The Maslow Hotel Review: We Spent a Night at this Premier Business Hotel in Sandton
The line separating resorts and business hotels was once stark and definitive. In years gone by, holiday hotels put their Rands into spas, manicured grounds and luxurious furnishings while business properties weren’t as much focused on being a home-away-from-home so much as branches of the home office.
Conference calling facilities, conference space, business centres with computer access, and later, speedy internet connectivity gave a business hotel bragging rights. These days, everyone carries instant business connectivity on their laptop and the smartphone in their pocket. Executives are far more likely to write a memo poolside while laptops and smartphones have largely eliminated the need for a fixed PC in a business centre.
If you’re starting to notice more business hotels now resembling your favourite holiday hideaways, it’s because luxury and convenience have become the new business amenities. Business travel used to be stuffy and focused only on the 9-5 with solo, often late-night, dinners inside your hotel room each night. But, today’s business traveller is far more interested in ‘bleisure’ (business leisure) and prioritising some downtime during their stay.
Still, some hotels, like The Maslow Hotel in Sandton give the travelling professional even more. Johannesburg is the business capital of South Africa, and discerning professionals visiting the city are looking for more than just the stock-standard business hotel stay. The Maslow has done an excellent job of combining an impeccable location in Sandton’s business hub, holiday resort-standard accommodations, and state-of-the-art business facilities with a commitment to service that takes convenience to new levels of expectation.
‘Bleisure’ travel at its best
Many South Africans know Johannesburg as a concrete jungle, but there’s plenty of greenery to be found at The Maslow Hotel. The lush garden oasis of this Sandton favourite makes the 4-star hotel the Central Park of Sandton. Sun International’s Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg offers a slice of idyllic green space in the heart of Sandton’s financial district, and it is the only hotel in Sandton that has a private natural garden. Guests can step outside into a peaceful green space with established trees, lawn and a beautiful pool deck.
There may not be anywhere in Johannesburg, indoors or outdoors, that feels quite as serene as The Maslow, which sits on the corner of Grayston and Rivonia Drive in Sandton. The abundant gardens render nearby traffic noise and other hubbub nearly nonexistent, and the layout and decor are designed to maximise calm and luxury.
It’s The Maslow’s beautiful gardens, swimming pool, and indoor-outdoor dining that make this 281-room hotel ideal for tourists and business travellers to South Africa’s richest square mile. The hotel is also a popular venue with locals for a power business lunch, to unwind over drinks after work, for romantic dinners, or to host weddings, conferences and events. There’s no doubt about it, The Maslow is ‘bleisure’ at its best.
The environment at The Maslow is so peaceful and welcoming that you’ll never want to leave. You truly get the best balance of work and relaxation at this chic hotel. During my stay, I enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the hotel restaurant and found time to grab a snack at the hotel bar inbetween meetings.
The Lacuna Bar, with its poolside deck and views of the sprawling gardens, is the ideal place to take a breath during the day. I grabbed a spot on a comfy armchair outside and caught up on emails while I sipped on a soft drink and munched on a delicious toasted sandwich… All while enjoying that distinct holiday feeling. Emails checked and work fires put out, I put my feet up, ordered a beer, and took some time to enjoy the peace of the garden space on a sunny summer day in Sandton.
The buffet breakfast spread at The Maslow’s Lacuna Bistro is sensational with everything from Continental breakfast favourites (like cereals, fresh fruit, and pastries) to full English breakfast essentials (like fried eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and waffles) available fresh at the hot breakfast station. There’s also a barista churning out coffees to order, and I can confirm the Cortados are a must! Grab a table overlooking the pool and water feature or choose a garden-view seat for an early morning peak at the beautiful garden outside.
At night, the upmarket Lacuna Bistro transforms into a sophisticated dining experience. On the menu, you won’t find the usual drab options most business travellers have come to expect from a sad, sparsely-attended hotel restaurant. On this Mediterranean-inspired menu, flavours sing and ingredients come together to offer fresh, bold dishes that you’ll be talking about to all your colleagues back at home. Lacuna Bistro has managed to transcend the fate of most hotel restaurants by becoming a popular destination for locals to enjoy romantic dinners, celebrate special occasions, and treat themselves.
