We stayed at the Palazzo for one night in November 2006. We found it to be a good hotel. Nothing outstanding, but it was a good five star property.

We were met at the airport by one of their drivers, who whisked us to the hotel in a new Mercedes. Check in was fine, despite how busy the lobby was. The room was fine, if a little on the small side. You’d expect this size of room in London, New York or Hong Kong, where space is at a premium. But you don’t expect it in somewhere like Johannesburg.

The room may have been small, but it was perfectly formed. The bed has huge and very comfy, while the mini-bar had a good selection. The bathroom was a good size, with a separate walk in shower and a bath. I’ve noticed a couple of people comment about the cleanliness, but our room was clean and comfortable.

The style of the hotel is mock-Italian. It tries its best, but it does come across as a little Disneyesque.

We didn’t try the restaurant, but the room service was good and arrived quickly. The breakfast was good (particularly as we’d just flown in from a tent on the Maasi Mara), there was a good range and it was all good quality.

The pool was excellent. Free juice to keep you hydrated, little tubs of sunscreen and papers to read.

All in all, not the best hotel we’ve stayed in, but by no means the worst.

Mum and I stay at this hotel 7 times from the day it first open. Coming from our home in the Seychelles we loved our 2 week experience twice a year at the Fabulous Pallazo.
Breakfast food and service had been sensational, the African and Italian theme blended perfectly and the staff could not be faulted in any shape or manner, basicly it was managed perfectly!!

2005 we started to notice the down grading of this fabulous property, breakfast standards dropped, no more could one get the extra's on the buffet or the high level of service and the special touches like being welcomed by name, being served by the same staff who remembered your favourite toast and beverage. Group tours swamp the buffet, the food is now less appealing and the atmosphere is lost.

The rooms rate's started at ZAR 599 per night and climbed by ZAR 300 each year to now be at ZAR 2000 plus per night. This has taking away the shine compared to staying in other buzing cities.

The bar next to the reception once offered a sparkle to the evening with the bar man offering fully attentive service, remembering what you like to drink, always offering recommendations and as soon as you order a drink that bring over a choice of drink snacks. This has now finished. The staff are not happy and as Mum and I stayed there so often the staff remembered us and told us to complain to the management who they said are down grading all departments to control cost.
We ordered drinks and had to ask for snacks, the bar man promised the snacks but we never got them and the bar was not busy.

Another shame is the Manager has placed a cheap looking Thai Massage bed in the lobby of the hotel, the Thai Massage lady has also set up her table to includes figures of Buda and burning incents. Mum and I so surprised, we guessed it must be a personal friend of the manager.

Our room we received was dirty, we have a dirty sock in the cupboard, mums bed was not made and the bathroom had used cotton buds and other toiletries not taken away. This gives the impression that the whole room is dirty and that you are paying for something very second hand.

We have stop staying at the Palazzo, the new management is not that good and has taken away something very special.

The location is great but the hotel is now just average and not worth the US$400.00 plus per night.

I have been staying at the Montecasino for the last five years on my regular business trips to Johannesburg. The hotel is starting to lose the finer detail touches, expected from the Intercontinental name.

Rooms are pretty small, and the air conditioning is really loud. If you can do without it, you are likely to get more sleep. Beds are comfortable, with lovely pillows. Showers are very good, but housekeeping had a tendancy not to give the full complement of towels.

Limited choice of eating places, though the Montecasino gaming complex with numerous restaurants is walking distance. Coffee and Tea making facilities available in the room. Breakfast is excellent especially if you like fruit juices.

Excellent security, and felt the staff go out of the way to make guests feel safe.

Slow response to queries. Returned to room one evening to find half the pillows without pillow cases, and half the towels missing. Took 40 minutes to get this rectified.

Lack of recognition of Platinum Elite, Royal Ambassador level loyalty status. Had to ask for complementary fruit bowl, and complementary drinks.

Traffic access to Fourways, is becoming a nightmere. You should allow at least 40 minutes to get to the "Concrete Highway" / Sandton in the morning.

No problem with check out procedure

I have stayed here numerous times over the past 18 months and have never felt the urge to go elsewhere when on business in Johannesburg. The hotel is part of the Montecasino complex, which is designed to be a Tuscan village transported to South Africa. I would rate the hotel excellent if the rooms were slightly better. Invariably, they are either too small, too noisy - avoid the rooms overlooking the highway - or too hot - the air conditioning is normally too noisy to leave on at night.

The really strong features of this hotel are the food, the pool and the staff. From breakfast to dinner, the quality of the food is excellent. The breakfast buffet is one of the best around, particularly if you like fresh fruit or juices. The lunch / snack menu also comes highly recommended, particularly the antipasto and the squid. The one caveat is the speed of service. This is Africa, so make sure you have plenty of time to spare if you are ordering from the menu rather than taking the buffet option.

The pool is also a great place to spend an afternoon, particularly if you have arrived after an overnight flight. It is large with comfortable loungers and almost guaranteed sunshine.

The staff are very helpful and friendly. While speed is rarely a top priority for them, you tend to adjust to their pace after a few days in South Africa and their helpfulness more than compensates for any lack of speed.

Overall, the Palazzo is a hotel to which I always enjoy returning and which I would recommend to anyone visiting Johannesburg.