The Marion on Nicol

This is supposed to be a Boutique Hotel situated in the upmarket suburbs of Northern Johannesburg-actually looks like I am arriving at a shebeen in The south -litter all over the pavements outside along the Stirling and Hamilton Avenues don’t leave one with a lot of confidence in their ability to deliver the customer promise

We booked the restaurant for my 50th birthday, and I was really satisfied with the occasion. The restsurant is a classy, elegant space with beautiful furnishings so no extra decorations are needed (although we did have balloons which added to the festive ambiance. ) The room comfortably accommodated 60 people and the buffet menu we selected was very good with a wide selection for our guests. The staff were very receptive to our requirements and requests, very professional and polite and very accommodating. Overall, a very positive experience on the night and many if our guests also commented favourably on the venue.

A property displaying "World Luxury Hotel" awards on a pedestal in the lobby should be able to provide basic services. Staff tries to assist, but it is clear management, General Manager Mr. Shawn(sp?), is overwhelmed or under-qualified. My party of multiple guests all complained about poor internet service in rooms, myself included. Front desk claimed it called in tech to repair - but management didn't follow up ('net still didn't work) before the weekend started. Hotel IT doesn't work weekends, apparently. I complained, stating I had crucial video, photos, files to review and needed a decent internet connection. I asked for the hotel GM to contact me with an explanation and solution. I was given a comp. meal at the restaurant - but never heard from Hotel GM Mr. Sean. After second night of faulty internet, and Front Desk insistence that it had a strong signal at hotel reception - I decided to take up a chair at the hotel reception desk with my computer to experience this alleged strong internet signal. The signal was rubbish, but I stayed there 1.5 hours anyway, working online, and to make a point. And it was - fascinating - what I learned: -one guest came to the desk complaining that his room tv had no cable box installed. -another guest came to reception armed with video of him brushing his teeth, and of rusty water coming out of the faucet. -a guest claimed water wouldn't drain out of the bathroom (unclear if that's toilet, bath or shower). -a guest complained money was stolen from his room safe. -a guest asked how it was possible he was being charged a corkage fee, when his alcohol bottles were in his room - unless someone had entered his room without authorization, found the booze, then codified the infraction by adding a fee to the guest's bill. -a guest claimed his room heat/air conditioning didn't work. -a guest said he was so angry with a lack of response from management that he was ready to "punch" the General Manager. ----- ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITHIN 90 MINUTES OF MY SITTING AT HOTEL RECEPTION. ----- Smaller pain in the butt things from my room: no stationary/pen (I needed envelopes for expenses), no iron, no shoe shine. Also: dining room was roasting hot Monday b/c (staff said) air conditioning broke down. Some well-meaning staff are undertrained (I would ask the waiter, "I understand you serve dessert here?" Reply: "Yes." [silence]. Me: "Well, could I see a dessert menu, please?"). The super salty room-service mushroom soup (served in a sauce jar that wait staff said had been microwaved, along with a soup bowl, so I could pour it myself), seems to have re-appeared as mushroom sauce for eggs on the breakfast menu. ---- I digress. Bottom line(s): -basic services are lacking -staff suffering under leadership apparently not up to the job. -I would have loved to have present my concerns to the GM, but he never responded to requests to connect. It is clear why he wouldn't have the time. Next time, for a cool boutique hotel? I'm returning to The Monarch Hotel over in Rosebank. I took my colleagues to the Monarch today for a visit, suggesting they do the same. --- Oh, did I mention this place requested I PREPAY MY FOUR NIGHT STAY before giving me a room key? ---

I am particularly talking about the ladies in the spa, they are more like Escorts, I booked there and it was very easy to hook up with the massage therapist. guys if u are looking for a good time just ask for Shavanah or Kate or Bella or Bellashav whatever she calls herself. she normally works from there!!!!!!!

We booked a mother's day lunch for a party of 11. The service was appalling, it felt like out waitress was picked from the streets given a uniform and asked to serve. She didn't know anything about the menu. We waited 1.5 hours for Our meal to be served. We had to beg for the Bread while we waited for the meal. My kids were starving by the time the meal came. the food was not worth waiting for such a long time with tiny portions. Shame that the poor service spoils the beautiful hotel.I will definitely not be returning to this hotel.

We were there for a celebration dinner, we took over the whole dinning area. with 6 course meal! Wow... it was sensational.. The chef, staff were fantastic, helpful, nothing to small was a problem. The dinner was a 6 course meal, with a pairing of whisky. The setting, its in a quiet treed neighbourhood, and ample parking secured.

Extremely disappointing. By no means a 5 Star Hotel and certainly not worth the money. Stayed from the Friday to the Monday morning. 1. No hot water or pressure in my shower which I asked them to resolve on the Saturday morning. It never was. I complained again on the Sunday morning and was told they’d move me which just wasn’t worth the hassle after returning from my day out later that evening. 2. The gym had to be opened for me, no air con, no music, no water and no towels. 3. The WiFi is inadequate especially for business use - I had to keep switching to my data. 4. No spare toilet roll in the bathroom - unacceptable. 5. No TV guide. 6. In room tea and coffee was not re-filled each morning.

ロケーションは少し中心部から離れますが、静かで部屋も家具がそれぞれの部屋で違い広く快適でした。食事はオーダー式の朝食でおいしかったです。

We had a power cut at 6pm and I quickly made a bookin at the Marion as I have an infant child and needed somewhere convenient to spend the night. The check in took more than 20 minutes despite me informing the receptionist that I desperately needed to change my babies nappy. There was no hot water in my room, the mini bar fridge had not been stocked so I asked for water and a chocolate as it had been a long hard day. Room service brought me water at R35 for a small bottle (no complimentary water). I was informed that the bar fridge was not stocked because they had run out of stock. In the morning on check out we were told that we had to wait for the manager to arrive in order to get a refund on the money that was held back from our credit card. At breakfast we were told that the coffee machine was broken and we couldn’t be served coffee. Eventually we were made coffee from the coffee machine in our room. All in all, not the sleek and sophisticated service you would expect from a five star hotel.

First of all the hotel rooms are great, nicely decorated and spacious. The food is in line with expectations but not really great. What is amazing is the level of service which is very very slow and without any attention to detail. Very often we did ask ourselves if the person did understand us or wether the person will react , deliver a service or do whatever we had requested. If you expect some kind of feedback when you request something, here everybody obviously has been trained to just smile but do not talk or say anything... really a bit bizarre. The pool is small and was rather looking foggy and not really clear, so we did not use it. The pool area is anyhow very small even a large garden is there but not really useful because no benches or tables in the garden area. The bar closes at 22.00 h ....the minibar in the rooms contain only one small bottle of water. All in all no 5 star design or boutique hotel experience...it is just not enough to have nice deco and art surrounding ...the service and staff needs to match...