Standard Double
from $94
Hollow on the Square
4.0 out of 5.0
62% based on 97 reviews
Recent guest reviews
We stayed there for 2 nights and were very satisfied.The hotel is well situated for getting to Waterfront and for catching the "Hop on Hop off" tourist bus.The room was large and comfortable and the staff were very helpful, even taking us to the bus stop on our first day. There is an excellent wine shop just round the corner where we bought some very good South African wine at a reasonable price. Breakfast was included and was very good.
This hotel is in a very convenient location and has amazing staff. They were all incredibly helpful and very nice! Our room was large and really comfortable, and we enjoyed the little diningroom, and the many choices in the complementary breakfast. We had the hotel arrange a car and driver for us a number of times, and it worked out very well. I'd recommend this hotel as being a very good choice at a reasonable price. Thanks very much to the great management and staff.
We stayed 4 nights at Hollow on The Square and if I am ever luck enough to go back to Cape Town, I will avoid this hotel. There are a couple of good things I can say about the hotel: almost everyone on the staff is lovely. They were very nice and tried very hard to be helpful. The included breakfast was very nice. Plenty of food, lots of options, including eggs or omelets that they would make to order. Also, the location was good for seeing the city and walking to some of the sights. Now, the bad: the first night was fine. We were assigned a room in the "green annex" which is an office building adjacent to the main hotel, and it appeared that the hotel had guest rooms on a couple of floors of the building. It was very quiet -- in fact, we didn't see any other guests in the "green annex". The second night was when the issues started. When we got in bed, we could hear scratching and scurrying in the ceiling above the beds. We called the front desk and told them that it sounded like there were rats in the ceiling and we were told that simply could not be the case. A maintenance staff member came to the room and explained that the ceiling between floors was concrete,, so there couldn't be anything scurrying around. After a couple of minutes he heard the noise, said it was "creepy" and against the wishes of the front desk, insisted that they move us to another room. That room was on another floor in the "annex". That room was only partially painted (As I recall they said that the rooms had recently been renovated or remodeled) so we just assumed they hadn't quite finished the painting. Otherwise, the room seemed fine. We went out the next day and came back for the evening only to find there was no hot water. We called the front desk who seemed not to know anything about it, but promised it would be fixed within the hour. It wasn't. In fact, there still wasn't any hot water in the morning. We were told various things about the problem, but as it turned out we weren't told the truth. After insisting that we would really like to be ab le to shower, a repair crew came into the building and worked for sometime, and finally we got hot water. When we checked out the next day, the front desk said there had been a problem with the pipes but it was unclear why there had been such secrecy about the problem from the start. No real apologies were made, and certainly no accommodations were offered to make up for the problems we encountered throughout our stay. I highly recommend that you do NOT stay at Hollow on the Square.The management and the front desk downplayed and/or dismissed our complaints and concerns. The maintenance and housekeeping people were extremely nice and tried to be helpful, however -- the one real saving grace to our hotel experience.
Personally, the staff have been fantastic and very personal with handling specific requests, making the experience very easy, I cannot express how grateful I am for the 5* service, would definitely recommend
Room was nice and spacious, the kids got their own makeshift bed. Facilities are old but well maintained. There was the small issue of a mosquitoes but that was quickly sorted by the house keeping team. Breakfast was boring for a supposed 4 star experience. Food was average, location is fantastic and the front desk staff absolutely Amazing!!!
This is a crap hotel. Unfriendly staff. Incorrect information. Very dated. I will not return there even if it was free. How this hotel is rated 4 star is beyond me. This at best is a overpriced 2 star hotel.
