This hotel was built when Sandton was really on its upswing. Alas, time is taking its toll. There is no longer a good view due to the rest of the area growing. Indeed, the construction noise of nearby skyscrapers starts very early on weekdays and Saturdays. Our room and service were good as expected (they arrived with an iron and to collect the bags in no time flat), but the corridors seem a bit dark these days. On the upsides, the location is great if you want to walk to anything you could possibly need for food and shopping. A car is not necessary, esp. if this is your layover spot while between flights at JNB. We did however rent a car (from the very nice people at Avis Guatrain station) to go visit some old haunts. The traffic has increased in Joburg exponentially and by the afternoon we were glad to ditch the car and go back to walking around from our base of operations at the Sun. As for the breakfast, I found it more than enough with good service, but having been spoiled at the Table Bay my partner says it was adequate. Overall, it was a welcome place to refresh and repack in between trips out to the bush and around the country.

The pros. Good location in a safe area with direct access from the main floor to the vast Sandton mall which in turn leads to Mandela Square. Both have plenty of restaurants, cafes etc.
The Gautrain - and this is a very easy train to use - station is within easy walking distance through safe roads although the hotel does have a shuttle.
Free wi fi.
The public areas are sumptuous and the rooms large and comfortable.
There is a decent sized rooftop pool with plenty of loungers and space.
The staff are very helpful and friendly.
The cons. The room furniture is dark wood. Somewhat dated and showing signs of wear and tear. My shower door would not close and the safe packed up after 24 hours.
There is a nice restaurant with good food, but it is very quiet most of the time. The prices there are full 5 star prices ; however you don't have to eat there given the other choices elsewhere.
Overall. This hotel has much going for it, but if you are looking for a slick modern hotel - and many will, of course, be impersonal- this may not be the one.

I recently booked a suite at this hotel by redeeming some of my Sun Rands (Loyalty Programme) to spoil the wife and to go for some shopping at the Sandton mall. On arrival at 15:00 our room was not ready as they still had to clean the carpet. Whilst we were waiting in the lounge area on the 6th floor an elderly gentleman was lecturing the hotel or duty manager on how they can improve their service and offerings. Apparently he has been visiting year for nearly forty years and had a list of suggestions to improve service, food, etc. I thought that maybe he was just over sensitive as I always had good experiences at this hotel.

Received our room keys about a half hour later. I was very dissapointed with the room ..27. It is sort of corner/middle room on the floor. The room is definately not on the same standard as the other suites in the Hotel. Stayed in the hotel for business before and recently in a suite during September 2012 and it was a well appointed room. This room had a tired appearance. The walls were dirty, the door to the room and the door frame required paint or cleaning. The right hand side door to the fridge is broken. The TV cabinet has seen better days. Did not want to make to much of a fuss as the wife was looking forward to the outing and the shopping. We received a complimentary bottle wine in ice bucket. It was appreciated as it was very hot and the airconditioner was not turned on by the hotel staff.

Went for dinner at 19:30 in the San restaurant and we were surprised to find the restaurant empty. We were only two couples in the restaurant. Ordered from the a la carte menu. Octopus starter was very mediocre. My rack of lamb was overcooked and my wife's t-bone tough with a lot of fat. The service and attention we received from Macmillan made up for a very bad and overprized dinner. Previously had dinner in the restaurant on New Years eve 2011 and it was excellent with a huge buffet and great seafood.

When we returned to the room we found a huge cockroach in the bathroom. Air conditioner did not work properly. Fortunately we could open the bedroom window for some fresh air.

The continental section of the breakfast is good with fresh juices. Limited a la carte English breakfast menu. Two of the items on the menu were not available. The menu offered ostrich and salmon but it was not available. Surely the chef could have informed the waitress or the menu could have been updated? This is not acceptable for a 5 star? hotel.

The usual practice for this group is to welcome their director members with a letter, gift and a complimentary newspaper. We did receive wine and a fruit plate. Never received a welcome letter or the customary complimentary newspaper in the morning.

I wrote to the management afterwards about our experience and completed the hotels electronic evaluation but did not receive the courtesy of a response. When members redeem their loyalty rands that they should be entitled to the same type of room and service than when they pay for their rooms.

This hotel has traditional values of the 'customer is king' or in my case 'queen' ;) ! Every touch point at this hotel is prided on their excellent service and desire to ensure that customers are satisfied. Their attention to detail in terms of quality of food whether banqueting, dinner reservation or in-room dining is all of a superior standard.
The accommodation is 'roomy' and comfortable and lacking for nothing with your every whim being catered for by the friendliest and willing people.
While there are things that the hotel is challenged in the service more than makes up for anything that might be lacking !