Rejuvenated luxury hotel places guests in the middle of the action
First impressions do matter. As such, refined Art Deco detailing, a massive frieze featuring stories from Greek mythology, layered fountains with a striking Anton Smit statue in their centre, great glass elevators and the mind-warping magnitude of an atrium that extends up a full 28 floors are a gut-punch to the senses for anyone checking in to the Sandton Towers hotel, the most luxurious of Southern Sun’s handful of hotels scattered throughout Sandton and Rosebank.
All of these establishments have recently been refurbished, which is an obvious win for guests, but also for a group that, after being founded by Sol Kerzner in 1979, was a constant – as a range of holiday destinations or the only place you’d ever go for a conference – for a whole generation of South Africans.
In the ’80s and ’90s, it was the epilepsy-inducing colour mash-up of the carpet designs that made you feel dizzy. Now, at this hotel, it’s the peek over the railing in the corridor outside your room, peering down at the diners in the Atrium restaurant or waiting on the lobby couches for their Ubers or contacts to arrive.
So close…
This is an excellent location for both lazy and diligent guests. For both groups, there is access to everything in just a few hundred metres of their comfortable rooms. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is downstairs in that atrium, the beauty of which is reason enough to stay in-house. Shopping – the endless options of the sprawling Sandton City mall – is across the street (literally), and a skywalk means you don’t even need to dodge traffic. And turning left instead of right coming out of the same elevator that leads to the skywalk takes guests immediately into the Sandton Convention Centre, venue for hundreds of events, trade fairs, conferences, concerts and other reasons to stay in the area for a few days. The local Gautrain station is around the corner, and there’s even a theatre in the adjacent Nelson Mandela Square.
If you’re lazy, stick around watching TV until the last moment and then toddle across to your appointment. If you’re diligent, fill your itinerary to the brim, as it’s difficult to be late when you’re so close to everything.
Going pair-shaped
The hotel’s history, location – it is the literal centre of Sandton – and upgraded facilities make it incredibly valuable to its investors, but also potentially attractive to locals looking for a staycation option or a place to celebrate a special occasion. Apart from all the walking-distance attractions (plus the hotel pool in summer), there’s a sophisticated feel to staying in-house. The Atrium restaurant’s menu offers a microcosm of this mood – every dish on offer has a suggested wine pairing with it, and a haute cuisine meal for two costs the same or less than a single steak at some less accessible eateries nearby.
Text | Bruce Dennill
Photography | Supplied
For more information or to book a stay, go to southernsun.com.
