uncguy85

Has anyone stayed here on points lately? Will be visiting for 3 and 6 nights (taking a 3 day visit to Hermanus as well). Am staying on points as a plat. Wondering what recognition is like as well as how to contact hotel about getting picked up at the airport. Thanks for the advice!

Thunderroad

Just got an email announcing that the hotel officially becomes a Westin on Nov. 7. I'll be staying there with my wife at the end of the month for five nights, as an award stay. Has anyone stayed there recently or know whether the re-branding from Sheraton to Westin means anything in practice? Is there construction or other work going on in connection with this change?

Oxon Flyer

"The Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays" probably wins the award for the longest Starwood hotel name.

777 global mile hound

The only time rebranding is usually done IMO is when the hotel ownership feels it can probably command or justify charging higher rates.
As did the Sheraton Pulitzer in Amsterdam becoming a world class Luxury Collection property. One of the more shocking rebranding jobs over years and in my own estimation clearly not justified.
Higher prices were the only substantially noticeable change after the fact besides some trumped up changes like a new health club that could easily double as a small inadequate broom closet. Considering this property had no facility prior it could be looked at as an improvement by some.

The Sheraton Arabella in Capetown on the other hand is a beautiful property and would certainly justify the Westin Brand name proudly.
Off topic: My only wish and hope for them is that that they fully follow the SPG guidelines and terms and conditions no matter what brand flag they fly. Otherwise it’s a truly great property.......

greg999

I stayed here in October for 5 days on points. As a gold at the time I didn't get any upgrade because the hotel was full (according to the front desk they usually upgrade gold members if rooms are available). They do offer free internet access using computers in the lobby. They gave me an access code along with my room key.

During the day I walked from the hotel to the city center area where the company gardens area is along with the several museums (including the south african national gallery and the south african museum). I also walked to the cape town castle. While I felt safe doing this, I was by myself and was dressed very casually but people travelling with families might want to take a taxi to get around. There are no restaurants right next to the hotel but you can take the shuttle to the victoria and albert waterfront where there's a large selection.

ajnaro

I also stayed at this hotel back when it was still branded as a Sheraton and thoroughly agree with all the praise this poster and earlier posters had for the hotel. However, the hotel has now been rebranded as a Westin and sadly has done away with all the extras that made it so special. For one thing, the M-B toiletries are gone in the suites and have been replaced by standard Westin-issue items. When the hotel was ArabellaSherton, I was offered in-suite check-in and welcomed to my suite by a butler with Champaign and excellent canapés; as a Westin I have not even seen a butler, much less the other two items, and check-in was conduced at the normal counter by a clerk who informed me, in a rather autocratic tone, that breakfast was not included in an SPG suite upgrade as it had been under Sheraton. Furthermore, with the rebranding, rooms seem to have been stripped of their decoration, resulting in glaringly empty spaces. It’s still a good hotel, of course, but there can be no doubt that it no longer has the special character it used to have.

ehe123

I stayed there two weeks ago when it was a Sheraton, and last week during the transition (it was a Sheraton when I arrived and a Westin when I left). I agree that the quality of service is not as high as it once was. But I have received a Platinum upgrade to a suite for every stay over five years (whether paying cash, points, or cash and points). While I was also told that breakfast is not included with the suite upgrade, the "continental" breakfast in the Tower Lounge is still available without charge. Since this includes smoked salmon, fresh oysters on the half shell, cold cuts, cheeses, tropical fruit, etc., I would suggest that an adequate breakfast is still thrown in. Overall, this is still a wonderful property, even if some the former amenities have vanished (such as complimentary massage with the suite, the butlers, etc.).

ajnaro

Thank you for sending this message. Immediately upon receiving it I called service express (formerly e-butler) and enquired. After being shifted around to a few people I was told categorically that I was not entitled to breakfast, either in the Tower Lounge or in the restaurant, because my stay was being paid for with points rather than money. An SPG Platinum suite upgrade on a stay paid for with money would qualify for breakfast, I was told. I then quoted the text I had just read in the FT Starwood sticky: “elites receive the exact same benefits on an award stays vs. paid stays”. At that the service express attendant said he would consult a manager and call me back. After I while I got a very grudging response, reversing the earlier position: I am indeed entitled to breakfast, but only upstairs in the Lounge, not downstairs in the restaurant. Even this is, of course, not in accord with the FT sticky since paid upgrades can have breakfast in either place, but I suppose it is progress.
As to my general impression of the Sheraton/Westin transition at the Arabella Cape Town hotel, I would say that this hotel has gone from an outstanding Sheraton to a standard Westin. The toiletries serve as an indication of what has happened -- under Sheraton, M-B was supplied; under Westin, just the standard issue hotel brand. In other words, all the little extras that made this place exceptional are gone. The substance of excellence has been replaced with the empty rhetoric of a more up market name. Of course, the standard Westin level is in itself quite high, so I agree that this is still a ‘wonderful’ hotel. It’s just not as wonderful as it used to be.

