For those of us looking to redeem points, Cape Town is a fairly restrictive hotel market. My preferred chains are Hyatt and Starwood. Hyatt doesn’t have a property in Cape Town, while Starwood has only one property, which is the Westin.
So that’s what I decided to book, given that the rates were decent. The nightly rate was 3,300ZAR, which is ~210USD.
However, I used the fourth night free hotel benefit available through my Citi Prestige® Card, which brought the average nightly rate down to ~160USD. Add in the fact that I was earning double elite qualifying nights and that this stay qualified for Starwood’s current promotion, and this was a no brainer.
As a point of comparison, this is a Category 4 Starwood property, meaning a free night redemption would have cost 10,000 Starpoints, or a Cash & Points booking would have cost 5,000 Starpoints plus $75. Given that I value Starpoints at 2.2 cents each, paying cash seemed like the best value.
I took a taxi from the airport to the Westin, which took about 20 minutes, and cost ~250ZAR (~$16), which as a relative matter I found to be quite expensive, given how cheap Cape Town was otherwise.
The hotel is next to the Cape Town International Convention Center, which in theory isn’t ideal as a tourist, though I’ll talk more about the location in a bit.
The exterior of the hotel is modern, with lots of glass.
Westin Cape Town exterior
The lobby is spacious and modern as well, with a long entryway leading to the restaurant, or else you can turn left right towards reception.
Westin Cape Town lobby
Westin Cape Town lobby
I was greeted upon arriving at reception, and was able to check-in right away, despite the fact that it was well before the hotel’s check-in time. The friendly associate explained I had been upgraded to a junior suite on account of my Platinum status, that I was entitled to lounge access, etc.
Westin Cape Town lobby
I took the elevator up to the 15th floor, where my room was located. Each floor has a sliding glass door between the elevators and the rooms, so you have to insert your key in order to enter the hallway.
Westin Cape Town hallway
My room, 1501, was located at the far end of the hallway after turning left.
Westin Cape Town hallway
Westin Cape Town suite exterior
Westin Cape Town floorplan
The junior suite is advertised as being 592 square feet. Upon entering the room, the bathroom was located to the right, and then the rest of the room immediately ahead.
Westin Cape Town suite entryway
The living room was spacious and well designed, with a couch and chair facing the wall mounted flat screen TV.
Westin Cape Town suite living room
Westin Cape Town suite living room
Westin Cape Town suite living room
In the far corner of the room was a table with two chairs, right next to a phone and a printer.
Westin Cape Town suite living room
Westin Cape Town suite table with chairs
Since this was a junior suite, there weren’t actually two separate rooms, but rather there was simply a console between the living area and sleeping area, with flat screen TVs on both sides.
Westin Cape Town suite
The room featured a comfortable king size bed, though it didn’t seem to be quite as soft as the Heavenly Beds I’m used to at Westin properties.
Westin Cape Town suite bedroom
In the far corner of the bedroom area were a couple of closets, as well as the in-room safe (which I used for the first time).
Westin Cape Town suite bedroom
On the far end of that console was the minibar, which featured quite the selection of candy bars.
Westin Cape Town suite minibar
Next to that was the in-room coffee machine, as well as a variety of tea.
Westin Cape Town suite coffee & tea setup
Across from that was a trouser press, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a hotel room before.
Westin Cape Town trouser press
The bathroom was back near the entrance, and featured double sinks, a tub, a partitioned off toilet, and a walk-in shower.
Westin Cape Town suite bathroom
The tub wasn’t especially deep, though otherwise looked fine (I never used it).
Westin Cape Town suite bathtub
The shower was brand standard for a Westin, which is to say that it had a rainforest showerhead, as well as a handheld one. The water pressure and temperature control were excellent.
Westin Cape Town suite shower
Westin Cape Town suite toilet
As you’d expect, toiletries were the Westin brand standard ones.
Westin Cape Town suite toiletries
The room featured incredible views, both of Cape Town as such, as well as of Table Mountain in the background. Stunning!
Westin Cape Town suite view
In the other direction the room faced towards the convention center, and then in the distance, the waterfront.
Westin Cape Town suite view
Shortly after arriving in my room I was brought a welcome amenity consisting of many of my favorite things, including sparkling water, sauvignon blanc, fresh fruit, nuts, etc. I sure do love my Starwood Ambassador!
Westin Cape Town SPG Platinum welcome amenity
Westin Cape Town SPG Platinum sauvignon blanc welcome amenity
There are a couple of other things I should note about the room.
First of all, my biggest concern prior to this stay was the Wi-Fi. Based on what I had heard, the hotel has horrible Wi-Fi, to the point that it’s almost unusable. That wasn’t my experience, and I found it to be perfectly acceptable. No, it wasn’t the fastest Wi-Fi I ever had, but I had no complaints at all, and I rely on Wi-Fi to function.
Second of all, the hotel’s glass windows “crackle” all day. I know this sounds weird, but it’s true. Apparently it’s because the hotel’s facade is constructed of glass, so the structure expands and retracts due to temperature changes. If you’re a light sleeper, this could be enough to prevent you from sleeping during the day. The window just makes a loud popping noise every so often.
