Intercontinental Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport

To begin with, let’s get to the obvious that this IHG branded hotel isn’t normally cheap to begin with and as this InterContinental is situated directly opposite, outside O.R. Tambo’s departure/arrival halls, its basic tariff is quite expensive. However the convenience of being located within such a close proximity to the airport is definitely worth it (in my opinion). Worth mentioning is the fact that inside both of my rooms I heard no noticeable nor disturbing aeroplane noise(s). Also, the signage and directions to the hotel from within the airport is sufficient, and easily navigable for first time arrivals (like me). As mentioned above, I easily found the hotel from the airport using only the supplied signs. I didn’t have any stowed luggage, but it would’ve been just as easy to reach the hotel if I had. My arrival occurred in the early hours of the morning (approx. 4:30am) and there were staff manned at the entrance to the hotel’s foyer along with reception. The reception area is modest in size with a simple appearance, which leads into the hotel’s lobby (sitting chairs and tables), Ambassador check-in/out desk and concierge section (followed by elevators and bar/restaurant). Check-in was simple (maybe too simple) and very quick, with my reservation details all correct. Unfortunately, I was offered no directions to either my room or even the lifts (I had to ask) – I don’t think I was offered instructions on the need to use the room’s keycard for floor selection in the elevator. It was the early hours of the morning and I’m savvy with hotels, so it posed no problem for me....once I found the elevators!! From my recollection, my room was a grade above basic and was quite nice, spacious enough to be functional and very clean...but it did have flaws, both poor design and maintenance issues; 1. My keycard was greasy as if it had been wiped liberally with moisturizer/lotion?? 2. The minibar fridge was broken – the electronic lock was stuck on. (This took two telephone calls, a visit by the duty manager, and eventually maintenance to resolve the non-opening fridge door.) 3. Compounding the above fault, the telephone inside the room was not easy to operate (no instructions), and I kept getting the speaker mode with no connection to the switchboard (or any other hotel dept.) when trying to contact regarding the minibar. In the end I used the telephone located inside the bathroom. 4. I also had to ask where the A/C controls were located.....tucked up on a small wall at the bathroom’s entry. (Maybe a 4:30am brain fade issue???) 5. Only a small oversight, but there were also two, different minibar price lists featuring different prices. The abovementioned aren’t serious, but very inconvenient for the time it occurred which didn’t allow for a great beginning or overwhelming impression. At this point, the worst IHG experience I’ve had yet, world wide and being an IHG Ambassador member, made it a little worse. Moving forward and on a more positive note, the room’s appearance was very nice and was well equipped and maintained (apart from the minibar door issue), carpeted, a few framed prints hanging on the walls, central A/C and a floor to ceiling window. A very, comfortable and convenient stay for a stopover. The room contained; • King bed – very comfortable, with good quality linen/sheets and pillows, and upholstered, padded headboard. • Bedside table with a drawer, and a remote controlled, Bose, alarm clock/docking station and a lamp on the top. • Wood desk with a glass, insert top, a telephone and a lamp – along with an accompanying office chair, bin and a wall mounted mirror. (NB: This desk also is used as the second bedside table.) • Large, wooden chest with spare blankets inside and the top can be used as a luggage rack. • Upholstered, sitting chair with an accompanying small, round, wood table. • Medium sized flatscreen TV (wall mounted) with Blu-Ray DVD player (both remote controlled) – DVD library guide. • Stand alone, electric trouser press. • Wooden cabinet with drawers used for the Coffee Station / Minibar (F&B) etc. The unit contains a Coffee Pod Machine with 6 x spare pods, Kettle, Tea Pot, Cups & Saucers, Cutlery & Utensils, Tea varieties x5 & Coffee (and associated items), Hot Chocolate, Complimentary Water (x2), Complimentary Breakfast Bars (x2), Complimentary Shortbread biscuits (x2), Ice Bucket, Glasses (all spotless), Minibar fridge with dry compartment....well stocked when it was eventually opened!?!? [3 x Chips, 4 x Chocolates, 8 x Spirits and 20 x Beverages; Soft Drinks, Juices, Mixers, Energy Drinks, Waters, Beers & Wines.] • Large, wall mounted mirror (at the entry hall) • Built in cupboard with two doors (mirrors mounted internally) at the entry hall containing; spare pillows, bathrobes, guest slippers, hair dryer, clothes hangers and hanging space, laundry bag (and price list), shoe shine and shoe horn, ironing board with iron, and spare shelves. (I think there was an umbrella inside too???) The room also had a separate, tiled bathroom, which was very bright in appearance, clean and functional, yet not generous in available space but sufficient. The bathroom contained; • Bath with wall mounted assist bar, soap dish (with soap, bath gel & flannels) and a towel rack (good quality towels and large in sizing) along with an anti-slip mat and a telephone near the doorway. (NB: No hand held / flexible shower head – only basic taps and rosette.) • Very large, glass shower cubicle with external towel holder, wall mounted assist bar, recessed soap dish (with soap, bath