Review Protea Hotel by Marriott Upington
Paul’s Hotel Review for
Protea Hotels by
Marriott Upington
General Impressions
For the property: 
For the staff (overall): 
Details
Duration of stay: 2 nights
Purpose: Stopover prior to entering the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Check-in / Check-out
Check-in process:
Check-out process:
Concierge service: N/A
Front Desk staff (overall):
Marriott Bonvoy Recognition
At check-in:
In general:
Posting of points & nights:
Room / Bathroom
Bed, quality of sleep:
Bathroom, shower:
Room atmosphere:
WiFi / Internet:
Housekeeping:
Cleanliness:
Food & Beverage
Breakfast: 
Bar:
Restaurant (dinner):
Lounge: N/A
F&B Staff:
Paul’s Mix
Pool:
Hotel location:
Mojito rating 
:
:
General customer care:
Staff attitude, interaction and responsiveness:
Social media interaction:
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Legend
= bad, a lot of work needed
= not good, noticeable issues
= solid, normal
= high level, missing a bit of
polish
= top notch
= standout performance
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General Info
Protea Hotel Upington is located directly on the banks of the Orange River, which is clearly its biggest asset. The property has a total of 87 rooms. The riverside setting gives the property
a relaxed, almost resort-like feeling — something you don’t expect when you just need a practical stopover before heading into the Kalahari.
The hotel is well suited as a gateway hotel: overnight stay, adapt from travel mode to safari mode, stock up in town, and continue north the next morning. Parking is easy and free on it
secured parking lot, the property is spacious, and the river view adds real value.
Check-in
Let’s be honest: This was one of the weakest check-ins we’ve experienced at a Protea Hotel in a long time.
The agent was present, asked for the name, handed the keycard and that was it. She was rather unfriendly and grumpy, far a way from a warm hospitality welcome.
No real welcome, no smile and no interaction at all.
Marriott Bonvoy rules or Elite recognition, forget it, nothing!
Even when asking for the breakfast benefit as a Titanium Member, she had no idea what it was or what to do.
The agent had even a trainee next to her and she basically just showed her everything wrong.
Check-out
Check out was with one of the friendly and interacting agents. It was smooth, friendly, efficient, and professional. A short chat, a smile, and everything done quickly — exactly how it should
be. She asked for feedback if everything was okay and it was a completely opposite experience compared to the check-in.
The printer didn't work and the agent was not able to print out my Final Invoice.
She said she would sent it to my email. Until today I haven't received anything and I have to run behind the invoice because the posting of points is total wrong. More on that below.
During our stay we went to the front desk a few times for questions.
The lady who checked us in was grumpy all the time.
All other agents we met were super friendly, smiling and very helpful. They interacted with us and tried to help.
Marriott Bonvoy Recognition
Bonvoy recognition was inconsistent.
Nothing and no real engagement during check-in, no explanation of benefits, and no visible effort to acknowledge loyalty in any way.
We had to ask for the benefits ourselves and tell the agent at check in that she maybe should check the status. Nothing, she had no idea what to do with it.
It’s not disastrous, but for a Marriott-branded property, it’s clearly below standard.
In the room was a nice card from the GM together with a bottle of white wine and a snack. So in general they would know how it works.
Posting of Bonvoy Points:
Same disaster as the recognition.
At checking out, the printer didn't work and the agent was not able to print out my final invoice.
She promised to send it via email. Until today, nothing happened.
My final folio shows a net Revenue of 4989 ZAR which is around 308US$.
That means the hotel must post 308 0 base points / 2310 Elite Points and 308$ in revenue.
The hotel only posted 139 base points / 104 Elite points and 29$ revenue.
This property definitely needs a Marriott Bonvoy Training from A to Z.
I have to run now in circles to get everything together and corrected by customer service.
Property in General
The hotel is mid sized with 87 rooms
It has several buildings, green courtyard and is nicely laid out. The courtyard areas, and outdoor spaces create a calm atmosphere — ideal after a flight or before entering the Kgalagadi.
The courtyard which also serves as the "Courtyard Bar" area, the pool and outside lounge sitting area ads a real value and tranquil space area.
All public areas have just been recently renovated and they look stunning. A warm welcoming atmosphere, nice wooden and modern furniture. Modern decorations and warm colors were used.
Room / Suite
The room itself got a little refresh but it is not as modern as the public areas. Here you can still see that some items of the furniture are old but everything is practical and works.
The superior room is the biggest room the hotel offers and I think at other properties this would be a junior suite. That said, the space is sufficient, lighting is good thanks to the big
floor to ceiling window, and WiFi worked reliably. You can see wear and tear, but housekeeping keeps everything spotless.
The biggest advantage of this room is the balcony with the view over the orange river.
Bathroom
Spacious, bright, and clearly above average for a Protea Hotel.
The walk-in shower is large and practical, with a green mosaic accent wall that adds some freshness. Proper glass partition, good layout, and easy to use. The freestanding bathtub is a real
plus and nicely positioned — great after a long drive or safari day.
Vanity area is functional with enough space, lighting is good, and everything is spotlessly clean. Design isn’t brand new, but well maintained and pleasant.
Not ultra-luxury, but comfortable, practical, and done right — exactly what you want here.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping deserves clear praise.
Impeccably clean rooms, friendly staff, and visible pride in their work. This department is doing an excellent job.
Food & Beverage
Breakfast – the star of the stay
Again ab absolute top notch Protea Hotel Breakfast.
No convenience products, great variety, fresh ingredients, beautifully presented, and attentive staff.
Restaurant (Dinner)
Dinner was solid and enjoyable.
Good variety, well-prepared food, and friendly service. Nothing experimental, but exactly what you want after a long travel day.
Even only a few people were there, rather long waiting times.
Bar
The Courtyard Bar has a nice atmosphere, a lush green garden feeling and a relaxed setting with friendly staff. Very long waiting times on the second day. They would have plenty of staff but
everything seems very uncoordinated.
Drinks were well made. Unfortunately no mojito available even it was listed on the cocktail menu. Apparently no Mojito Sirup available. 
Pool
The hotel offers a very very small pool in the courtyard. It is more a little plunge pool to refresh swimming is not possible. No sun chairs or umbrellas and no place to relax or dry
afterwards.
The pool is the biggest downturn of the property especially because of the location by the Kalahari. Basically a pool like this is useless for a hotel.
Social Media
Very little presence on Instagram and no presence at all on Facebook. No engagement at all on Instagram even after writing them. Like this, social media is useless and this is a missed
opportunity.
Summary
Protea Hotel Upington is a very solid stopover hotel with a fantastic location and outstanding breakfast.
Public places are beautiful, very modern and newly renovated. Rooms are in good shape, were lightly refreshed but still show some aging signs.
At the front office it really depends who you get. Check-in was a disaster. Check out was good and during the stay staff was very helpful, friendly and talkative.
Bonvoy recognition nonexistent at check-in. The agent had no idea about any Bonvoy procedures or what it means.
F&B; Breakfast amazing, dinner was good, bar okay.
Staff was always super friendly but very long waiting times at the bar.
Pool rather useless.
We would definitely return to this property — mainly for the location, the breakfast, and the comfort of the room.
It is a great location for a stay before entering the Kalahari.
Notes
- Paul the Sheep does not receive any benefits from hotels or airlines
- All stays are paid in full to ensure honest and independent reviews.
- For more details or pictures, feel free to send us a private message.