ANEW Hotel Hilton Pietermaritzburg

The venue itself is awesome, but the service was terrible. Our food arrived at different times, and it was cold. The pepper steak sauce was awful, with what must have been at least half a KG of peppercorns in it. They were also out of potatoes, pizzas and lemons, all things that seem easy to get. Checkers was only 400 meters down the road. A 400 gram sirloin cost 380 rand and came out cold, so it really wasn’t worth it. The bills were a mess too. When totals were rounded up, they added things we never ordered and handled the situation badly, which is the sort of thing I’d expect an upper class hotel to manage easily. I’d recommend going to waxies just down the road instead. They won’t bring you cold food and will go over and above for customers.

The location is fantastic, and the outside of the hotel looks charming and well maintained. I really wanted to love this place, but the stay was disappointing. I was in room 122 and found cockroaches there on both nights. When I told the receptionist, they seemed unbothered. I also asked for rump steak on two consecutive days and was told each time that it wasn't available. Not a huge deal, but frustrating.

Njabulo, the waitress, really stood out. She was calm, professional and warm, and handled everything gracefully, making the meal all the more enjoyable. The welcome when I arrived was just as warm and professional, and the staff were attentive and happy to go the extra mile to make my stay comfortable. The hotel was clean and well organized, with a relaxing atmosphere and excellent service throughout. It’s clear that customer satisfaction matters here. I had an absolutely outstanding stay at ANEW Hotel.

Receptionists, waiters, barmen, cleaners, everyone was friendly and helpful and made it a wonderful experience. The place is quiet, nice, clean and always kept presentable. Good customer service.