Inn On The Square... in Cape Town's centre

By Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel

12 Dec 2011

As Rezidor Hotels prepared to open newly built Park Inn-brand hotels in Gauteng they withdrew their brand from their Green Market Square, Cape Town location because, according to a previous Rezidor executive, the owner wasn't willing to spend what would be required to bring it up to Park Inn's upgraded code.

The beds are very comfortable.

As Rezidor and the owner parted company, Three Cities Hotel Group took over the management of the property and its R35 million refurbishment of the property appears to have paid off. The 165 bedrooms in the historic property were upgraded and the result is a stylish, up-tempo look. I don't mind the open-face wardrobes but I found the bathrooms so poorly planned that I had to sit on the loo to close the door.

bang in the centre of town

That aside, the hotel's location on Green Market Square, in the heart of the city, makes it a very attractive stay. There is double glazing in the rooms so that the buzz from the square doesn't infiltrate the rooms, if you don't want it to.

The only downside... the bathroom's design leaves something to be desired... like space to open and shut the door properly.

A highlight is the roof-top pool and sunning deck with brilliant views of Table Mountain. There is also a sauna-with-a-view inside the change rooms, next to the small gym, also on the 8th floor.

Good, food, good prices, good service

I've eaten at Dish restaurant previously and was again impressed by the quality and the keen price of the food. On the Saturday we stayed they were serving a braai with dishes from as little as R14. We sat outside and enjoyed the buskers on the square. Breakfast the following day was also good and service all round - from check-in staff to waiters impressed.

The refurbished reception room.

Wi-Fi, LCD flat screens, limited DSTV channels and electronic safes are what's expected nowadays even in mid-priced properties, but I liked the fact that the aircon, albeit old-fashioned individual units, could be controlled in the room and that our bed was really comfortable.

Attracting visitors - for more than three centuries

There are a number of inner-city hotels, but what makes Inn On The Square especially attractive is that either from your hotel window or from the ground-floor balcony, authentic Cape Town unfolds around you.

The traders on the Square may come, in the main, from elsewhere in Africa, but that doesn't detract from experiencing Cape Town as a port-city that has attracted people for over 300-years to the cobbled stones of the Square.

For more information go to www.innonthesquare.co.za, call central reservations +27 (0) 861 000 333, the hotel +27 (0)21 423 2050 or email az.oc.seiticeerht@serec.