The Reef Hotel

Originally opened in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, The Reef Hotel occupies a 16-story building in the center of Johannesburg's Financial District. The decor provides a combination of industrial and urban designs, with rich colors and exposed ceilings. Elevate, the rooftop bar and function venue, is a major highlight with stunning panoramic views of downtown Johannesburg and a lively nightlife scene. Glass windows surround the exterior of the rooftop, offering non-restrictive views, with both indoor and outdoor seating areas. Homestead, the hotel's ground-floor restaurant, has a casual yet vibey industrial feel with exposed concrete ceilings, low-hanging light bulbs, and plain white walls. The restaurant and bar on the third floor is less exciting, though it also features exposed concrete ceilings and elegant decor. The rooftop bar creates quite a lively atmosphere during the evenings, particularly on the weekends. Guests are a mix of leisure and business travelers, and several nearby businesses often make use of the conference facilities.

The Reef Hotel has a central location in the heart of Johannesburg's Financial District, historically the mining district. There are a handful of restaurants within walking distance, including two casual Indian restaurants. A stop along the popular Red Bus City Sightseeing tour is two blocks from the hotel. Other stops along the tour include Constitution Hill, Carlton Centre, James Hall Transport Museum, Gold Reef City Casino Hotel, Apartheid Museum, and SAB World of Beer. The Sheds on Fox Street is a seven-minute drive away, packed with arts, culture, and food stalls. Fashionable shops, markets, bars, and restaurants within the Maboneng Precinct are all about eight minutes by car. Newtown, where the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and Market Theatre are, can be reached within a nine-minute drive. It's a 10-minute drive to Braamfontein, an area well known for its jazz nightlife scene. There is a Gautrain Bus Stop right outside the hotel, and Park Station is a 10-minute drive away. O.R. Tambo International Airport is about 30 minutes by car.

The 120 guest rooms at The Reef Hotel have an industrial-style vibe with exposed concrete ceilings and a red, white, and black color scheme. A striking feature is the large Johannesburg-themed photograph murals hung over the beds. The only differences in the room categories are that the Deluxe Rooms are slightly bigger and have a tub in the bathroom. Standard amenities include air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, tea- and coffee-making facilities, work desks, telephones, safes, and free Wi-Fi. Mini-fridges are available upon request. Bathrooms include walk-in showers (some also with separate tubs), hairdryers, and house-brand toiletries. Since our photoshoot, rooms have been renovated to close off the bathrooms from the bedrooms. While none of the rooms have private balconies, all feature large windows with city views -- the higher floors have the best views of downtown Johannesburg. Only rooms up to the seventh floor have soundproof windows, with the last three floors still undergoing the refurbishment -- to be finished by mid-2018. 

Features at The Reef Hotel are mostly aimed towards leisure travelers. The rooftop bar and function venue, Elevate, is the hotel's main draw-card -- offering panoramic city views. There's a hot and cold buffet breakfast (including made-to-order eggs) served on the third-floor each morning, though it's not included in all room rates. This same area includes an indoor bar (Ike's Bar) and turns into The Reef Grill Room, a fine-dining steakhouse, in the evenings. Twenty-four hour room service is also available from this restaurant. Homestead restaurant, on the ground-floor, is open for casual dining for lunch and dinner -- including local fare like mieliepap and various meats. There's a spacious sun deck on the third floor, with sun loungers and two hot tubs. The ground floor lounge is decorated with several local artists' artwork that is also available for sale.

There's a small, rather cramped fitness center with two dated Trojan cardio machines. Two conference rooms are available, catering for up to 220 delegates when joined together. There are also two small meeting rooms and a business center with printing and copying facilities. Wi-Fi throughout the property is free, while the undercover on-site parking costs an additional charge. The hotel offers a shuttle service (for a fee) within a three-mile radius of the property, as well as an airport transfer service. Additional features include secretarial services (upon request), laundry and dry cleaning, and a travel and information desk.