aha Kopanong Hotel & Conference Centre

We went to Kopanong for a school banquet, and I loved how clean and well-kept everything was. It’s far from the city’s noise and smells. The food was top notch, especially the sweet potatoes, and we had breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea. Whenever we left the conference room to eat or do something else, they refreshed the water and sweets and made sure the room was clean. It was my first visit, but I know this won’t be our last school event there.

The conference venue itself was perfect, and the staff were friendly and helpful, which made my stay manageable. Breakfast was continental and palatable, so as vegetarians we were used to picking and choosing and found it fine. The vegetarian conference lunch, though, left a lot to be desired. On Saturday it was boiled pasta with “curried lentils.” None of us vegetarians were happy with that, especially when the meat eaters had broccoli, potatoes, and much more variety. I attended a conference and stayed at the hotel for convenience. The room cleanliness didn’t impress me: there were spider webs, old carpets, an air conditioner that sounded like a tractor, and an embedded moth in the blanket we took from the cupboard. There seems to be serious cost cutting. I paid extra for a suite with a “kitchenette” because I’m vegetarian and need to make my own meals, but all it had was two cup and saucer sets, two teaspoons, two glasses, a kettle, and a microwave. There was no crockery, cutlery, or even dish soap for cleaning up. The rooms also had no blackout curtains, which was a problem for light sleepers. The beds came with four super hard, fat king pillows. Housekeeping eventually swapped them for us, but it seems like common sense to offer two standard and two king pillows so people can choose. There were two of us booked in, but only one bottle of water and one set of bathing supplies. I was glad I’d brought my own. Other dentists at the conference complained about some of these things too. @ Kopanong Hotel management: it’s time to improve instead of keeping things old forever. These conferences happen every year. Let’s see what it’s like when we check in again next year.

A choir that had booked at the same time sang from dinner until late at night, and I could hear them in my room. They weren’t entertaining, and reception did nothing when I raised it. The management here is poor. I really don’t recommend this place. If you want peace, don’t come here.

I enjoyed a two-day work function at the Hotel. The service was fantastic, and the work experience hosting us was great.