gel, shampoo and conditioner), shower head (with three settings) and a mixer tap. • Small vanity sink with large, wall mounted mirror and separate vanity/make-up, adjustable mirror (with magnification), soap, flannels, 2 x clean glasses, and an adjacent face towel and holder. • A small recessed section (near the sink) with 3 x glass shelves contained; a tissue box, spare hand/face towels, and complimentary bathroom products. • Separate room for the Western style toilet with twin toilet roll holders and a bin. Eventually, after problems and experiences upon arrival had been resolved and dealt with, the remainder of the stay was wonderful and very comfortable. As a kind gesture and a token of apology for the initial experience, the hotel delivered a fruit, cheese and cured meats platter later on that day – gratefully accepted and appreciated the thought. The staffs (notwithstanding the first encounter) were very helpful, knowledgeable, extremely friendly and proactive with assistance – they all were a proud representation of what hospitality staffs should be (or strive to be). Excelling in their jobs were the concierge staff and the contracted, chauffeur driver (Gabriel). Apart from the assistance I sought from the concierge (for a Sowetto tour arrangement), the only other service I used was 24hr room service. The selections on offer in the menus were varied and a good assortment, plus the quality and service were both of a high standard. The room service trolley, was a sturdy design housing a warming compartment and fold out table tops. Allowing for a better, more comfortable and functional in-room dining experience I usually have. The hotel does have a selection of in-house restaurants along with the usual other services and amenities, standard with InterContinental properties (pool, gym, business centre, chauffeur services, etc. Etc.) I left the InterContinental with my future reservation unchanged, as they well and truly remedied the experience I had at the beginning. Even upon check-out, both reception and management were again genuinely apologetic, hoping that I was leaving as a happy Ambassador Member of IHG and that they had done enough to regain my confidence. Most definitely! MY RETURN; Upon my return I had no expectations of any favourable treatment, no more than my IHG membership provides (as previous issues were resolved). However, they did exceed (more than normal) with greetings, pleasantries and management meets...everyone was “super” nice. (And not just the super friendly faces that I met the first time). But in honesty, the staffs seem to be all really friendly and nice, and maybe I just hadn’t noticed these ones prior? My room was also upgraded, better than my member perks allow for – definitely an appreciated bonus. This time check-in was a bit slower, only as there were polite conversations, banter and interests in my recent travels, but it was perfect, precise and very friendly. A great improvement on the first experience. This repeat visit now had me on a much higher floor level as I was staying in an Executive King Club. These rooms are larger, are better fitted and furnished, and have a superior level of comfort, luxury and quality and additional inclusive services (eg. Turn down bed service with chocolates and slippers at the side of bed). My room not only had an entrance/greeting area (with ornamental table containing complimentary sherry in a glass decanter and a set of sherry glasses), an accompanying small hallway, and a second window, but was superiorly decorated and designed, fitted out with the same type of furniture, but either bigger, better or appearing to look more luxurious; • King bed – extremely comfortable, with topper and good quality linen/sheets and pillows, and upholstered, padded headboard (with individual, flexible reading lights mount to either side). • Bedside table with a drawer, and a remote controlled, Bose, alarm clock/docking station, tissue box and a lamp on the top. • Wood desk with a glass, insert top, a telephone and a lamp – along with an accompanying office chair, bin and a wall mounted mirror. (NB: This desk also is used as the second bedside table.) • Large, wooden chest with a top that can be used as a luggage rack. • Two, upholstered, sitting chairs with an accompanying small, round, wood table. • Large sized flatscreen TV (wall mounted) with Blu-Ray DVD player (both remote controlled) – DVD library guide. • Stand alone, electric trouser press. • Wooden cabinet with drawers used for the Coffee Station / Minibar (F&B) etc. The unit contains a Coffee Pod Machine with 6 x spare pods, Kettle, Tea Pot, Cups & Saucers, Cutlery & Utensils, Tea varieties x5 & Coffee (and associated items), Hot Chocolate, Complimentary Water (x2), Complimentary Breakfast Bars (x2), Complimentary Shortbread biscuits (x2), Ice Bucket, Glasses (all spotless), Minibar fridge with dry compartment....well stocked when it was eventually opened!?!? [3 x Chips, 4 x Chocolates, 8 x Spirits and 20 x Beverages; Soft Drinks, Juices, Mixers, Energy Drinks, Waters, Beers & Wines.] • Extremely large, wall mounted mirror (in the hallway opposite the bathroom entrance). • Large, padded bench / day bed located at the foot of the bed with a large available storage space inside). • Built in cupboard with two doors (mirrors mounted internally) at the entry hall containing; spare pillows, bathrobes, guest slippers, hair dryer, clothes hangers and hanging space, laundry bag (and price list), shoe shine and shoe horn, ironing board with iron, an umbrella, and spare shelves. The room also had a separate, tiled bathroom, which was