Royal Palm Hotel

I’ve just checked in, and the rooms feel dated, with a lot of stains and not the cleanest. The towels are really old too, which doesn’t seem worth the price to me. I asked housekeeping for better ones, but was told they’d report it to the supervisor when she gets back. I hope the stay improves.

I’ve travelled internationally for over 30 years and haven’t come across such poor alignment between customer service and practical business sense. Umhlanga has plenty of places that understand the value of lasting client relationships, and I’d encourage travellers to look at those instead. They clearly don’t value their clients or their business. I’d booked the Royal Palm Hotel through Booking.com for 21 April by mistake, rather than 22 April 2026. When I arrived, I owned the error and explained that I’d already paid in full. Rooms were available, so I asked simply to stay on the correct night. The issue went from reception to the supervisor, manager, and General Manager, but nobody was willing to help. They said I’d have to pay the full amount again, even though the hotel had received payment. They could call it a “no-show,” technically, but I expected some practical hospitality, or at least a reasonable admin or penalty fee. The response felt rigid and transactional. It was also a missed business opportunity. Our company sends executives to KwaZulu-Natal monthly. This was an emergency one-night trip and meant to be a trial for future bookings. Based on usual spend, that could mean at least ±R144,000 a year in accommodation, excluding food and drinks. I refused to pay twice, left, and stayed at Coastlands, another Umhlanga hotel, which I would recommend.

The rooms were lovely and well maintained, but the Thyme restaurant kitchen was filthy. Before I complained to the GM, I saw several cockroaches. He said he knew about them and pest control would come the next day. If they knew, what were they doing in the meantime to cover the pancakes, flapjacks, and toast? We felt miserable after eating there and skipped breakfast at the restaurant the following morning. The GM offered a voucher for another stay, but I won’t be back. Very disappointing.

Our room at the Royal Palm was bigger than we expected, clean, comfortable, and good value. The hotel was busy over New Years, but the staff were still extremely friendly and went out of their way to help us. Breakfast was great, and the kitchen and waiting teams were wonderful. I’m writing this from Thyme restaurant with a coffee. Thanks for a lovely stay, we’ll be back.