To the point
Here is my review following our stay in this excellent hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, obtained with Marriott Bonvoy points.
An affordable hotel with Marriott Bonvoy points
The African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, Autograph Collection is Category 2 (January 2020).
This means that it costs between 10,000 and 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to spend a night there.
To earn Marriott Bonvoy points in Canada, the easiest way is via one of these 3 credit cards:
- The Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express® Card
- The American Express Cobalt™ Card
Each of them offers a nice welcome bonus and the possibility to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on each of your purchases (either directly for the card s Marriott Bonvoy, or by transfer for la Carte Cobaltᵐᶜ American Express).
You could have both Marriott Bonvoy cards and collect your points in your Marriott Bonvoy account!
As for the card Cobaltᵐᶜ American Express, it allows you to transfer your Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 1:1.2.
With the 5 membership rewards points per dollar you earn on:
- Grocery stores
- restaurants and bars
- convenience stores
- food delivery at home
it is like earning 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar!
Our opinion on the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, Autograph Collection
Before leaving South Africa, we decided to spend a night in Johannesburg and therefore chose the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, Autograph Collection, belonging to the Marriott Bonvoy program.
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Location
We chose to stay at the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, Autograph Collection car:
- It’s an excellent Marriott Bonvoy Hotel in Johannesburg.
- located in a secure area
- it only cost us 10,000 points (category 2 in low season)
Its address: 1 Melrose Square, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg 2196 South Africa
Arrival
When we check in, the reception informs us of our advantages with the Titanium Elite status of Marriott Bonvoy: the breakfasts offered in the hotel restaurant.
We also obtained an upgrade using one of the annual upgrade credits offered by my status.
In the reception area, the decorative elements add a certain touch to this hotel, which is a member of the Autograph Collection brand.
As often during our trip, the Marriott Bonvoy banner is prominently displayed with information stands about the program.
Many comfortable waiting areas are present around the reception.
Head to the elevators to get to our room.
The bedroom
The room is large.
Next to the bed is a large chest of drawers on which the Nespresso coffee machine is placed.
In front of the bed, huge cupboards cover almost the whole wall and in which our children will take a clever pleasure to hide!
There is also a television, with a sound system / DVD (not functional however). This is also where the mini-bar is located.
Clever… or not: the safe is located behind a frame representing a safe! 😀
Side lounge, a large sofa (on which our children will sleep) and 2 armchairs.
There’s also a large desk, where in the evening, buttons will be displayed to celebrate the renewal of my Titanium status!
Also, the little duck, symbol of the African Pride hotels.
A word about the view from this room: we are on the pedestrian street side (this is the main artery of this secure area, where the Christmas decorations are placed).
By day:
At night:
The bathroom
The bathroom has a bathtub and a separate shower, as well as hygiene products.
The bathroom space can be separated from the bedroom by a large curtain.
Hotel amenities
The bar
On the reception level there is a bar / lounge. Very pleasant, it overlooks the outside which is animated in the evening.
The pool
The hotel has a nice outdoor swimming pool (unheated).
This one is decorated in a very original way:
It is possible to have lunch with your feet in the water:
or on earth:
Sun loungers are of course present. But during our stay, the weather did not really lend itself to swimming unfortunately.
Breakfast
Breakfast is in the hotel restaurant and in the form of a buffet.
The decoration of the room is really nice, although a little dark for my taste.
With children, the most practical is to settle on the sofas.
Here are the different dishes:
Really a lot of choice in this Category 2 hotel!
During this holiday season, special dishes are also offered, such as a gingerbread house!
It is possible to have other dishes served at the table as well.
An excellent breakfast that will allow us to skip lunch and make it to our evening flight to Singapore! Breakfast free thanks to our Titanium status (also available free to Platinum members).
Conclusion
The hotel African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, Autograph Collection is excellent, especially considering the rate paid: 10,000 points per night (in low season).
During our stay, however, we had a mishap, which was quickly remedied by the manager on duty. We had rented a car because I had to take my mother to the airport in the evening for her flight to France through Zurich.
However, the valet accidentally left the keys in the car, which locked by itself. As I was picking up the car to go and visit the city with my family, I found a large part of the reception team around the car, not knowing how to get out of this mess!
Seeing my annoyance, the person in charge, Catherine, decided:
- to call the rental agency and have them bring in the double.
- to charter us a driver with a van for the whole day to show us around the city’s points of interest
- And if you need to take my mom to the airport at night…
- She also granted us a late departure the next day at 7pm (instead of 4pm with our Titanium status) so that we could relax at the hotel before heading to the airport for our 11pm flight to Singapore.
In short, it shows you how much attention is paid to the situation: although the hotel was at fault, the staff made up for it.
Otherwise, as far as the location of the hotel is concerned: it is a secure enclave. A bit confusing, because we don’t feel like we’re in South Africa at all, but rather in a western capital with all these big brand name or even luxury boutiques.
And what a contrast leaving Melrose Arch…! Anyway, I should warn you!
To easily obtain Marriott Bonvoy points, here is the current offer on la Carte Marriott Bonvoyᵐᶜ American ExpressMD:
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
