Pepperclub Hotel

My stay at Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town was, without exaggeration, one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had. The biggest issue was with the front desk and overall handling of a simple airport transfer. When making my reservation through the hotel’s own website, I clearly selected and paid for an airport pickup. Shortly after, I received an email from the hotel asking whether I wanted to book a transfer. I replied explaining that it had already been arranged during the booking. To my surprise, their response completely ignored this and quoted me ZAR 950. I replied again, this time attaching proof of my reservation and insisting the service was already included. The real problem, however, happened at check-out. I was suddenly charged ZAR 1,900 for transfers—ZAR 950 each way. I immediately explained that I had only booked the arrival transfer and would not pay for a return I never requested. Even for the arrival transfer, although I eventually confirmed the ZAR 950 price, it should have already been charged at booking, which had been prepaid. What followed was completely unacceptable: a hotel security guard approached me, became aggressive, physically pushed me, and prevented me from leaving. This is absolutely shocking behavior for any hotel, let alone one that presents itself as upscale. In the end, I paid for the arrival transfer just to de-escalate the situation, but the guard remained hostile and refused to apologize. Beyond this major incident, there were several other negative points: - The airport transfer service itself is not worth it at all. It costs more than three times an Uber, the car was quite old, and the experience was chaotic—I had to walk around the airport with the driver and wait about 20 minutes while he sorted out parking payment. - The hotel décor is another issue. Regardless of personal taste, the excessive and over-the-top style creates a distinctly negative impression. - Some service details simply make no sense. Every day (sometimes more than once), housekeeping removed the shampoo and conditioner from the shower area, leaving them outside. This meant I constantly had to remember to bring them back before showering. - Breakfast is just average. It’s not bad, but there is absolutely nothing memorable or special about it. The only positive point I can highlight is the housekeeping staff. They were consistently polite, attentive, and did a great job keeping the room clean and organized. In conclusion, basic standards of courtesy and professionalism are clearly lacking at this hotel. Given the aggressive incident and poor management of a simple service, I would strongly not recommend staying here.

The team is very welcoming and attentive. The food is delicious, the rooms are comfortable, and the location is excellent.

Had a lovely stay. Super efficient staff and very friendly. Will be using it as my default stay location for future stays in CT

Staff and hotel were great but VERY noisy at night until 4am. Complained and the staff on reception didn’t care. Shuttle bus drivers, two were lovely but the third watching social media on his phone while driving.

The hotel has everything a great hotel should have, as well as very helpful staff. HOWEVER, it suffers a huge problem from the incredible noise from the bars and clubs at the corner of Pepper Street/Long Street. It starts at 10:00pm and booms through till 04:00am, every night! You will not get any sleep. Three of our group had to request room changes, which were honoured, BUT it made no difference. The booming music still kept us awake until around 04:30am, every single night. As much as it pains me, I’d say book somewhere else at least two blocks away from Long Street.

Stunning service from the hotel! We thoroughly enjoyed everything the hotel had to offer! Thank you for the brilliant stay

This hotel does not deserve to be rated as a 5-star hotel. My experience was extremely disappointing. I booked a specific room through Booking.com, but when I arrived I did not receive the room I had reserved. Instead, I was asked to wait at reception for more than three hours, and in the end they simply told me that there was nothing they could do. I went to the reception several times trying to solve the issue, but unfortunately they showed no interest at all in helping or even trying to find a solution. The attitude was very unprofessional and the staff were not friendly. The next day after the room was cleaned, they did not leave shampoo, coffee, or even towels. I had to call reception myself just to get these very basic things. The room was also very noisy at night because it faces the street, which made it hard to sleep. To be fair, the only two good things were the massage service and the breakfast, which were both excellent. Other than that, this was honestly one of the worst hotel experiences I have had in Cape Town, and I definitely do not recommend staying here

We enjoyed the hospitality and staff support during our check in and check out. The breakfast was excellent and overall good service from all staff working at the hotel

Stand out service in this hotel - from check in to check out all was perfect and so incredibly friendly. Location is central - easy access to everywhere. Would definately stay again.

I often stay here for work travel. Lovely central location, great friendly staff and service. The breakfast at the restaurant is divine!