Too expensive for the service they give. I had problems to connect to internet, there is no minibar in the rooms, and service room neither. It's quite noisy on saturday evening, since gangs og teens with their noisy cars and music too loud. The good point is that rooms are big size and it is very clean.

We spent one night at the Metcourt Laurel after arriving in South Africa from the UK, before moving on to safari the next day. Our hotel room was huge – clean and comfortable, with everything you would expect from a reasonable chain hotel. The bathroom was fairly small, although there were two sinks and a vanity area just outside the actual bathroom, which was separated from the bedroom area.

In addition to the facilities at the Metcourt, guests also have access to the facilities in the other two hotels in Emperors Palace (the casino / entertainment complex). We spent the afternoon lying by the pool, which was a good size. There is plenty to do in the evening, if you like that kind of thing, with a casino, indoor fairground type set-up, restaurants, shops etc and it all felt completely safe.

The main downside to the hotel was that our room didn’t have a window. I guess this wouldn’t bother everyone though, and it’s less of a problem if you’re only staying on for a night or so. Our safe didn’t work, but I’m sure that would have been easily fixed if we had been staying longer and had really needed it.

This hotel was absolutely fine for what it was – a stop over en route to the main part of our trip, but I’m not sure I’d want to spend much more than a night or two there.

When we entered the wing of the hotel where our room was located, there was a very strong smell of paint thinner or other paint product. The smell was almost equally strong in the room, so we asked to change rooms. The one employee at the front desk (appeared to be the supervisor) was not impressed that we asked to change rooms, but arranged for another room. He also sent an employee with a bowl of liquid to our original room, likely a type of air freshener. The 2nd room was beside the first, and also smelled. As there were no other rooms available, we told the front desk staff that we were leaving and going to L'Oreale, another hotel in the Emperor's Palace complex (same owner). They told us to take the shuttle. We stood on the front steps waiting almost an hour for the shuttle to arrive. Although two stopped prior, they were going to airport and would not take us to L'Oreale. When we told the front desk staff that we were still waiting, they said they would arrange for a car to pick us up from L'Oreale. No car came. The supervisor at the front desk was clearly very annoyed - all he saw was lost revenue. The woman working at front desk was friendly, professional and helpful - she saw an unhappy guest.

The rooms at Metcourt Laurel were large and clean, except the bathroom ceiling was very mouldy.

L'Oreale was fine, but overpriced. Although labelled "5 star", it is only a step above ordinary.

Our only unpleasant experience during a three week trip to South Africa.

Our travel agent booked our rooms for the overnight layover in Jo'berg on our way to CCF in Namibia. Glad she did! It's a short shuttle ride from the airport.

The rooms are large and clean. Very comfortable. The staff was very nice. The breakfast buffet was superb and the wait staff were very attentive and efficient. We found our way to the main casino area and restaurants. Lots to do there if you have the inclination and the time. Beats sitting in the hotel room.

Check out was a breeze and once again the shuttle was there to take us back to the airport. I would recommend this to any traveler who overnights in Jo'berg.