SS
Southern Sun
Verified Business
SS
Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Based on recent customer reviews, Southern Sun shows a sharply divided guest experience. A loyal contingent praises specific properties like Garden Court Marine Parade and 54 on Bath for warm, consistent hospitality, while a larger group reports serious failures across maintenance, refunds, and frontline service at properties including Sandton, Elangeni, Maharani, Newlands, and Rustenburg. The brand reputation is strained by unresolved complaints and inconsistent property standards.
TrustIndex
3.4
Ranking
#4
in Hotels & Accommodation
NPS Score
21
Recommended: Likely
Jul '25 - Jun '26
Based on recent customer reviews, Southern Sun shows a sharply divided guest experience. A loyal contingent praises specific properties like Garden Court Marine Parade and 54 on Bath for warm, consistent hospitality, while a larger group reports serious failures across maintenance, refunds, and frontline service at properties including Sandton, Elangeni, Maharani, Newlands, and Rustenburg. The brand reputation is strained by unresolved complaints and inconsistent property standards.
Southern Sun has a TrustIndex of 3.4 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 50 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked Southern Sun across 748 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Southern Sun Newlands - Cape Town. Without doubt the most unprofessional and *********** people to deal with. You can't even get a decent cup of coffee. I have decided to check out early because I can't substantiate the cost to stay here and have to put up with excuses and feeling incriminated. Added to this I have been totally inconvenienced by the sound of contractors drills and noise in the room. I booked on line and there was nothing to say that the Hotel was undergoing renovations. I was told this when I was handed my room card!! Certainly I will not come back to this Hotel!!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Southern Sun Newlands - Cape Town. Without doubt the most unprofessional and *********** people to deal with. You can't even get a decent cup of coffee. I have decided to check out early because I can't substantiate the cost to stay here and have to put up with excuses and feeling incriminated. Added to this I have been totally inconvenienced by the sound of contractors drills and noise in the room. I booked on line and there was nothing to say that the Hotel was undergoing renovations. I was told this when I was handed my room card!! Certainly I will not come back to this Hotel!!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It is truly a privilege to return to Garden Court Marine Parade—an establishment I hold in the highest regard and fondly consider both my “home away from home” and a place where I feel part of a family. Having experienced a number of properties along the Durban beachfront, I can say with complete confidence that none compare to the consistently exceptional standards upheld here. Garden Court Marine Parade sets a benchmark that, in my view, stands above the rest. As someone who travels internationally from time to time, I often find myself measuring global hospitality standards against those I experience here. It is a testament to this establishment that not all international hotels meet the level of quality, care, and excellence that I have come to expect from Garden Court Marine Parade. I am a returning guest several times a year, and without exception, each visit reaffirms my admiration. The front desk team is consistently professional, warm, and welcoming; the housekeeping staff maintain impeccable standards of cleanliness; and the maintenance team ensures that every detail is attended to with efficiency and care. The culinary experience is equally outstanding—compliments to the chefs and kitchen team for their consistently impressive menus and exceptional food. The sense of safety and comfort provided by the security team further enhances the overall experience, allowing guests to feel both secure and genuinely welcomed. Most notably, the management team at all levels demonstrates exemplary leadership and dedication. Their commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of the guest experience, and I would especially like to extend my sincere appreciation to the duty manager on the front desk today for their professionalism and attentiveness. Thank you to the entire team for your unwavering commitment to excellence. I am truly delighted to be back and very much look forward to enjoying another memorable stay at this outstanding establishment.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It is truly a privilege to return to Garden Court Marine Parade—an establishment I hold in the highest regard and fondly consider both my “home away from home” and a place where I feel part of a family. Having experienced a number of properties along the Durban beachfront, I can say with complete confidence that none compare to the consistently exceptional standards upheld here. Garden Court Marine Parade sets a benchmark that, in my view, stands above the rest. As someone who travels internationally from time to time, I often find myself measuring global hospitality standards against those I experience here. It is a testament to this establishment that not all international hotels meet the level of quality, care, and excellence that I have come to expect from Garden Court Marine Parade. I am a returning guest several times a year, and without exception, each visit reaffirms my admiration. The front desk team is consistently professional, warm, and welcoming; the housekeeping staff maintain impeccable standards of cleanliness; and the maintenance team ensures that every detail is attended to with efficiency and care. The culinary experience is equally outstanding—compliments to the chefs and kitchen team for their consistently impressive menus and exceptional food. The sense of safety and comfort provided by the security team further enhances the overall experience, allowing guests to feel both secure and genuinely welcomed. Most notably, the management team at all levels demonstrates exemplary leadership and dedication. Their commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of the guest experience, and I would especially like to extend my sincere appreciation to the duty manager on the front desk today for their professionalism and attentiveness. Thank you to the entire team for your unwavering commitment to excellence. I am truly delighted to be back and very much look forward to enjoying another memorable stay at this outstanding establishment.