ajamieson

Could not agree more with this. Stayed there last year and had wonderful treatment on some days and absymal treatment on others. Their attitude to SPG changed with the wind (lounge seemed to think we were minor royalty, front desk could not have cared less). Truly, a bizarre property. I would go back in a heartbeat, but...just strange!

Thunderroad

I stayed at the Arabella Westin--formerly the Sheraton (moderator, time to change the thread title?) late last month for five days with my wife as part of our vacation in South Africa. We stayd on points. I booked (what I believe is called) a deluxe room--that is, a room that is perhaps 40 percent larger than a regular one, but otherwise the same. I think it cost about 1,000 points extra per night. On balance, we were happy with our stay, but think we lucked out in some regards I'll describe below. I'll go into some detail here in hopes that it might benefit other FT members--either in terms of tempering expectations or getting the most they can from the hotel.

As background, when I first booked over the phone with Starwood, I requested a corner room with a view of Table Mountain. That information was included in my emailed reservation from Starwood--language along the lines of a corner room with (IIRC) wraparound panoramic views of Table Mountain, or something like that.

When we got to the hotel in the morning of our day of arrival, our room wasn't ready, which was no problem. The desk agent told us we'd get what was requested and would be put in a room on the 16th or 17th floor. When we got back later that afternoon, we were informed by his replacement that, no, we wouldn't get a corner room, wouldn't get the high floor, but that we would have a Table Mountain view from the only room left, on the 6th floor. After a bit more discussion--she first told us we could have an upper floor corner room if we were willing to accept a smoking room, then backtracked when we said that was OK--we took the 6th floor room. The view of Table Mountain was largely obscured by a large office building in-between.

I should add that, along the way during our discussion with her and after I asked whether breakfast was included with the room, she checked with the manager on duty, came back to reaffirm that we couldn't have any room other than the 6th floor one, and that breakfast in the top floor lounge (but nowhere else) was included in our room. To be frank, I'd made the reservation so far in advance that I didn't recall whether breakfast was included, but don't think it was. So our first piece of luck was that either the hotel made a mistake or (more likely) threw in the breakfast to pacify us--though I should note that I hadn't demanded or even suggested breakfast as compensation for what we viewed as the hotel failing to honor what we felt was its commitment.

Later that day, I wrote a note to the manager explaining that I was disappointed in our room in view of our printed reservation and, to a lesser extent, the promises by the hotel staff earlier that day. When I didn't get any response by the morning of our third day, I called the Duty Manager (who said he hadn't seen the note). He was immediately responsive, came up to show us a corner suite, and explained that none of the hotel's corner rooms are deluxe rooms--they are all suites. In other words, our reservation information from Starwood was incorrect. I offered to show him my reservation print-out just so he'd know that I wasn't making things up, but he said that wasn't at all necessary. The hotel would take this up with Starwood on its own. So for our last three nights we were in a nice suite in the corner--the room numbers on that corner end with 01--that offers what I think are the best views from the hotel. It's a partial view of Table Mountain, plus a good view of another mountain and the harbour.

One interesting sidelight to the Duty Manager's very nice response was that before even offering us the suite he mentioned that he was checking my Starwood status. I'm just a Gold, so doubt that status was a factor, but can't be sure.

Bottom line on our stay: through a combination of our polite persistence and dumb luck (that is, due to Starwood's mistake in promising a corner room) on our part and the professionalism of the hotel staff after some initial glitches, we ended up with a great free breakfast for our entire stay and a nice suite for three of the five nights. All of this for the points cost of a deluxe room.

As for the hotel itself, it's a bit sterile as befits a big convention center hotel, but otherwise nice. The deluxe room was barely worth the extra 1,000 points per night but no more than that, IMHO--it's just some empty space. The suite was very nice, particularly the corner location, though not terribly big as suites in many hotels go. It's semi-divided by a wall between the bedroom and living areas. The personnel at the hotel were friendly, though service was a bit iffy--a number of glitches, though none of them major problems. And the hotel routes all service requests through a set of "butlers" or "service coordinators" rather counterproductively.