very bright in appearance, clean and functional, consisting of a similar layout, but unlike the first room this was a lot bigger. Though it contained similar / nearly the same items; • Bath with wall mounted assist bar, soap dish (with soap, bath gel & flannels) and a towel rack (good quality towels and large in sizing) along with an anti-slip mat and a telephone near the doorway. (NB: No hand held / flexible shower head – only basic taps and rosette.) • Very large, glass shower cubicle with external towel holder, wall mounted assist bar, recessed soap dish (with soap, bath gel, shampoo and conditioner), shower head (with three settings) and a mixer tap. (NB: The water was hot and plentiful, but very low pressure and all apart from the standard shower head setting the other settings dribbled water out pitifully due to the lack of pressure required for these settings.) • Large vanity sink and bench tops either side, along with a very large, wall mounted mirror and separate vanity/make-up, adjustable mirror (with magnification), soap, flannels, 2 x clean glasses, and an adjacent face towel and holder. Underneath the sink section is a bin and a set of digital weighing scales. • A small recessed section (near the sink) with 3 x glass shelves contained; a tissue box, spare hand/face towels, and complimentary bathroom products. • Separate room for the Western style toilet with twin toilet roll holders and a bin. Same as the first stay, I only used room service (a solitary time) and explored Johannesburg and eating externally. However, I was lucky enough to need to use the hotel’s chauffeur services (contracted through Europcar...including the driver) and got to meet, and spend the afternoon with Gabriel. I actually only had the intent being driven to one or maybe two shopping centres, where I would make my own way home (hotel cars aren’t cheap, but safe and very convenient). That is until I discovered that Gabriel works for Europcar and only gets a base wage with a small percentage of fares added to his pay. Unfortunately, most tourists/hotel guests do exactly what I was intending on doing...ditching the service when found a convenient spot to return via a taxi. The percentages made from these one way trips are marginal, and there are days when the services aren’t needed, but still required to be at the hotel in waiting. After Gabriel explaining the better rate he could offer me legitimately, I jumped at the offer as it was better for me and gave him a higher percentage rate over a larger fair. This rate includes all toll charges and parking fees, plus Gabriel walked with me through the shopping centres showing me the good spots and took me to a wholesale souvenir shopping compound, and joined me for lunch – such great company. I came and went out several times while staying at the InterContinental and every time, either returning from an outing or departing for one and I always got friendly greetings/good luck farewells and cheerful, comfortable conversations with many different staffs. This level of comfortableness I experienced, generated from the staffs, is a unique and rare gift and added immeasurably to the hospitality of the hotel. The quality and comfortable surroundings further adding to this very positive experience. In my opinion so far, the overall best 4 or 5 star rated hotel located within (but built externally to) an international airport. I will not bother to look elsewhere next time, even if I wasn’t an Ambassador member, and do not mind the tariff due the very close proximity to the airport’s arrival and departure halls plus I had a very, positive experience. Extremely highly recommended for travellers needing to stay near O.R. Tambo for a few days. Read less

I had arrived shortly after midnight after flight cancellations, rerouting and a hellish dash from airport to airport that when I got to Joburg, I needed a place to crash that was close to the airport as I was a zombie. With a few hours til my next early morning flight, I decided to get a room at the Intercontinental as it was just across the street from the airport. It was a very restful stay. I was accommodated by the respectful and efficient staff and the room was very cozy and comfortable. It would be nice though if the hotel would have hourly rates for those who need to spend just a few hours for some shuteye and freshening up. Read less

We had an overnight stay in this hotel before our connecting flight back to Dubai. The hotel is a very short walk from the airport terminal, so was super convenient to get there with all our luggage, we were also met at arrivals and assisted by the hotel porter who was friendly and helpful. The hotel entrance and front desk staff were very welcoming, informative and efficient. We were checked-in within minutes and assisted to our suite by the same porter. As we were traveling with our 2 year old son and had told the hotel prior to arrival, a baby cot was already in our room. The room and bathroom was spacious, very clean and well maintained with all the amenities you would expect in a luxury hotel. The bed was the most comfortable bed we had slept in the whole holiday and the shower was huge with a lovely rain-shower head along with a large bath that our toddler enjoyed. The breakfast was fantastic with a huge selection both a la carte and from a buffet, quality of food and service was excellent! The waitress was great, she was warm and natural and was playing with and entertaining our son. Overall the stay was convenient and very comfortable, and a great end to our amazing South Africa holiday and I would highly recommend it. Read less