boardrooms. Up to seventy people can be accommodated, cinema-style for any one event. Each conference room is equipped with full audiovisual functionality and the cost of a data projector is included in the day package rate.
On the same floor is a business centre that provides residents and conference attendees with access to full workstations, a printer, fax machine and capable staff.
All necessary emergency facilities are available, including three 900kva generators that obviate the problems of power outages.
Two levels of ample parking are provided underground.
"We purchased the newly-developed Holiday Inn because it marks the perfect business opportunity in the perfect location in Africa's prime business and retail destination," says Rogers.
"The Holiday Inn Sandton is therefore ideally positioned to capitalise on the strength of a globally recognised and respected brand, managed locally by HPF with our wealth of experience in providing the defining service and quality that has made our name in the South African hospitality industry. We believe it will become one of the ultimate destinations on the Johannesburg hotel scene."