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All 57 Johannesburg hotels

Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport: Traveler Reviews

4.0 of 5
Exclusively for Guests in International Transit | Terminal A, O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg 1627, South Africa
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Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
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Ranked #25 of 57 hotels in Johannesburg
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37 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveler rating
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    14
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Date Rating
Gaborone, Botswana
Top Contributor
62 reviews 62 reviews
40 hotel reviews
Reviews in 27 cities Reviews in 27 cities
34 helpful votes 34 helpful votes
“Wonderfully convenient and utterly terrible hotel”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed August 23, 2012

The one significant positive for this hotel: not being required to leave the Johannesburg airport. This is not a minor point. Johannesburg can be a mess, and for certain travelers, it can be dangerous. You don't need to collect your bags: just check them through to your final destination (and let the baggage handlers at JNB pilfer them) and kick back for the night at this hotel.

Another positive, albeit minor: the rooms are comfortable, and the beds are excellent after a multi-day trip.

However, overall, this hotel is awful. I can't stress that more. First, service is atrocious. It's almost like the hotel staff is trying to ignore their clients. Second, and very importantly: there **is no option for food but in the airport terminal**, which closes at 22:00. If your plane lands at 21:15, hopefully you ate on the plane. Protea, there is no room service at this hotel?! Of all hotels, anywhere in southern Africa, you don't provide international travelers with an option to get room service, at least until, say, 23:30?? This is illogical and represents utter laziness on the part of this hotel chain. Let me repeat, laziness.

Furthermore, the toilets don't flush properly (we've stayed in three different rooms with this same problem). The entertainment centers in the rooms sit directly... in... the... middle... of the room. I know it's hard to picture, but think of the craziest placement of a huge-screen tv in a hotel room, and this place has it. Finally, this hotel is not cheap: you'll pay US$300 for a room with all of the above wonderful characteristics.

In general, this hotel is convenient, but that's it. Skip it if you can.

Room Tip: They're all the same: poorly laid-out and expensive.
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  • Stayed August 2012, traveled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask mapagr about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HeatherPoulsen, Guest Relations Manager at Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport, responded to this review
August 29, 2012
Dear Mapagr,

Thank you for your review on Trip Advisor for your recent stay at Protea Hotel Transit. Such reviews are extremely helpful in order to assist us with were we are going right and most importantly were we are going wrong.

The service level that you have experienced from our Front Desk STAFF is certainly not Protea Hotel Transit’s standard and I would like to sincerely apologise for this and assure you that I have personally addressed the department on this matter. Please be advised that although we do not have a restaurant within the hotel, we do offer room service that is available until 22h00. Within Duty Free there is a 24 hour bar available from Ekaya Restaurant that serves drinks and meals throughout the night, as well as Mugg & Bean Restaurant opened a new store within Duty Free this weekend and they are open 24 hours with a full service restaurant.

We will be doing a full investigation regarding the toilet flushes. I apologise that in each room you have stayed in the toilet did not flush properly. I would like to ensure that these rooms are checked and correctly fixed should they not be in working order.

Once again I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to you during your stay. I hope that we will have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Protea Hotel Transit in the near future.

Kind Regards,
Renée Woods
Rooms Division Manager
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London
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
11 hotel reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“So worth it!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 28, 2012

After a long flight from Sydney, this was a welcome, wonderfully comfortable break, before a flight to Namibia the next day. The hotel is just after the transit connection security checks, and so you have access to all the airport's shops and cafes/bars/restaurants (the hotel does not have a restaurant) directly from the hotel. The shower is wonderful, the bed incredibly comfortable, wi-fi fast and 100M included in the room rate, staff efficient and pleasant. It may be more expensive than some other airport hotels, but for the convenience of not having to leave the airport, and only leaving your hotel room an hour before the connecting flight time (no need to go through security again), it was definitely worth it.

  • Stayed June 2012, traveled solo
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask PimlicoGrid about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HeatherPoulsen, Guest Relations Manager at Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport, responded to this review
August 3, 2012
Thank you for your words of recommendation on Trip Advisor after your recent stay at Protea Hotel Transit O R Tambo International Airport. We are delighted to receive your compliments and we will certainly congratulate the STAFF.

It was our pleasure to accommodate you, and your interest and loyalty are truly invaluable to us.
We look forward to welcoming you to Protea Hotel Transit O R Tambo International Airport and to hear from you again in future!

Kind Regards,

Renée Woods
Rooms Division Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
10 hotel reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“convinient hotel at price of course!”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed July 2, 2012

good hotel for airport transit connections, overpriced for quality offered.
convinient to walk from arrival area to hotel and stay but price definitely pinches a business
traveller on budget.
rooms were avarage and avergae quality of restaurant.

  • Stayed June 2012, traveled on business
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask nkg1949 about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
6 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“Good value retreat in the terminal”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2012

Like most of this hotel's clients, I used the Protea as a bolthole during a long connection, after a tiring journey from Australia (looks quite close on the map!). Open door, take shower, lie on bed, take another shower, go to gate, wait four hours for delayed aircraft.

This was the first time that I have stayed in a room with curtains but no windows and, as it was in the middle of the night, this cunning ploy nearly fooled me. Some might argue that this is Robben Island restyled by some boutique hotel chain. However, I don't think I have ever had a more rejuvenating hotel stay; excellent shower, really comfortable bed with crisp, clean sheets and a negotiated rate of USD80 for six hours.

Go on, you know you want to ...

Room Tip: I am willing to wager that they are all identical.
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  • Stayed December 2011, traveled on business
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask DodoCreek about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Americana, SP
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
36 helpful votes 36 helpful votes
“Save lives, recommend that”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 8, 2012

Travelling 12+12hours total it is simply impossible to wait 8 hours without having a good shower and sleeping, definitely beautiful, nice attendants and "reasonable price" if negotiable.
Good quality on soap, shampoo and bedclothes.

  • Stayed June 2011, traveled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask Rafaelsgarbulho about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
 
 
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Protea Hotel O.R. Tambo Airport
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Additional Information about Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport

Address: Exclusively for Guests in International Transit | Terminal A, O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg 1627, South Africa
Region: South Africa > Gauteng > Greater Johannesburg > Johannesburg
Amenities:
Free High-Speed Internet
Hotel Style:
Ranked #25 of 57 hotels in Johannesburg
Price Range: $$
Hotel Class:4 star (4*)
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PROTEA HOTEL TRANSIT O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR GUESTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT. Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport - A Classical African Experience for transient travellers. The Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport, situated behind Immigrations inside international departures at OR Tambo International Airport, offers a welcome opportunity for transient travellers to rejuvenate between international flights. As the only hotel in this location, we offer the utmost convenience to all international travellers in transit – catering to your specific needs. Be it a refreshing shower or a quick nap on our comfortable beds before you board your next long flight; Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport is the perfect choice for you! The classic and modern Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport ensures that you receive fast, efficient and friendly service, from express check in to check out. Our location also offers you the opportunity to roam the wide selection of retail shops and restaurants should you have the time. We have taken every measure to ensure that your stay with us is as convenient and enjoyable as possible. ... more   less 
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