Adam Wildsmith
Google
On first impressions, the hotel appeared clean and welcoming. The food provided in the Eatery was exceptional (clearly a very talented chef). Our party booked three rooms; however, two of them had significant mould issues. One room was particularly problematic, with water leaking through gaps in the ceiling onto the occupant as she slept. This issue was reported to a staff member, but no action was taken initially (presumably the information wasn’t passed on to management). We had to complain again before finally being moved to a different room - six days into the trip. Another of the rooms had no draws in the damaged wardrobe provided - the broken draws had simply been placed on top of the wardrobe.
We stayed at the hotel for 10 days. Housekeeping visited each morning to tidy the rooms and make the beds, but they did not change the bedding, clean the hand basins, or clean the floors throughout our stay. The floors were dirty upon our arrival and became even dirtier by the end of the trip. Given the cold winter weather, we had to put the towels on the floor as requested, since they wouldn't dry in time for reuse. However, on several occasions, it was evident that the used towels had been refolded and put back on the towel rack, as they were still dirty and wet when we went to reuse them.
While the staff were extremely friendly and provided exceptional service, the manager/owner's service was very poor. I used the hotel laundry service, and three of my items were returned shrunk. When I reported this to the manager/owner, he seemed perplexed and asked what I wanted him to do. I requested that the items be replaced, and he agreed, taking the items and promising to address the issue before the end of my stay. However, on the final day, he had not followed up. I went to reception, and a staff member retrieved the clothes, claiming the manager was not on site. The staff member said there was nothing wrong with them, implying I was lying. When I demonstrated that the clothes had shrunk, the staff member asked if I had provided specific washing instructions, echoing the exact wording the manager had used earlier. This suggests the manager was indeed present but unwilling to speak with me. I've never stayed at a hotel where specific washing instructions are required for laundry service; these can be found on the product labels. The manager’s failure to address the issue personally and his dismissive attitude reflect poorly on his customer service. Replacing the damaged items cost me over £100.
We are planning a return to Cape Town in the summer and had fully intended to rebook this hotel for our visit. However, due to the issues listed above, we will be looking for alternative accommodation.
(I originally rated the hotel a 2*, however, the lack of a response from the hotel, further demonstrates the poor management and warrants a reduction to a 1*)
