By Jeeves, this is the life: having a butler on call to see to your every whim. The Grace In Rosebank has what it calls the Club Floor - on the fifth floor of the hotel - where guests have a personal butler.
We had Thabo during the day. A butler is on call 18 hours a day, and they work in shifts. In fact, you can check in directly from your room after spending a few seconds introducing yourself at reception. The butler brings the paper you have to sign and proceeds to look after all a guest needs during the stay.
The Club Floor is a premium service geared towards making the lives of guests more comfortable. Initially, we were whisked into a room with murderously dull views of the parking lot of the building next door to this graceful Alice in Wonderland domicile. The room, though, was tastefully furnished and styled in a character that was formal but seemed stuck in the Eighties.
Then just as we were getting comfortable with the welcome tea and coffee, the apologetic receptionist phoned to say there had been a mistake in checking in and that the television in the room did not work. It had a faulty remote. We were whisked away to another room - this time one with a grand view.
An enclosed sky bridge links The Grace Hotel Johannesburg to the Mall of Rosebank, perfect for the avid curio shopper, while the unique fourth-floor garden terrace and pool deck offers refuge for those who prefer to bask in the sunshine or sip a refreshing cocktail alongside the pool.
On the luscious grass of the garden many people have exchanged vows and had their reception for small gatherings of up to 20 in the hotel dining room. They even have a private dining room used mainly by corporates who want privacy during working lunches. With the Club Floor service, you get priority booking during peak times, VIP room check-in, an 18-hour butler service, a complimentary nightcap, a gift from The Grace Collection and exclusive use of the fifth-floor lounge, which has a tray with juice and an assortment of savoury delights.
The Grace is only 14 years young. With its classical standards of excellence harking back to an era of gracious living and attention to detail, it has a loyal following. Renowned for its high levels of sophistication and elegance, the hotel unsurprisingly has a enviable collection of local and international nominations and awards.
A number of reputable magazines have praised the hotel's impeccable service, conference venue and dining room, namely Conde Nast Traveller USA, 2003 Reader's Choice Awards, Top 100 restaurants by Wine Magazine for three successive years and most recently Travel & Leisure USA for "The World's Best" in service within the Africa & Middle East category for 2007. For the tourist, it has location, location, location.
Set in the heart of stylish Rosebank, with restaurants, shopping, cinema and culture easily accessible and on the menu, The Grace Hotel offers easy access to Johannesburg's most prominent business and cultural venue, as well as OR Tambo International airport.
With 73 rooms, The Grace in Rosebank is a sophisticated boutique hotel with the highest standards of personal service and luxury. I would not have imagined it could accommodate so many as I was told.
Our room was spacious and well-furnished, although the ambience had the look and feel of something timeless, more classic than modern. South Africa is experiencing a recession and hotels are not immune, as many experienced low occupancy rates before being boosted by the IP cricket tournament, the Confederation Cup and the rugby between the Springboks and the British Lions. The television in our room was an old 51cm instead of a plasma which seems to be the norm in modern hotels these days.
Fortunately, being in the Club Floor, one had complimentary access to the Internet.
Stayovers like this are not a holiday for yours truly but a leisurely opportunity to work in a homely environment away from the office so one can then share the experience with readers. I managed to write two stories that evening and then slept through the night while sleeping beauty had to get her ear muffs out to drown out my tired snore.
Yet when she purrs, I smile gracefully as if listening to my favourite song.
Therein lies the beauty of The Grace: it is warm and has a cosy feel that's almost like home, which explains why two tired souls who would live and work, eat and sleep, managed to snore gracefully into the night as comfortably as we had done.
Little wonder, in April, The Grace was voted Top Hotel in Johannesburg in the Condé Nast (USA) Traveller Readers' Choice annual awards.
This is the largest independent readers' poll in the US and this year 32 633 readers voted. Each candidate was rated on a five-point scale according to the different criteria. Participants seemed to realise that The Grace is home from home.
The butler service is available between 6.30am and 11pm to ensure guests are taken care of personally.
And that's not all: there is also complimentary pressing of three items of clothing daily and a shoe shine service, ensuring guests always look dapper during their stay.
And there is a valet service to arrange for guests' cars to be brought to the front of the hotel once their late check-out has been completed. Home has never felt this good. By Jeeves, I'm already missing home.