My dinner started with a glass of wine from the well-appointed wine list and consisted of the Soup of the Day for starters, Golden Crispy Fish and Chips for mains, and The Maslow Artisanal Ice Cream and Sorbet for dessert.
The tomato soup starter was hearty and packed with flavour while the Crispy battered fish, served with chunky chips and a tartare sauce, was comfort food brilliantly elevated for a sophisticated dinner experience. The batter was just the right amount of crispy and the chips cooked to perfection; fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The meal ended on a sweet note with a scoop of decadent chocolate ice cream and a scoop of fresh litchi sorbet. If you’re an ice cream fan, then you can’t go wrong with this moreish dessert.
In the business of travel
Yet, what truly sets The Maslow apart for travelling executives is its business service. Modern conference facilities, meeting rooms, and a dedicated business lounge are backed by an innate understanding of a busy executive’s needs. When it comes to deluxe business hotels in Sandton, Johannesburg, The Maslow is renowned for offering premier Sandton accommodation for business travellers. Superior comfort, relaxation and elegance are guaranteed when staying at this high-end hotel in the north of Johannesburg.
The Maslow Hotel satisfies every business traveller’s need from the productive Wayfarer business lounge, to physical and virtual conferencing facilities, high-speed WiFi, a gym, and a top-end luxury spa to massage away the stresses of the day. Having recently marked 10 years in operation, The Maslow has also had a revamp to ensure décor remains on trend and that every possible executive need, from power sockets to recharge mobile phones and laptops to facilities for video conferencing calls, is catered to.
The business lounge is a great amenity for business travellers who need a place to work and unwind should they arrive before check-in or have to hang around after check-out before heading to the airport. Early arrivals and late leavers can make arrangements for their bags to be stored and the lounge even offers refreshments and access to shower facilities where guests can freshen up after a long flight.
The hotel’s proximity to the Gautrain’s fast-track to OR Tambo International Airport makes it ideal for travellers. Plus, with the convenience of the hotel’s complimentary guest shuttle to and from the Sandton Gautrain Station, The Maslow takes all the effort out of finding your way to the hotel. The shuttle also offers complimentary transfers to Nelson Mandela Square for shopping expeditions, dinners, and meetings and other complimentary transfers can be arranged for destinations within a 3km radius of the hotel.
The shuttle runs on a 30-minute cycle throughout the day, stopping at various predetermined destinations, and is a wonderful feature to have at your disposal. It’s so much more convenient than calling an Uber and it makes scheduling meets within the Sandton CBD so much easier. As a woman travelling alone, this shuttle service proved invaluable for me as it offered a safe and reliable travel solution to the hotel from the Gautrain station in Sandton. I also felt at ease knowing I had a reliable and safe shuttle service when I needed to visit Sandton City for a meeting and some admin during my stay, and the convenience of hopping on the hotel shuttle was a real game-changer.
Staying at The Maslow Hotel
The service at The Maslow is unmatched, everywhere you go you’re greeted by a friendly face waiting to go the extra mile for guests. It’s this dedication to excellent service that will keep travelling business professionals coming back to The Maslow time and again. The rooms at The Maslow are spacious and elegantly decorated to ensure a comfortable stay.
The 32m2 Luxury Queen Room where I spent a night was perfect for an overnight stay and offered a flat-screen TV, a desk with a comfortable office chair to work at, a fridge and a coffee station with complimentary pod-machine coffee and tea in your room. The extra-length queen-size bed was exceptionally comfortable and I woke up the next morning feeling well-rested and ready to tackle a busy day of work commitments.
I can’t recommend The Maslow Hotel enough for your next business trip. If you’re travelling with your family in tow then it’s the ideal hotel to cater to both business and leisure in one stay. The swimming pool and sun deck offer holiday-resort quality relaxation while inside the hotel you’ll get everything you need for a successful business trip.
For more information about The Maslow Hotel and to book direct visit the Sun International website now.