Old and tired hotel with a superficial facelift in a good location if you need to be at the CTICC or the Foreshore areas. The rooms are fine and the furnishings reasonably new. The bathrooms need maintenance (leaking cisterns, chipped tiles), and I couldn't believe in the height of the drought they don't have heat pumps or boosters on the hot water supply - so if you have a room far from the geyser it takes minutes for the water to heat up. What a waste. It can be very noisy at night as there are a number of bars around including at the Radisson ParkInn across the square which go on until all hours, and there is neither double glazing nor good sealing windows. There is serviceable but not delicious breakfast offered in a corner of reception, a hotel bar and a small outside seating area. The hotel can't help the beggars who bother you outside, but they should definitely chase away those who wander into the reception and harass people in the breakfast area. Staff are friendly enough, and as with so many hotels, the more competent desk staff are on duty during the day. There is one ancient lift which takes forever, so we often used the fire escape stairs and discovered the ones at the kitchen are used for storing broken chairs! I complained to the duty managers about this disregard for fire safety twice, and was laughed off both times - so on the third complaint I told them I'd just mention it on TripAdvisor instead. The chairs were then moved a few cm to the side - but were still in the stair when I checked out the next day. In short - if you can't get the hotel you want (as happened to us!) this one is ok for its location only. Everything else leaves rather a lot to be desired. If they advertised themselves as 3-star you'd feel like you were getting what you expected. However as they claim to be 4-stars there is a gap between expectation and reality.
Every year I attend the WTM Africa and stay at the Hollow On the Square. This year I was in the Green Annex again and once again my stay was excellent. The staff is friendly, the breakfast great and the room always well looked after. One thing I missed, was that the receptionist did not advise me re the water restrictions and request me to save water (I come from Namibia, so I automatically do it anyway), but I think in light of the current drought, this is so important! Also, it says in the bathroom to leave the towels hanging, should you wish to use them again. I do this of course, but noticed in the evening that my towels had been changed anyway! So the hotel also needs to educate their staff in water saving measures! All in al I had a super stay again, and this will probably remain my first choice when attending events at the CTICC.
The staff were always willing to help. Attended promptly to noisy guests who were running around late at night, walked with us to the main street and always checked our stay was comfortable. The rooms were comfortable and clean. A great position to walk to V & A Waterfront or up town. Wifi access for only one device per person was a bit limiting - as international travellers we depend on hotel wifi for phones as well as tablet/computers. There were also issues with the wifi access through the third party supplier.
The hotel is well positioned, and has comfortable rooms with breakfast included, food is good. The front desk staff is very friendly and accommodating - and assists with printing of boarding passes, etc.. However as a business traveller, Wi-Fi is essential. Wi-Fi in the rooms are poor (in one case non existent). Be aware that the annex is around the corner of the main hotel, which is a bit isolated when travelling alone to get a meal in the hotel. The main hotel rooms have a fridge and kettle, but not a kitchenette as originally advertised. If you travel as a group, this hotel is well positioned in Cape Town, but not great for business. I have stayed there twice, but it would not be my first choice when travelling alone.
Hotel highlights
- Walking distance to Cape Town International Convention Centre and Greenmarket Square
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Free valet and self parking
- Onsite dining
Located in City Bowl, Hollow on the Square is a leisurely stroll from popular sights such as Cape Town International Convention Centre and St. Georges Mall. This 86-room, 4-star hotel has a restaurant along with conveniences like free in-room WiFi and free valet parking. Greenmarket Square is 0.5 mi (0.8 km) from this centrally located Cape Town hotel.
Dining
Sit down for a leisurely bite to eat at the onsite restaurant, or enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge. Savor a meal from the comfort of your room with room service, or get a quick energy boost at the coffee shop/café. For your convenience, a buffet breakfast is available for a fee.
Rooms
All 86 air-conditioned rooms provide coffee makers, free bottled water, and laptop-compatible safes. Guests can expect free WiFi and 32-inch LCD TVs with satellite channels. Bathrooms have hair dryers and free toiletries. Phones and desks are also standard.
Property features
At Hollow on the Square, guests have access to free WiFi in public areas, free newspapers, and a terrace. Free valet and self parking are available—or if you're not driving, take the airport shuttle (available 24 hours) for ZAR 450 per room one way. The 24-hour front desk has multilingual staff ready to assist with dry cleaning/laundry, concierge services, and luggage storage. Additional amenities include laundry facilities and a porter/bellhop.
Reviews from Trip Advisor
62% of guests recommend this hotel
Total of 97 reviews
