Name: First class service
Item: Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake
Rating: 5

Show reviews that mention

All reviewsopen planopen showerglass enclosurethe hotel staffhotel restaurantrooms are comfortablewestern capebeautiful hotellounge areastayed for one nightpleasant stayawesome staybusiness tripattention to detailzooproteaanimals

Filter

Updating list...

201 - 206 of 236 reviews

Sable37

Johannesburg

3733

Reviewed January 15, 2013

Don't eat there!

Nice enough new hotel on a stop over from driving from the Cape to Johannesburg. Staff are fantastic and the rooms are nice and new with a lovely comfy bed. I do not like the modern space saving trend of putting the shower in the same room as the bed. We were traveling as a couple but if you are a couple of businessmen sharing a twin room it could be a bit embarrassing. We booked here primarily so that we could walk to the Waterfront for dinner but we were told it is unsafe to do so after dark, in fact 'dangerous' was the word used so we ate in the hotel restaurant - awful awful food. The lamb shank had been cooked days before and microwaved, the veggies were stone cold and the calamari rubbery. Nice gimmick being next to the zoo but I found the animals a bit pitiful, but then I am not a fan of zoos. Would find somewhere else next time, or probably would overnight somewhere other than Bloemfontein if doing a long trip again.

Ask Sable37 about Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

2 Thank Sable37

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Dear Sable37

Thank you for your review and bringing your concerns to my attention.

I am disappointed that you did not have an enjoyable experience in the restaurant and for that I am truly sorry. I would like to assure you that I have already engaged with the chef and I believe that we are on track to rectifying the issues.

The wording used by the receptionist regarding your walk to the waterfront was inappropriate and inaccurate. I have spoken with the front office STAFF to ensure that this does not occur in the future. I need to assure you that one is able to walk to the waterfront, but as with any country, one must just be vigilant whilst walking at night.

It brings me great joy to hear that you found the STAFF so wonderful and that the room was to your liking, especially the comfy bed. I will congratulate the STAFF on their positive attitudes.

Your feedback is valuable to the TEAM and aids in our on-going search for excellence. Thank you once again and I hope that, should you overnight in Bloemfontein again, we will have the opportunity to show you true Protea Hospitality.

Kind Regards
Blanché Walzl
General Manager
Protea Hotel Willow Lake

Report response as inappropriate

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

husainta

323

Reviewed December 23, 2012

Best option for kids: the breakfast room overlooks the zoo

Clean new rooms . Decor modern with an african flavour. The staff are friendly. cheaper rates for prokard holders. Breakfast R105 per adult. Kids eat for free. Please note there is more than 1 protea hotel in bloem
this review is for the willow lake protea. The rooms have an open plan shower - basin, that may raise privacy issues in families with older children. The shower curtain only partly screens the shower

Ask husainta about Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

1 Thank husainta

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Dear husainta

Thank you for such an informative and feedback filled review. GUEST feedback is an important part of our search for excellence.

I am so happy that your family holiday with the kids was enhanced by the added benefits that we offer at Protea Hotel Willow Lake; topped off by the extra bonuses you received as a Prokard member.

All in all we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay and the sneak preview of the zoo whilst eating your breakfast.

Have a wonderful festive season.

Kind Regards
Blanché Walzl
General Manager
Protea Hotel Willow Lake

Report response as inappropriate

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

soundhunter

hamburg

92

Reviewed December 19, 2012

The elephant does it

Room was fine, tasteful, with a big bed. Service was good and friendly.
Exceptional is the location: Right in the center of town, but built into the zoo. So if you have your breakfast outside, you can greet Thandora, the elephant.
Cons: Cleaning staff noisy, promised goodies not offered

Ask soundhunter about Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

Thank soundhunter

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Dear soundhunter

Thank you for your comments on TripAdvisor and your humorous title.

We are very proud of our location, which provides easy access to the main highway and is also near the CBD. Not to forget that we are located within a zoo, so one is able to experience wildlife in the heart of Bloemfontein, just as you did with Thandora – our pride and joy, and we can only agree with you that she makes ones day.

Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused with the noise levels of the cleaning STAFF; I will address this immediately. I would appreciate it if you would be able to provide me with more information about the “goodies not received”, as I really want to follow up on this. You can email me: gm@phwillowlake.co.za

I wish you safe travels home and a wonderful festive season.

Kind Regards
Blanché Walzl
General Manager
Protea Hotel Willow Lake

Report response as inappropriate

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

WanderingKiwi78

London, United Kingdom

119

Reviewed November 23, 2012

Overpriced and werid service

I have stayed at this hotel a few times and each time I say I will not return, but this time I defintely will not.

I found the reception staff to be helpful and friendly. That is where the positives end.

The food in the resturant is overpriced and disgusting, room service is horrible. I waited over an hour on evening and when I called to ask how long it was going to take the response I got was I don't know....go and find out then is what a normal hotel would do.

Also I ordered a bottle of wine to take to my room and had an ice bucket, only to be called 1 hour later to be told that they need the ice bucket back, I had not finished my wine and with no fridge in the room I found this stupid and rude.

I had some laundry done while staying there and had to ask to get it back, again never have I had this happen at any other hotel.

There is no gym and the pool is a pond at the most. Rooms are small and the shower is in the room. This could have been very uncomfortabke had I been having a shower the day house keeping came into the room, on check out day. Really, you can see that I have not checked out so why come into my room at 8am!

Overall I would not recommend this hotel, it has gotten worse in the past 12 months, I would hate to think what it will become in another. I stay in a top hotel when in Cape Town and it amazes me that the food and drink here is more expensive yet it is disgusting.

Ask WanderingKiwi78 about Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

2 Thank WanderingKiwi78

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Dear WanderingKiwi78

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments on TripAdvisor about your most recent stay at Protea Hotel Willow Lake.

Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience during your stay; your experience is most certainly not the reflection of the high standard that Protea Hotel Willow Lake is usually proud to offer.

It is unacceptable that my STAFF was not able to advise you on the time it would take for you room service to be delivered, as well as the housekeeping STAFF wanting to enter your room before you have vacated. Additional STAFF training has been put in place, and I will ensure that this does not re-occur in the future.

Your feedback is important to us so that we are able to determine if we are meeting and exceeding our GUESTS expectations.

On behalf of the TEAM, we apologise once again and hope that we have the opportunity to offer you true Protea Hospitality in the future should you visit from the United Kingdom again.

Kind Regards
Blanché Walzl
General Manager
Protea Hotel Willow Lake

Report response as inappropriate

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

larryKrug

Johannesburg, South Africa

6231

Reviewed November 16, 2012

As vanilla as it gets and def overpriced

i recently stayed one night at this hotel. Granted nobody is going to Bloemfontein for a vacation and if you going for business you are prob not looking for a luxury resort, but this hotel doesnt quite cut it. I think the cost is too high for what they are offering. R1500 per night. I can stay in a top New york or Cape Town hotel for that price. The staff were friendly but couldnt help me when i needed a work shirt ironed , they eventually found an iron for me but no ironing board. I would imagine if most of the travellers are business travellers that they would get this right.

The room was clean but the same 10 channels of nothing to watch on a Tv the size of a laptop. In this 21st century give the business traveller something different. A nice gym, video games a relaxation room. something please.

Ask larryKrug about Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

1 Thank larryKrug

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Dear larryKrug

Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention as, without this, I am unable to improve and deliver the best GUEST service possible.

I would like to apologise for the inconvenience you experienced regarding the ironing of your shirt; as we do offer ironing facilities for our GUESTS. It seems as though one of our very new in-house trainees served you and was unaware of this. I have attended to this to ensure that this does not occur again.

We are aware of the television sets in the rooms and are in the process of replacing them with bigger ones in different phases.

I really appreciate your comments and will discuss them with the TEAM. Please be sure to visit Protea Hotel Willow Lake again, so that we are able to provide you with the experience you deserve.

Kind Regards
Blanché Walzl
General Manager
Protea Hotel Willow Lake

Report response as inappropriate

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

View more reviews

Previous Next

1 …34 35 36 …40

First class service - Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake

First class service