As a club guest at this hotel you can choose to have breakfast either in the hotel’s restaurant or in the club lounge. I had breakfast at both venues.
The restaurant breakfast is served at THIRTY7, located just off the hotel’s lobby. Breakfast is served daily there from 6:30AM until 11AM. It’s a beautiful space, and I was there early enough in the morning the first day to be among the only guests.
Westin Cape Town THIRTY7 Restaurant
Westin Cape Town THIRTY7 Restaurant
The buffet spread was fantastic. The variety was top notch, the quality was excellent, and there just seemed to be a lot of effort put into the presentation, which I certainly appreciate. Furthermore, service in the restaurant was excellent, with frequent coffee refills, and plates quickly being cleared.
I’ll let the pictures of the buffet speak for themselves.
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town breakfast buffet
The hotel’s executive lounge is located on the 19th floor, and is a beautiful space as well. In terms of the venue, perhaps the big advantage is that the 19th floor has great views of Table Mountain and the city, while the ground floor restaurant doesn’t have any views.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge
Westin Cape Town executive lounge
In 99% of instances I’d choose to have restaurant breakfast over club lounge breakfast, but this hotel was an exception. The lounge served breakfast from 6:30AM until 10:30AM.
While the buffet spread wasn’t as big, the quality was excellent.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast buffet
While some hotels will let you order an omelet or something in a club lounge, this one has a full breakfast menu, which you can order from to supplement the buffet. The breakfast menu read as follows:
One morning I ordered the sweet corn and channa drop scones. I had no clue what to expect, but found it to be delicious.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast — sweet corn and channa drop scones
But the highlight was the stem broccoli and egg white souffle, which was spectacular.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge breakfast — stem broccoli and egg white souffle
So while the breakfast buffet downstairs was more extensive, I preferred the better views, more personalized service, and menu options available in the club lounge.
While the club lounge impressed in terms of the breakfast spread, it left me confused otherwise. The hotel technically served canapés from 5PM until 7PM nightly. In reality that consisted of your choice of alcoholic drinks, plus chips, olives, and then a very small plate of canapés.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge evening drinks and snacks
Other than that, the club lounge more or less operated as a restaurant. They’d present you with a menu, and then you could order what you wanted when you wanted, with catering from the hotel’s restaurant. Items were very reasonably priced, and the food quality was excellent.
Here’s the menu, for what it’s worth (1USD=15ZAR):
One night I had the curry dish, which was exceptional, and very reasonably priced, at ~$9.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge dinner
Still, I found the concept confusing, and feel like they should have done a better job describing what guests should expect. For example, I assumed all drinks were free, but with the evening hour got charged when I ordered a cappuccino.
Westin Cape Town executive lounge cappuccino
The next day I went into the lounge during the day to work for a bit, and I just ordered a coffee and a water. Oddly the coffee was free, while I was charged for the water.
Ultimately it wasn’t expensive so it wasn’t a big deal, but I just like understanding the concept offered, and after four days I still don’t get what exactly their system is.
I was on a terrible sleep schedule this trip due to jetlag, so also once had dinner via room service. Prices were extremely reasonable, which I found to be true across the board in Cape Town, likely strengthened by the weakness of the ZAR and strength of the USD.
Westin Cape Town room service dinner
The spa was also located on the 19th floor, just past the club lounge. I didn’t have a chance to get a treatment, though prices were very reasonable, with hourlong massages costing $30-40.
Westin Cape Town Heavenly Spa
I did use the 24/7 gym once, which is located in the back left of the spa. It’s a fairly small gym, though wasn’t crowded when I used it.
Westin Cape Town gym
Westin Cape Town gym
It featured great views of the waterfront in Cape Town.
Westin Cape Town gym view
The hotel also has a pool on the second floor, though it was closed for renovation during my stay.
Westin Cape Town pool renovation
Westin Cape Town pool renovation
As I mentioned above, the hotel’s location is convenient to the convention center, though otherwise there’s not much in the immediate area if you’re looking to walk around. The area you really want to walk around in Cape Town is the waterfront, so the hotel has a free shuttle which takes you there every 30 minutes (it leaves at :00 and :30 from the hotel, and at :15 and :45 from the waterfront). The drive only takes 10 minutes, and the service is well organized.
Westin Cape Town shuttle to waterfront
Would I rather be in a hotel where I can walk out the door and be at the waterfront? Absolutely. At the same time, a frequent shuttle which takes just 10 minutes is a small price to pay to rack up points and get the perks of hotel elite status, at least in my situation.
The waterfront in Cape Town
Westin Cape Town bottom line
I was very pleased with the Westin Cape Town, and thought it represented an excellent value as an SPG Platinum member.
I got a great room upgrade, the service was consistently attentive and friendly, the club lounge was a beautiful space, the breakfast was excellent, and I earned points.
The hotel certainly does have a few drawbacks, like a non-ideal location, windows which make a weird crackling noise during the day, and an odd club lounge setup in the evening, but those are all relatively minor things.
I might try another hotel next time I go to Cape Town just for the purposes of reviewing something else, but I’d certainly recommend this hotel to any SPG loyalist traveling to Cape Town. It’s a great option.
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.