Visitors to Sandton’s business district have a new space to rest and reflect on their day’s work
A central Sandton building that always looked too striking for the financial institution it used to house now has a more fitting purpose – providing accommodation for business travellers coming into Johannesburg (and, perhaps, for the odd staycationer).
A striking colour palette and some cheerful details, including a waffle station as part of the breakfast buffet, help to create a space that offers real respite from boardrooms and conference centres.
Speaking of the latter, this hotel, the Hampton by Hilton Sandton Grayston, is brilliantly situated for its purpose – a five-minute walk from any major institution in Sandton and a three-minute drive from the highway. It’s also more or less around the corner from the Morningside Clinic, which is useful if you’re visiting the area for a reason that’s neither business nor pleasure.
If you don’t want to leave the precinct – the hotel is part of a collection of mixed-use buildings – to eat at one of Sandton or Rivonia’s excellent eateries, breakfast and dinner are served in-house. But for variety, there are two Chinese restaurants across the parking lot, meaning that visitors need never leave the property to enjoy a little culinary adventure.
Space to decompress
The rooms are modern and simple with clean lines. After a day of meetings and deadlines, they are a comfortable space to retreat to, with a fold-out desk – a clever design; when out of the way, it makes up part of the surroundings of the large TV – available if there is still work to do after hours.
And if the thought of typing or filling spreadsheets on your own feels less than thrilling, there’s a super-stylish, cushioned pod in the downstairs common area that adds both novelty and privacy closer to the coffee station and the food and drink (and allows for a great people-watching opportunity).
Not all of Johannesburg offers the sense of staying in a big city, but here in Sandton, there is a pleasing inner-city feel. It’s not quite like being surrounded by New York’s skyscrapers, but you’re surrounded by blue-chip firms and the imposing architecture of their headquarters, which adds interest to the views from the rooms or the deck.
Interestingly, the hotel is also pet-friendly, with a ‘designated litter area available’ and the obvious rules applying to anyone who brings in a furry companion (hopefully it’s implied that fur is allowed while scales are… more carefully considered).
Text | Bruce Dennill
Photography | Supplied
For more information or to book a stay, go to hilton.com.
