Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands: Is This Cape Town’s Smartest Hotel?

In Brief

First impression Bloody hell. And: is that really what a hippo sounds like?
Staff Seemingly effortless, but passionate and utterly brilliant.
Food and drinks Way, way beyond typical Park Inn regulars.
Bed and bath Glassy, colourful, contemporary, tad bit wind-noisy.
The crowd Joburg bigwigs; Out of towners looking for a quiet homage whilst visiting the city. A lot from neighbouring cities.
In a nutshell The Park Inn of Park Inns

Set The Scene

Sitting on a corner in a upmarket neighbourhood (although not as gritty as it once used to be) on the foot of the Table Mountain, Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands is exactly that – a five-storey lodger that’s been wholly transformed into the most hip, funky and exceptionally corporate friendly, first international hotel in the Newlands area.

What’s the story?

Reflecting the local community – Newlands’ Arts District – the hotel’s main entrance is covered in a bright but nuanced colours and curves. The furniture is up to date and nearly every piece of furniture is custom made and strikingly beautiful.

What can we expect in our room?

More pied-a-terre than bedroom, with views of the skyscrapers of downtown Cape Town, Cavendish Square and Newlands Stadium from one corner, and the intricate maze of freeways from the other. In our room, a king-sized bed gave way to a green velour bucket sofa, a posh side table and another occasional chair. The king-size bed reclined seductively into a wall mounted headboard. Opposite the bed, a built-in desk offered a place to work and its cabinet turned out to be a swank bar set-up with enough glasses for a small party. Before that, in the passage, glass doors revealed a crisp white-tiled bathroom.

How about the food and drink?

The house menu is anchored by Park Inn’s signature buffet breakfasts but the rest of the options are a best of à la carte, with favourite dishes from other Park Inn’s and a couple specific to this Newlands arm.

Anything to say about the service?

Staff were friendly and helpful (and seemingly everywhere), even when they weren’t quite sure of how things worked or where things went. It’s interesting worth noting that the hotel employs one of the largest groups of deaf staff in the world, one of the staff members told us. Big ups to Radisson!

What type of person stays here?

In my opinion, the house rules here should state no suits or ties. But anyone who works or lives in the Newlands or Kirstenbosch area would never wear a suit anyway. Park Inn generally proudly skews to a younger, cooler and more tattooed membership than Radisson’s other properties.

What’s the neighbourhood scene like?

Cavendish Square is merely two blocks away, Cubana Latino Bar is less than block beyond that and another block up is the new Tiger’s Milk. Head further north on Main Road to find the popular Hussar Grill Rondebosch serving up the best meats we’ve come to love. From there, a smattering of cafés, restaurants, galleries and shops make it easy to spend a day exploring this growing neighborhood.

Anything we missed?

The outdoor swimming pool is a little slice of heaven. The Sunny and bright terrace with unreal views of passer-byes and mountains beyond, the pool is a relaxation haven with plush chairs and cabanas lining its perimeter. And the underground gym is a sight to behold with Technogym equipment, TRX systems, boxing bags and more.

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.