Not recommended for transit travellers

Before booking a transit stay with the Southern Sun O.R. Tambo, consider whether you might be better off sleeping on a bench in the airport arrivals hall.

I booked a room at Southern Sun O.R. Tambo approximately a month in advance for an overnight stay between connecting flights. I had just travelled from Europe and arrived in Johannesburg at approximately 11:00 after close to 24 hours of travel and an overnight connecting flight with very little sleep.

When making the booking through Booking.com, I specifically requested the possibility of an early check-in because I knew I would arrive well before the normal 14:00 check-in time. The hotel did not give me any meaningful information about this request. The only clear response I received was that I could leave my luggage at reception until check-in, after I asked more than once.

I had made it clear that I would be travelling with a large amount of luggage. At no point was I given useful information about what facilities would be available while waiting, whether I could use the lounge, have lunch, charge my phone, or otherwise make myself comfortable if an early room was unavailable.

When I arrived at the hotel at approximately 11:00, I asked the receptionist, Nceba, whether an early check-in was possible. He asked whether I had a reservation, and I confirmed that I did and that it had already been paid.

Then, without looking up my reservation or checking the system, he immediately told me that no rooms were available until 14:00 unless I was willing to accept a smoking room. This was one of the most frustrating aspects of the experience. Southern Sun O.R. Tambo is a large hotel with 366 rooms. I find it difficult to understand how a receptionist could know, without consulting the system, that not a single non-smoking standard room was available, had already been cleaned, or might shortly become available.

Even if no suitable room was ultimately available, I expected the courtesy of having my reservation and room availability properly checked before simply being turned away on whim.

I then left my three large suitcases with the hotel porters, while keeping my carry-on luggage with me because it contained expensive electronic equipment that I was not prepared to leave unattended.

There was zero effort from anyone to help me settle in while I waited. I was not shown where I could sit, offered any practical information, or advised where I could charge my phone or have something to eat.

I found the lounge myself.

What added insult to injury regarding my interaction with Nceba was that he later came to the lounge and spent time leaning against the bar talking to the barman, while repeatedly staring at me. While I was gathering my hand luggage to go to the bathroom, he also repeatedly looked me up and down in a way that I found very uncomfortable and disrespectful.

This stood out even more because, when I saw him dealing with other guests later that day, he was perfectly capable of being extremely friendly and accommodating. I therefore remain unclear why towards me he was so self-important and dismissive.

I was also unable to charge my phone. I learned the next day from the deputy manager Rudi Baasden that charging points were apparently available with the lamps in the lounge, but nobody had shown me where these were and I was unable to locate them myself. Too little too late, maybe?

Unable to charge my phone, I checked the hotel’s information online before my battery died and saw that a buffet restaurant service was available, so I decided to have lunch while waiting.

I walked into the restaurant area with all my hand luggage. There was nobody at the entrance to receive guests and I could not establish whether the restaurant was in fact open. Several staff members were busy inside, but it was unclear whether they were preparing or cleaning.

Instead of somebody approaching me and offering assistance, two or three staff members called out at me simultaneously because I was walking across a recently cleaned section of floor with my luggage. I had not deliberately ignored the warning signs. I was simply trying to determine whether the restaurant was open.

When I asked whether they were open or closed, I was told, very abruptly shouted at by all three in one voice: “CLOSED!”

Again, nobody offered any alternative, suggested that I wait at a corner table, explained when the restaurant would reopen, or attempted to assist me in any way.

So, I returned to the lounge and ordered a cheeseburger instead, although I would have preferred a proper lunch. The first order that arrived was incorrect and had to be replaced. From where I was sitting, I then watched other guests arrive at the restaurant and receive a completely different level of welcome and attention. Staff actively greeted and assisted them, while my own attempt to enter the restaurant had resulted in being shouted at and sent away.

Fortunately, several members of staff were excellent and deserve recognition. The shuttle driver, May, was exceptionally patient and helpful. I accidentally boarded the wrong Southern Sun shuttle at the airport, and he graciously took me back to the correct hotel after the mistake became apparent. I encountered him again the next day, and he remained consistently friendly and helpful. He is truly an asset to the hotel.

I would also particularly like to commend Marlena, the restaurant manager. After hearing what had happened, she came to speak to me personally. She was gracious, professional, sympathetic and extremely helpful. She arranged assistance with charging my phone and later sent a small biltong and fruit platter to my room. She did everything she reasonably could to recover the situation.

The kitchen staff member who assisted me and called Marlena was also extremely helpful, as were the barman and bar lady in the lounge.

The gentleman who eventually checked me in at 14:00, and who also assisted me when I checked out the following morning, was likewise friendly, professional and welcoming.

The next morning, I asked for Nceba’s name because I wanted to raise the matter formally. Nceba then approached me and initially indicated that he was the reception supervisor. I asked whether he knew exactly which of the 366 rooms were occupied, available or being cleaned at that moment. He said that he did, but when I asked how many rooms were currently available, he immediately wanted to consult the computer. Yet, when I checked in he did not even bother checking.

Nceba then called Deputy General Manager Rudi Baasden, and I explained the entire situation to him. Mr Baasden handled the conversation professionally.

My complaint is therefore not about the entire hotel staff. In fact, most of the people I dealt with were very professional. Unfortunately, the initial treatment at reception and the manner in which I was treated at the restaurant created a completely unnecessary situation that several other employees then had to work very hard to try and repair.

I strongly suggest that Southern Sun review the way early-arriving transit guests are handled and provide additional customer-service training where necessary, particularly regarding basic courtesy, checking availability properly, assisting exhausted travellers with practical information, and treating all guests with the same level of respect.

For an airport hotel, these should be fundamental parts of the guest experience. But it appears the Southern Sun O.R. Tambo does not understand what it means to be an airport hotel. Many guests are in transit, arriving after long-haul or overnight flights. They may be exhausted, carrying substantial luggage, unable to leave expensive belongings unattended, needing food, a bathroom, somewhere comfortable to sit, and somewhere to charge a phone.

An airport hotel should be particularly good at dealing with exactly this type of guest. The hotel had also known approximately a month in advance that I would arrive at around 11:00. I was not demanding that an early check-in be guaranteed. I simply expected some effort to see whether I could be accommodated, and if not, to help make the three-hour wait as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

It’s not exactly rocket science.