Davinci Hotel and Suites
Hotels continuously try to raise the proverbial bar: pillow menus, bottled water menus, thread counts and the benefits of Turkish robes versus cotton ones, (most of it pure fluff), but all in the good name of luxury. They speak to the heart of my adopted mantra: “I have the simplest of tastes, I am only satisfied with the best.”
One hotel that cares as much about its service as its swag is the Davinci Hotel and Suites which is located in the plush Sandton neighbourhood at no less than the prestigious Nelson Mandela Square, in the heart of Jo’burg.
A fairly new addition to the Legacy Hotels portfolio, the Davinci was built to accommodate some of the numerous attendees at the record-breaking, unforgettable FIFA World Cup 2010, which put South Africa on the hot and happening list. (Who can forget the echoes of those vuvuzelas)?
The room inventory boasts a varied number of suites and standard hotel rooms, with dominant white upholstered furnishings that lend a fresh, modern, of-the-moment feel. With services like pre-arrival shopping… a Louis truck for the excess luggage, “merci garcon”, luxury chauffeur and butler, it is the public spaces in the Davinci that get and hold your attention.
Walls finished in black and white mosaic tiles depicting a floral motif are used effectively as focal points, and play full orchestra to the individual vignettes of more and more black and white seating arrangements.
The open lobby merges effortlessly with the dining lounge, which is also completely decorated in the signature black and white. The lower lobby showcases a handmade ceramic chandelier, which holds pride of place. On the first attempt to install it, the chandelier fell and shattered, bringing tears to grown men’s eyes. The bold, larger-than-life black and white mural that dominates the upper walls of the said area is not only edgy, but also chic with a big-city kind of vibe.
But fabulous design aside, it’s the staff who run ahead to get the elevator button that will keep Davinci Hotel and Suites on the front page of the little black book.