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Southern sun waterfont must let us cape townians know if we are not welcome foe sun sundowners cause according to.the bar lady puma we can only now drink if we've booked menaingnthat my clients shall not be coming cause I wont be booking and I will further let the office know that normal people cannot drink only guests
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Southern sun waterfont must let us cape townians know if we are not welcome foe sun sundowners cause according to.the bar lady puma we can only now drink if we've booked menaingnthat my clients shall not be coming cause I wont be booking and I will further let the office know that normal people cannot drink only guests
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Date of Stay: February 4, 2026 Location: Southern Sun Sandton, Katherine Street, Sandton, Johannesburg I recently stayed at the Southern Sun Sandton for one night, and unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had in years. As a brand under the Southern Sun umbrella, I expected a certain level of professionalism and efficiency, but what I encountered was chaos, poor maintenance, and subpar service that left me questioning how this property maintains its reputation. Starting with the room: I was assigned a ground-floor apartment, which already felt less than ideal for privacy. The air conditioning remote was completely non-functional, and the room was freezing cold; we’re talking uncomfortably icy. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to get it working, I had to resort to physically climbing up and unplugging the unit from the ceiling just to make the space bearable. This shouldn’t be a guest’s responsibility in a supposedly upscale hotel. Privacy was another major issue. When I tried to open the window for some fresh air, I was startled to find a maintenance worker standing directly outside, staring right at me. It was unsettling and made me feel unsafe and exposed. For a hotel in a busy area like Sandton, better protocols for staff positioning and guest privacy are essential. The in-room amenities were equally outdated. The TV channels felt like a throwback to 1996, limited selection, poor quality, and nothing modern or engaging. In 2026, with streaming services everywhere, this is inexcusable for a business-oriented hotel. But the real low point was the dining and room service. At the restaurant, it took nearly two hours to receive a simple slice of cake. When the bill arrived, we were overcharged significantly, prices were doubled, and we were billed for items we never ordered or received. Resolving this took additional time and frustration. Room service was no better: It took over two hours to deliver a salad to my colleague’s room and more than an hour to bring a single drink to mine. The delays were inexplicable, especially since the hotel didn’t seem overwhelmingly busy. Overall, the level of disorganisation and inefficiency was baffling. Southern Sun, as an established brand, should be aware of these standards, this isn’t a budget motel. I hope management takes note and addresses these issues, as the location in Sandton is prime, but the execution falls far short. I won’t be returning and can’t recommend it in its current state. One star – and that’s generous.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Date of Stay: February 4, 2026 Location: Southern Sun Sandton, Katherine Street, Sandton, Johannesburg I recently stayed at the Southern Sun Sandton for one night, and unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had in years. As a brand under the Southern Sun umbrella, I expected a certain level of professionalism and efficiency, but what I encountered was chaos, poor maintenance, and subpar service that left me questioning how this property maintains its reputation. Starting with the room: I was assigned a ground-floor apartment, which already felt less than ideal for privacy. The air conditioning remote was completely non-functional, and the room was freezing cold; we’re talking uncomfortably icy. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to get it working, I had to resort to physically climbing up and unplugging the unit from the ceiling just to make the space bearable. This shouldn’t be a guest’s responsibility in a supposedly upscale hotel. Privacy was another major issue. When I tried to open the window for some fresh air, I was startled to find a maintenance worker standing directly outside, staring right at me. It was unsettling and made me feel unsafe and exposed. For a hotel in a busy area like Sandton, better protocols for staff positioning and guest privacy are essential. The in-room amenities were equally outdated. The TV channels felt like a throwback to 1996, limited selection, poor quality, and nothing modern or engaging. In 2026, with streaming services everywhere, this is inexcusable for a business-oriented hotel. But the real low