Reef Hotel

Reef Hotel Overview

So I stumbled across the Reef Hotel during what was honestly a pretty frantic last-minute booking situation in Johannesburg, and you know what? Sometimes those random finds turn out to be exactly what you didn’t know you needed. This four-star spot sits right on Anderson Street in Marshalltown, which – I’ll be straight with you – isn’t the glitziest part of town, but that’s actually part of what makes it interesting.

The thing about staying here is that you’re genuinely in the thick of Johannesburg’s working heart, not tucked away in some sanitized tourist bubble. I mean, step outside and you’ve got the hustle of the CBD right there – actual South Africans going about their business, not just other travelers taking the same Instagram shots. The hotel itself feels solid in that unpretentious way that speaks to business travelers and people who actually know the city. My room was clean and comfortable (the beds are surprisingly good, honestly), and while it’s not going to win any design awards, everything worked properly, which is more than I can say for some fancier places I’ve stayed. The staff genuinely seemed to care about getting things right – when I had an issue with the wifi, someone was up to fix it within twenty minutes, not the next day.

What really sold me on this place, though, was how it handles being a proper city hotel. The windows are decent quality, so even though you’re surrounded by urban energy, you can actually sleep through the night. Parking was straightforward, which anyone who’s driven in Joburg will tell you is no small thing. And here’s something I didn’t expect – the breakfast area has these big windows that catch the morning light beautifully, so you end up watching the city wake up while you drink your coffee. It’s not fancy, but there’s something genuinely satisfying about it. The location puts you within walking distance of some great local spots if you know where to look (ask the front desk about proper coffee nearby – they’ll point you in the right direction), and you’re close enough to the main business district that taxi rides don’t break the bank. Look, this isn’t a destination hotel where you’ll spend your whole trip lounging by a pool, but if you want a solid base for actually experiencing Johannesburg rather than hiding from it, the Reef gets the job done with a lot less fuss than you might expect.

Reef Hotel Accommodations

Reviews of Reef Hotel

• My stay was awesome 🤩 – Silas from Namibia – July 13, 2025 (8/10)

  The food of course. The staff and the location.
  A certain “Buhle” lady, she is amazing in customer service, friendly and welcoming and is indeed a face of the hotel.
  
  What could be improved: Might have traveled at a wrong time. There was no water for several hours every day. Sometimes when there was water, there was no hot water. It is winter! Apparently there was maintenance work on a main water supply. The staff were always helpful in managing the situation though, kudos to them 🙌

• Good – James from Ireland – May 13, 2025 (7/10)

  Hotel staff were very nice and helpful. Accommodation was very nice and the food was good.

• Good place to stay, but they need to improve here and there. But all in all, a good place to stay – Turflo from South Africa – May 5, 2025 (8/10)

  The establishment in general is good. Its location is very central, average of 7-minutes-drive to all the places we wanted to visit.
  The staff is welcoming.
  The breakfast is good.
  
  What could be improved: Lifts/Elevators are Very Old And extremely Uncomfortable to be in.
  The checkout process is not good at all, our check out time was 11h00, but our rooms access cards were blocked around 10h30 (While we were having a breakfast), we had to plead with the Room Service Lady to open for us at around 10h48 to take our stuff out. Totally uncalled for!!!

• Nice stay. – Thomo from South Africa – December 2, 2024 (8/10)

  What could be improved: The lift was not working properly on the 11th floor.

• Our stay was fantastic except food – Mahase from United States – August 23, 2024 (7/10)

  Served by good hearted intern and one Rory. Treated us like queens
  Not happy with the food that was cooked and
  
  served for that sport group.
  
  What could be improved: Food

• Very Good – Dr from South Africa – July 11, 2024 (8/10)

  What could be improved: The fact that we were told there’s a fridge but there wasn’t

• Warm welcome – Lize from South Africa – May 30, 2024 (8/10)

  Receiptionists Portia and Valerie, very friendly and helpful.
  
  What could be improved: We left our laptop charger behind and Valerie assisted to get it courier back to us in Cape Town.

• Great staff make all the difference – Lorraine from United States – March 4, 2024 (8/10)

  The staff were amazing – friendly and helpful.
  
  What could be improved: the location was not great. we really didn't feel the neighborhood was safe for walking around. The load-shedding in Johannesburg means power outages pretty much every day for some part of the day. This isn't the hotel's fault. I feel like they do everything they can to make your stay a good one.

• Pleasant – Gugu from South Africa – March 4, 2024 (6/10)

  The staff at reception and the restaurant was friendly.
  
  What could be improved: The room phone didn't work when we tried to contact reception.. the lifts are quite old and need some servicing.

• IT WAS GOOD – Nengovhela from South Africa – January 31, 2024 (8/10)

  CLEANES AND STUFF

Surroundings

Facilities