BRIAN’S BURP: City Lodge gets warm and friendly

As with most corporate travelers, I have two economies – luxury when someone else is paying and Spartan when not. The pungent carpet-cleaner smell aside (and the multitude of sins it no doubt tries to hide) and despite the paper-thin walls that sound like one is sleeping with one’s neighbours, The City Lodge is recommended. I found the service very friendly with senior brass around at breakfast to check-in with guests before departure. They make a big deal of breakfast which is plentiful and tasty and of the same standard as Holiday Inn fare.

The City Lodge at Sandton’s Katherine Street (https://www.citylodge.co.za/cl5.htm) (R600 per night) is improved by the proximity of The White Boy Shebeen – shack chic in the heart of Sandton. One of the compelling reasons for five-star hotels is places to have business meetings but I happily arranged a string of engagements at White Boy which all worked well (and the food and service were better than expected).

Having meetings at Fairlawns Hotel & Spa (www.Fairlawns.co.za) while nearby in Rivonia, is a world away in terms of the impact it has on guests. I met a client there who was so impressed with the venue, I got the sense they were even more impressed with me. True, I wouldn’t have paid the R3870 (per couple a night) to stay there – despite the fact that the Gandhi suite is magnificent and I had to resist cancelling my appointments and spending the day in the Balinese Spa. There are valid business reasons for shelling out the moola and – when you consider it as part of a conferencing package, it provides additional good value at the top end of the luxury spectrum. Fairlawns’ Cecil J Rhodes 16-seater venue around a horseshoe timber table is a posh space to meet. With deep-pile leather executive chairs it is easy to nod off though.

The Premier Class Arrivals lounge (http://www.dinersclub.co.za/pages/personal/per_ser_lounges.php) at OR Tambo’s Intercontinental Hotel is much better than the usual lounges at the airports. Not only is it a vastly increased facility when compared to the others, but it has an outside area as well as a cooked breakfast/lunch buffet. For Diner’s Club card holders and those with sufficient dosha to have an Investec/Amex Platinum card access is free but it is also possible to pay per visit (around R80).

The Library at The Cape Grace has had an elegant facelift (www.CapeGrace.co.za) and remains my favourite spot for a chinwag. Although the coffee and snacks are very good at the Bascule Café on the lower-level, The Library (with its delicious free crunchies) is better for a business meeting. It is popular though and residential guests have first priority. Call ahead or take a room to secure.