The top floor lounge is a wonderful place to have breakfast. Great views, a great buffet--not as large as some hotels, but still has all the basics (plus including oysters and champagne!)--and waiter service as well for ordering hot items such as omelettes. I've seen reviews that complain about having to wait for a table there, but we came in at various times for breakfast and never had that problem. At times, the room was almost emply. Again, perhaps we were just lucky. We never stopped by to have a drink there in the afternoon or evening.

Also on the top floor: Pretty decent exercise room with a nice view, though on the small side--maybe eight aerobic machines (e.g. treadmills), which were all taken one morning, plus perhaps a half-dozen weight machines. The spa with which the exercise room is associated has a nice lap pool and very large jacuzzi, both kept at about the same warm temperature and both with great views of the harbour--plus a few lounge chairs to hang out in.

The hotel is at the base of Long Street, about a 10-minute walk along that street, through a "dead zone" strip that is just large office blocks, until you come to the start of the part of Long Street that has shops and restaurants. Those first establishments are more for backpackers (ah, I remember when...) than for well-off tourists, but there's nothing wrong with them. As you stroll further up Long, including to where another major street braches off, you start to encounter more upscale places.

The hotel is also about a 15-minute walk from the V&A Waterfront shops and restaurants development. (The hotel also has regular shuttles going there.) Again, the area you walk through is kind of empty and partly along a busy road, but it's pretty clear what direction to take to get to the V&A.

The stop for the Red and Blue tourist bus routes--which take you all over Cape Town and allow you to hop off one bus and onto a subsequent one as you please--is just around the corner from the hotel. We almost never bother with tourist busses, but given the size of the city we found them a great way of getting around and seeing things.

Re crime: We felt safe walking to and from both locations during the day. (The guide on one of the tour busses we took cautioned the passengers, however, not to stroll through that dead area of Long Street on the weekend, when the offices are closed and there are few people on the street.) During the evening, the standard, sensible advice is to take taxis, which are cheap, and restaurants will gladly call them for you.

Bottom line on the hotel: Service occasionally leaves something to be desired, but otherwise a good property. If I were shelling out actual cash I might well check out other Cape Town properties, but at the very least it's a good use of points.

One important point I'd add to all of the above is that the climate seems to be changing, at least in the Western Cape. Some weather/climate websites report that Cape Town and its surrounding province get 0.6 inches of rain per month in November and about the same in December. We got considerably more. We still had a number of sunny days during our 16 days in the country in late November and early December, but encountered some rain and clouds--the rain was cold, but when it was cloudy we were still in shirtsleeves. Though a year or two ago the area did have a a hot, dry early summer consistent with its historical patterns, many folks we spoke to said that generally the patterns are changing, with summer arriving later. So while we had a wonderful trip, it was more springlike than summery. Folks going to that part of the world at that time of year should not expect uniformly nice weather.

uncguy85

Just returned from a 6 night points stay at the Westin Arabella. I was either lucky, or got someone exceptionally great when checking in.

After requesting a "special room" I was informed we could have a "deluxe room" on the 17th floor or a suite on the 3rd. We chose the suite since the extra space would be nice as one of my friends would be joining for a few nights.

The suite was nice - a large room partially divided. Two LCD Tvs were nice. The bathroom's were large and the standard Westin amentities were present.

We discovered (were not told directly) that our room key got us into the executive club upstairs. I asked the hostess what was available in the lounge and she mentioned breakfast and happy hour from 5-7pm.

Breakfast was nice - great buffet as well as a printed menu. We were never charged for any of the breakfasts and even had our friend with us a few days. We left a small tip every day.

The happy hour was at first boring - service very slow and drinks weak. We met a VERY nice hostess after a few days named Melanie. She hooked us up with drinks a lot faster and better than the rest of the staff.

I also never got charged for the valet parking (though tipped each time).

Overall: very happy with the value for the points - 7k points / night for a suite, breakfast for 3, parking, free internet, shuttle to VA waterfront, platinum amentity.

pmcg

A word of warning for anyone wanting pampered @ the Spa here.

It's closed for refurbishment just now.

Brought the wife down for some pampering & she is not best pleased about it being closed.

Didn't say anything on the web site when I booked it.

ACfly

All suite guests (including upgrades) get access to the lounge. When it was the Sheraton, Suite guests receive a private butler, a welcome gift, two glasses of champagne and Molton Brown toletries. I guess things have changed since moving to the Westin brand.

ajamieson

Par for the course at this property; I was hoping the change of brand might remove the kinks from the service.

stimpy

AND free airport transfer.