Odd Take On Room Upgrade: Radisson Blu Cape Town

Radisson Blu Cape Town is nestled in the vibrant heart of the Mother City, this smart Hotel & Residence offers a seamless blend of elegance and convenience. With breath-taking views of the Lions Head and the Central Business District.

I chose to stay here for a week of remote working before I took some vacation time. In a city full of charming hotels option, what else does this Radisson Blu & Residence, one of 4 Radisson’s in the city offer?

Location & Check-In

This is a city centre hotel & residence with an array of restaurants and facilities on the door step. It is mere minutes walk from Bo-Kaap, District Six Museum and you are only a 15-20 minute stroll to V&A Waterfront.

Arriving just past 2pm, the reception was a little busy and thus rather slow to check in. I had booked the Superior Room but was upgraded to the Premium Room honouring my Radisson status benefit.

For a large hotel, the lobby area was rather small and crowded most of the time!

Radisson Blu Cape Town Room

I was allocated a room on the 11th floor, one of the highest floors for regular hotel rooms. This building also hosts longer term serviced apartments in the higher floors.

The hotel itself is older but has been renovated recently and looks sleek..

The room more or less looked as expected, but couldn’t tell much difference with the upgrade other than it being bigger in general. The deco was pleasant rather than opulent which does incidentally make the place feel more homey.

The room comes in a large King size bed, with hanging bedside lamps that free up bedside table space. You have a table seating area with 2 chairs

What is rather strange is the Superior Room has a dedicated “Work Desk” – an important feature I selected since I was to be working the first week of my trip, but the Premium “upgraded” room does not feature this!

It would seem this upgraded room category is not targeted for their regular business guests! It wasn’t the biggest issue as I found other places to work around the hotel too.

You have use of a large closet as you walk in opposite the bathroom. Then there is the standard smart TV, in-room espresso machine & mini bar and fridge.

The best aspect of the room was naturally these spectacular views out to Signal hill and the Lion’s head..

On the other side you have mostly city views

And this is what you wake up to in bed..

This seriously never got tiring in the 6 days! Nothing say’s you are in the heart of beautiful Cape Town more than waking up to such views 🙂

Radisson Blu Cape Town Bathroom

By far the biggest change with the upgrade was the huge bathroom with double washbasins…

This would most certainly come in more handy if you are travelling as two.

It was also fully stocked with bathrobe, slippers and the standard Radisson Bly branded toiletries

Odd again however given the size, that there was just an overly spacious shower with no bathtubs..

I’m not a big bath person, so this wasn’t again a real issue for me.

Like many Hotels now, Radisson run the “Green Housekeeping initiative” where you can opt for full housekeeping every third day, and just have basic clean-up and towel change the other days.

In & Around The Hotel

My week ended up being rather busier than I thought working and then catching up with friends in the evening, I did not get the chance to use the pool or gym here

I did have drinks in the Piano bar one evening however, which has a pleasant atmosphere. You have a couple of restaurants within the hotel building, including Rooftop at The Ghibli Bar and Pool Terrace. I forgot to take any pictures of it.

My room rate also included daily breakfast at the The Stratus Room, which in itself offers a stylish surrounding with New York art deco vibes

The actual breakfast itself mostly average and forgettable, however..

There was nothing particularly exciting about the breakfast selection. But there was a good selection of fruits & pastries as well as hot and cold beverages.

Just around the corner of the hotel there is a great Japanese place called Obi, with really good sushi and ramen!

The sushi here was genuinely some of the best I’ve had anywhere. It’s a small and popular place so get there early or you may end up in a long queue or no table at all!

Overall Thoughts

It was a enjoyable week here. I’ve stayed in several Radisson Blu’s around the world and they offer a very standard business like experience. I don’t think they are trying to be luxurious, but certainly a comfortable place to stay.

The location was perfect. I found the staff here very warm and friendly. My room was cleaned nicely and they were available should you need help planning or organising anything for your trip!

There are many luxurious and exciting options in Cape Town, but I just needed somewhere to work for a week. Given things can get rather pricey during summer season, my rates averaged around £85 per night. For that it was more than satisfactory.

I would stay at the Radisson Blu Cape Town again. Remember to book directly if you have status and/or want to collect Radisson points. More exciting Cape Town hotel’s reviews yet to come!