This hotel is a shopping mall marvel with eight long and narrow floors done up in pseudo-Renaissance style. The flustered entrance feels more like the service bay of most hotels and is a level below reception, which may prove difficult for arrivals to locate. Although valets stand to attention to greet you in an old-world style, the friendly smiles seem to dissipate at the door. A multilevel maze of hallways and stairways threads through the interiors. The impressive architecture makes a grand backdrop to a mostly inattentive staff. The calming ground-level public rooms serve as an antidote to the unpleasantness at the upper-level front desk. Towering archways surround the lounge, which features a koi pond, art gallery, gazebo bar for food and drink, and occasional events and music.
The restaurant offers a South African introduction to California-Mediterranean cuisine in a swanky atmosphere of swept-back drapery, linen-swathed tables and grand marble lion statues. Afternoon tea is a regal affair that allows shoppers to rest their weary feet.
The heated rotunda pool sparkles under a skylighted dome and has a small side garden for sunbathing. Other facilities include a health and fitness center with sauna and steam room, second pool, business center, meeting rooms for up to 160 people and covered parking. Before guests think management has thought of everything, they find the Intermezzo lounge, where early arrivals or late departures can freshen up with a shower or store 
their belongings. The three glass elevators are worth climbing aboard for scenic spins.
Accommodations are suitably luxurious and contemporary, nicely done up with plenty of marble, air-conditioning, safes, TVs, complimentary high-speed Internet, minibars, coffeemakers, hair dryers and 24-hour room service. Recalling the palette of the South African countryside, guest rooms exhibit a cacophony of terra-cotta reds and sandy browns with a warming effect. The three smoking floors are 3, 5 and 6, and there are two rooms designed for wheelchair access. Guests who have to endure long waits for their rooms can avail themselves of the hotel's day rooms. Two Presidential Suites benefit from more lavish amenities such as butler service and a private dining room.
This hotel is a must-see, and if impressive physical surroundings are the sole criterion when choosing a hotel in Johannesburg, it may be the right choice. But if service and staff matter, consider staying elsewhere and making this a stop on a shopping tour. Despite their setbacks, the Hilton and InterContinental have a better handle on catering to the well-heeled traveler in this neighborhood.