3 Carlson properties in Cape Town

Old Nov 8, 2012, 5:23 pm
  #16  
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thanks for the input nukah !
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:02 pm
  #17  
 
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Christmas availability

I can't find availability on any day for the Christmas week (starting Dec 24) on any day, any of the 3 Carlson properties, till Jan 3, 2014 on www.radisson.com, for either paid or award stays in Cape Town.

However, there are availability on hotels.com. Just wonder if Radisson will open up some availability later, would of course prefer to book on www.radisson.com for the booking bonus, or for using points.
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 2:31 pm
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Call hotel

Originally Posted by UAFlyer
I can't find availability on any day for the Christmas week (starting Dec 24) on any day, any of the 3 Carlson properties, till Jan 3, 2014 on www.radisson.com, for either paid or award stays in Cape Town.

However, there are availability on hotels.com. Just wonder if Radisson will open up some availability later, would of course prefer to book on www.radisson.com for the booking bonus, or for using points.
Try calling the hotels directly. My boss and I attended a conference last Dec. I booked early but CC.com showed no availability when he tried to book. Our admin called the hotel and got him a room at a better rate than I had!

If you want to use points call CC directly, especially if you have status.
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Old Mar 12, 2013, 1:07 am
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I was looking to book the Blu using the F&F rate, but it looks like they don't have ANY availability at all, for the rest of eternity. I booked the Inn, but I don't know if I should go for it or not.
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Old Mar 12, 2013, 11:00 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by SirJman
I was looking to book the Blu using the F&F rate, but it looks like they don't have ANY availability at all, for the rest of eternity. I booked the Inn, but I don't know if I should go for it or not.
The Radisson Blu used to have excellent F&F availability, but unfortunately they started to not release any availability a while ago even during off-season which is a great pity.
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Old Mar 14, 2013, 2:21 pm
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Stayed at the Radisson Blu over Christmas. Good location (although still a bit of a walk to V&A - though there is a free shuttle), beautiful hotel. But the customer service was quite bad. In particular, the manager with the gap tooth was quite patronizing. I inquired about something that another manager said they would consider for me, and would call me to give me a response. When I did not get a response by the next day, I inquired about it at the desk, where this manager immediately dismissed me with a bit of a smirk. I tried to explain to her what had happened, whereas she then misquoted the hotel group's policies (she claimed upgrade were only if available, and it was up to the hotel to decide if upgrades were available, instead of basing it on inventory), and told me that they of course would not offer free breakfast to me. She talked over me when I tried to explain the situation. I returned to my room, but 5 minutes later she called and said actually the management had already decided to give me free breakfast the day prior, and sounded surprised by this.

That was just one event. In general, I did not find the hotel to be particularly service-oriented. They were very busy, but they should not be so impolite.

That said, wonderful hotel if you do not have to deal with the front desk.
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Old Sep 18, 2013, 8:30 am
  #22  
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Any recent experiences at the Radisson Blu Cape Town? I'm headed to Cape Town for vacation and, with the Club Carlson card, it seems like a no-brainer for point redemption for a 2-night stay. Will they treat us OK on freebie nights (as golds, I guess). And how is the parking situation? I think we'll be renting a car at the airport for exploring.
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Old Sep 19, 2013, 11:24 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Any recent experiences at the Radisson Blu Cape Town? I'm headed to Cape Town for vacation and, with the Club Carlson card, it seems like a no-brainer for point redemption for a 2-night stay. Will they treat us OK on freebie nights (as golds, I guess). And how is the parking situation? I think we'll be renting a car at the airport for exploring.
Have stayed there several times (most recently this July as a Gold member).

Rooms are nicely furnished and quite spacious. Have usually received a room with a Sea View as a Gold member (even when staying on points).

Really enjoy the outside patio/restaurant, very reasonably priced food and drinks, and sitting by the sea while listening to the waves makes it one of my favourite spots in CPT.

Service is a little hit and miss IMO. I havent had any bad experiences and staff generally are very friendly, but service has been a little inconsistent and not on par with service at other 5* hotels in CPT.
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Old Sep 20, 2013, 8:46 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Have stayed there several times (most recently this July as a Gold member).

Rooms are nicely furnished and quite spacious. Have usually received a room with a Sea View as a Gold member (even when staying on points).

Really enjoy the outside patio/restaurant, very reasonably priced food and drinks, and sitting by the sea while listening to the waves makes it one of my favourite spots in CPT.