point was the dining and room service. At the restaurant, it took nearly two hours to receive a simple slice of cake. When the bill arrived, we were overcharged significantly, prices were doubled, and we were billed for items we never ordered or received. Resolving this took additional time and frustration. Room service was no better: It took over two hours to deliver a salad to my colleague’s room and more than an hour to bring a single drink to mine. The delays were inexplicable, especially since the hotel didn’t seem overwhelmingly busy. Overall, the level of disorganisation and inefficiency was baffling. Southern Sun, as an established brand, should be aware of these standards, this isn’t a budget motel. I hope management takes note and addresses these issues, as the location in Sandton is prime, but the execution falls far short. I won’t be returning and can’t recommend it in its current state. One star – and that’s generous.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
My family and I checked in at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani on 30/12/2025 and checked out 03/01/2026. It was unfortunately the worst hotel experience we had from the beginning to the end. I spoke to Nandi on the day of my check out and she asked me to send an email with all the issues, and she would discuss it with the relevant department managers. The feedback that I received was that they won’t be able to compensate us. Below is the email that was sent to Nandi (I can attach the email for proof with responses). All we wanted was a fair compensation but there it’s clear that this hotel does not take any responsibility . Check in: • We checked in on 30/12/2025 after 2pm, after the 50% balance of there payment was done, we were told that the room was not ready. I asked why and the person that checked us in, mentioned that maintenance was busy sorting out some issues in the room. • We were told, by the time we unload our luggage, our room will be ready. Unfortunately, we still waiting an additional 10 minutes. • Check in time is clearly from 2pm, why was the room not ready? • When we got into our room, we noticed that door latch was broken and the left-hand side light bulb was not working. This was resolved but once again, why did maintenance not pick this up as they are the reason why our room was not ready in the first place. See attached pictures. • After using the shower, we noticed water began to seep through towards the entrance of the room. We complained and this issue was resolved – once again a maintenance issue…. Breakfast: • I can understand the long queues during the peak season to have breakfast but some of the staff members weren’t friendly at all. • To get a coffee was a huge delay, sometimes our coffee would arrive after we had breakfast Housekeeping: • I did not have a major issue with housekeeping except for them coming at 16:00 to make up which was just one day. Check out: • Check out was a nightmare…. I called requested a porter at 10:10 expecting the porter to arrive 10 or 15 minutes later. • I called again at 10:30 and still waited for a porter. • I got to a point where I walked next door at 10:40 to ask housekeeping to please call the porter for me. Unfortunately, this also did not work. • I must mention, at 10:10 – I asked my family to go down and get breakfast, knowing that the porter will arrive in time for us to have breakfast as a family. • I still waited until 11:15 and finally went downstairs to complain and finally have a porter to help me. This is over an hour of waiting for the porter. I basically had to fetch the porter myself which is unacceptable. • A reminder that my family had to have breakfast without me and your kitchen closes at 11 and staff were packing the food away when I finally got the porter issue sorted. I trust that the above would be helpful to anyone else that’s planning to book here and I’m sure other guests had similar experiences. I would definitely pass the bad experience on to my friends and family and hope that this complaint will better their service in the near future
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
My family and I checked in at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani on 30/12/2025 and checked out 03/01/2026. It was unfortunately the worst hotel experience we had from the beginning to the end. I spoke to Nandi on the day of my check out and she asked me to send an email with all the issues, and she would discuss it with the relevant department managers. The feedback that I received was that they won’t be able to compensate us. Below is the email that was sent to Nandi (I can attach the email for proof with responses). All we wanted was a fair compensation but there it’s clear that this hotel does not take any responsibility . Check in: • We checked in on 30/12/2025 after 2pm, after the 50% balance of there payment was done, we were told that the room was not ready. I asked why and the person that checked us in, mentioned that maintenance was busy sorting out some issues in the room. • We were told, by the time we unload our luggage, our room will be ready. Unfortunately, we still waiting an additional 10 minutes. • Check in time is clearly from 2pm, why was the room not ready? • When we got into our room, we noticed that door latch was broken and the left-hand side light bulb was not working. This was resolved but once again, why did maintenance not pick this up as they are the reason why our room was not ready in the first place. See attached pictures. • After using the shower, we noticed water began to seep through towards the entrance of the room. We complained and this issue was resolved – once again a maintenance issue…. Breakfast: • I can understand the long queues during the peak season to have breakfast but some of the staff members