All the right stuff for the business traveller in Rosebank

Sometimes, the simplest things are what you remember most about an experience that ticks so many boxes.

After my stay at voco The Bank Johannesburg Rosebank, it was not its sustainability credentials, convenient location or impeccable design that left a long-lasting impression. It was the attentive customer service.

From the doorman and staff at the check-in counter, to guest relations, consistency is the order of the day, right down to finding my precious notebook — left behind on a bedside table — days later, safely, and neatly preserved in sanitised packaging.

This was the doing of Busisiwe Mayisela, who, during my stay, had bothered to google me and recognised my face from behind my mask; sat down with me at breakfast and by the time I had to leave, we had shared parenting tips and intermittent fasting YouTube videos.

The concept of the business and leisure (“bleisure”) traveller is one that has taken root in a post-Covid world, and voco The Bank Johannesburg Rosebank — the IHG Hotels & Resorts group’s first voco in Africa — is an excellent example of combining the efficiency and convenience required by a business traveller, with the softer touches that come in handy when winding down.    

In the Art Deco-inspired The Bank Building in the Rosebank CBD, the hotel occupies six floors, offering a generous 131 double volume rooms, with sweeping views. The beds (firm and comfortable) are fitted with sustainably sourced linen, real glass water bottles and much of the property is solar powered. The usual conveniences of mini bar and in-room Nespresso means no abandonment of your usual beverage indulgences on your trip. 

With two malls, blue chips and smaller media, entertainment and communications companies in the area, the district is abuzz. The Zone, Rosebank Mall (with the specialist artisan Soko District) for shopping, proximity to the Sandton CBD, several consulates, galleries, restaurants (like unmatched dinners at The Test Kitchen Carbon; indulgent brunch at Glenda’s or a shared Asian feast at KōL Izakhaya down the road in Hyde Park.)  

Recently, the site’s gym has been opened and one can now board e-hailed cars right outside the hotel, where valet parking is also available. 

The reception level is where you can slip into Bespoken Man for a leisurely grooming session after breakfast at the popular Proud Mary, before taking a meeting or finding a quiet solo work nook at co-working spot Workshop 17. For your culture fix, you can request one of the in-house art butlers to take you on an art tour that covers the glut of galleries in the area, as well as voco’s own impressive collection. 

When it’s time to go, the Gautrain station ticket kiosk is a two-minute walk away (I timed it), and though I would make sure I don’t leave anything behind again, rest assured that your stuff will be handled with the utmost care.