Review : Protea Hotel By Marriott O.r. Tambo Airport | Marriott Bonvoy

During our family trip to South Africa, we stayed one night at the Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport, belonging to the Marriott Bonvoy program.

The hotel Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport is category 2 in the Marriott Bonvoy program. This means that one night will cost between 10,000 and 15,000 points.

The easiest way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is by subscribing to one of the program’s card s:

• Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express^® Card

See all the details at the end of the article!

The hotel Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport is located a few minutes from JNB Airport. It should not be confused with the transit hotel located in the airport, the hotel Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport.

A free shuttle is available between the airport and the hotel.

As we had a rental car, we did not benefit from it. Hotel parking is free of charge.

This airport hotel was built under the theme of aeronautics. The Avgeek in me was fulfilled!

From the reception to the restaurant, through the rooms and common areas: all the decorations were a reminder of the aerial world!

Being accompanied by my mother and our two children, we had taken two rooms. One of them was of type Larger King Bed thanks to an upgrade with my Titanium status.

Although it was a large room, this room seemed very narrow. But it’s actually one of the largest after looking at the floor plan!

The entire wall above the bed was covered with a picture of planes on the ground at JNB.

As said before, many keys are found here and there to remind us of aeronautics. Whether it’s the desk and chair or the mini-bar.

As a welcome gift, little things to eat (even if the name is not the right one…:D)!

The bathroom has a separate shower and bathtub.

The separation with the room is a simple curtain. However the toilets are of course separate (note the decoration there too)!

Thanks to the Titanium status of the Marriott Bonvoy program, we had free breakfasts at the hotel restaurant.

Breakfast consists of a large and varied buffet.

We saw several crew members from different airlines having breakfast with us.

Avgeek like me, our daughter spent more time playing with the decor than eating lunch!

In front of the airport runways there is a large swimming pool. Unfortunately, the weather was not good for swimming (not heated).

The garden, however, is pleasant. It is possible to climb to the top of a hill to see the different planes, so a British Airways Airbus A380 parked in front of us.

In the basement of the hotel there is a small training room.

The hotel Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport fulfilled perfectly its function as a stopover hotel for one night before / after a flight.

Accessible from 10,000 points per night, it’s really a good deal, especially for Platinum or Titanium status holders to get free breakfasts.

There are two main methods to earn Marriott Bonvoy points through credit cards:

• Directly: with Marriott Bonvoy credit cards
• Indirectly: by transferring Membership Rewards from American Express

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points directly with the two Marriott Bonvoy credit cards:

• Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card
• Marriott Bonvoy^® Business American Express^®* Card

These two card s each offer a excellent welcome bonus. And, for each of your expenses, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

Besides, upon renewal, with each of these cards, you get an annual reward night certificate.

Marriott Bonvoy points can be earned indirectly via American Express Membership Rewards by transferring points via American Express Membership Rewards credit cards.

These cards each offer a nice welcome bonus. You can transfer Membership Rewards Points to Marriott Bonvoy at the rate of 1:1.2. That means that by transferring 50,000 Membership Rewards points, you will earn 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points!

Our favorite card here is the American Express Cobalt^MD Card: you can earn up to 5 points per dollar (that’s 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar) on everyday purchases how groceries, restaurants or convenience stores.