Service is a little hit and miss IMO. I havent had any bad experiences and staff generally are very friendly, but service has been a little inconsistent and not on par with service at other 5* hotels in CPT.
Thanks. It sure sounds like this is the right Cape Town hotel redemption. I've heard that, for tourists, it's a better property than the Westin, largely because of the oceanfront location.
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Old Jan 17, 2014, 8:17 am
  #25  
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Has anyone stayed at the Park Inn Cape Town? Any comments regarding rooms/service/dining would be appreciated.
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Old Jan 27, 2014, 11:14 am
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I just returned from the Park Inn Cape Town, and thought it was a pretty good hotel overall. The room was spacious, clean, and in good repair - and a Gold member welcome gift of water, wine, and some snacks were in the room for me when I arrived. Unfortunately, the downside will outweigh all of that (if you have a rental car). Minor downside - as a Gold, when I asked for late checkout by 2 hours, I was told there would be a fee - when I asked how much it would be since I paid for the room with points, they said they would call me back and never did - in the end I checked out 2 hours late and had no issues.

The parking structure is beyond horrible, however. There are two *VERY* steep inclines for getting up to the two parking levels, which on almost every ascent or descent resulted in the rear end of the vehicle scraping on the pavement. There are also many tight turns, including one incredibly tight turn to ascend up to the P2 Parking Level, that, even when backing up and making the turn as careful as possible, can result in you clipping the left front bumper, which is what happened to me - 3 times! There are also many marks on the side bumper area of the garage (presumably to prevent people from crashing in to the walls, but also decreasing the width), which goes to show that I wasn't the only individual with this issue. When I returned the vehicle to Avis, they sure noticed the scratches, and I'm waiting to hear back on repair estimates so that I can begin claims processing with my credit card rental insurance. It's not worth the headache though - just stay somewhere else if you have a car!
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Old Jan 27, 2014, 2:36 pm
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Park Inn CPT Dec 2012

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Has anyone stayed at the Park Inn Cape Town? Any comments regarding rooms/service/dining would be appreciated.
I stayed for 6 days in Dec 2012 in a Business Class room, which I found quite spacious and comfortable. I saw into a Standard Room and it looked quite cramped. The service was fine. The breakfast buffet and restaurant food were very good. The restaurant has some outdoor tables but the ground floor view is nothing worth seeing. The upstairs bar view was great, but winds could sometimes make it unpleasant to sit out there. The gym was small but rarely had anyone in it. They gave free passes to the Virgin Gym nearby if you need a pool or better equipment.

The walk to the Convention Center was easy, and even walking to the V&A was pleasant, maybe 15-20 min. Do be aware that ZA drivers do not seem to respect pedestrians so cross streets with great care. There's a bus/transit center a few blocks away that can get you to more far-flung places. They also offer private car service for a fee, which I used to get to Table Mountain and the airport.

For the price it was a very nice stay if you need to be near the Convention Center. While further from it and not as big or luxurious as the Westin, the Park Inn food may have been better, and the WiFi connection was certainly better.
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Old Feb 15, 2015, 10:23 pm
  #28  
 
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Review of Stay at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town in Aug 2014

I just put up a short review of our (my wife and I) stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront. It was the last stop on our around the world honeymoon. I may add more detail to the review in the near future. Overall thought on the hotel was that it was good, not extraordinary.

Review: http://thehoneymoonguy.com/review-ra...-south-africa/

Last edited by meecal; Feb 16, 2015 at 12:43 pm
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Old Apr 28, 2015, 1:34 pm
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I'm going to Capetown for 4 nights on a mistake fare in September. I am traveling solo and don't intend to rent a car.I have some friends there, so hopefully, I'll be spending some of my time with them. I'm now working on hotels - the rest of the planning will come later.

I want to use Club Carlson points, so it will be two nights at 2 club carlson properties. The first two nights, I'll stay at the waterfront.

for the second two nights the choice is between the Park Inn and a new Radisson Blu opening this week in Sea Point, which is described at a waterfront property, 4 stars, in an affluent residential area. Since I've never been there, I can't picture which property might be better.

I welcome your advice!
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Old Apr 28, 2015, 1:49 pm
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While I don't know much about the new property, I would assume the new Radisson Blu hotel will be much nicer than the rather average Park Inn. And I'm sure this will be reflected in the rate / amount of points charged.
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