weren’t friendly at all. • To get a coffee was a huge delay, sometimes our coffee would arrive after we had breakfast Housekeeping: • I did not have a major issue with housekeeping except for them coming at 16:00 to make up which was just one day. Check out: • Check out was a nightmare…. I called requested a porter at 10:10 expecting the porter to arrive 10 or 15 minutes later. • I called again at 10:30 and still waited for a porter. • I got to a point where I walked next door at 10:40 to ask housekeeping to please call the porter for me. Unfortunately, this also did not work. • I must mention, at 10:10 – I asked my family to go down and get breakfast, knowing that the porter will arrive in time for us to have breakfast as a family. • I still waited until 11:15 and finally went downstairs to complain and finally have a porter to help me. This is over an hour of waiting for the porter. I basically had to fetch the porter myself which is unacceptable. • A reminder that my family had to have breakfast without me and your kitchen closes at 11 and staff were packing the food away when I finally got the porter issue sorted. I trust that the above would be helpful to anyone else that’s planning to book here and I’m sure other guests had similar experiences. I would definitely pass the bad experience on to my friends and family and hope that this complaint will better their service in the near future
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
The place is nice and clean the staff is well trained love the fact that they have someone who can assist with charging our phone that’s beautiful rooms 😜😜 and the hotel is at a good location. I enjoyed their buffet breakfast like they have variety to choose from well secured with lots of securities who makes sure that it is safe
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
The place is nice and clean the staff is well trained love the fact that they have someone who can assist with charging our phone that’s beautiful rooms 😜😜 and the hotel is at a good location. I enjoyed their buffet breakfast like they have variety to choose from well secured with lots of securities who makes sure that it is safe
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I had an Unpleasant Experience at Stay Easy Rustenburg. checked in on the 21 December and our stay was supposed to be up to the 26th I unfortunately had to check out on the 24th December due an emergency I had to attend to at home. 1. when i checked in the lifts were not working, had to take the stairs to the 5th floor 2. the bedding wasnt smelling nice - had to call the cleaning ladies and ask them to change the bedding 3. my room had no shower caps - i had to go to reception every time my wife and I needed to shower. The lady by the name of Lizzy literally asked me why am i asking for shower caps everyday shouldn't i be reusing the shower cap i had the previous day 4. I have been waiting for my refund , January has long past and today is the 3rd of February, no update email or at least a phone call. I, as the customer has to be the 1 who constantly calls to find out whats going on i spoke to a lady by the name of Portia last week Tuesday I think and I expressed my concern on how they are handling this matter. She told me that they have a new lady in the finance department and she will speak to her and get back to me. Till this day I have been waiting. I decided to call again yesterday morning and Requested to speak to the " New finance lady " I think her Name is Bulelwa, she told me the same story that she is new in the department and she has a backlog of work. How is Southern Sun having a backlog on refunds my problem??? I asked her why has she been quite and not at least giving me feedback or even a courtesy call to at least advise that they will work on my refund and I did not get an answer. Very Disappointed because Southern Sun places dont come cheap. its all nice and easy when we pay for staying at their places but they give terrible service
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I had an Unpleasant Experience at Stay Easy Rustenburg. checked in on the 21 December and our stay was supposed to be up to the 26th I unfortunately had to check out on the 24th December due an emergency I had to attend to at home. 1. when i checked in the lifts were not working, had to take the stairs to the 5th floor 2. the bedding wasnt smelling nice - had to call the cleaning ladies and ask them to change the bedding 3. my room had no shower caps - i had to go to reception every time my wife and I needed to shower. The lady by the name of Lizzy literally asked me why am i asking for shower caps everyday shouldn't i be reusing the shower cap i had the previous day 4. I have been waiting for my refund , January has long past and today is the 3rd of February, no update email or at least a phone call. I, as the customer has to be the 1 who constantly calls to find out whats going on i spoke to a lady by the name of Portia last week Tuesday I think and I expressed my concern on how they are handling this matter. She told me that they have a new lady in the finance department and she will speak to her and get back to me. Till this day I have been waiting. I decided to call again yesterday morning and Requested to speak to the " New finance lady " I think her Name is Bulelwa, she told me the same story that she is new in the department and she has a backlog of work. How is Southern Sun having a backlog on refunds my problem??? I asked her why has she been quite and not at least giving me feedback or even a courtesy call to at least advise that they will work on my refund and I did not get an answer. Very Disappointed because Southern Sun places dont come cheap. its all nice and easy when we pay for staying at their places but they give terrible service