Hallmark House, Johannesburg
Expert reviews
“With Johannesburg’s inner city booming in recent years, the only thing missing was a luxury hotel catering to high-end travelers not keen on staying in the tony suburbs. Last year’s opening of the Hallmark House changed that: The 46-room hotel, which occupies two floors of a building designed by David Adjaye, has stellar skyline views and is close to all the action in the Maboneng Precinct.”
Featured in New York Times’ 36 Hours in Johannesburg.
“A trendy new hotel designed by star architect David Adjaye in arguably the most exciting and enjoyable creative quarter of South Africa’s largest city. The first high-end accommodation in regenerated Maboneng, this is an ideal place from which to explore the new, vibrant Johannesburg.”
“One of the latest projects of Propertuity, the developers of Maboneng, is this hip hotel with rooms on floors four and five of a renovated 1970s building. The lofty ceiling rooms are spacious, with polished concrete floors, balconies and African print headboards on the beds.”
What guests liked
- Top location
- Free Wifi
- Private parking
- Friendly staff
All you need to know
Located in the hip Maboneng District near several attractions and restaurants, Hallmark House is a modern hotel situated in a former diamond-polishing facility. Although this building is historic, the rooms couldn’t be more contemporary! Visitors enjoy its close proximity to the Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Art Gallery, and the Ellis Park train station. When you stay at the Hallmark House, you’ll have the entire city at your fingertips!
Each room at Hallmark House features abundant natural light, colorful accents, and quirky touches, featuring African inspiration throughout its interior design. Guests can choose from standard rooms, deluxe rooms, suites, and the penthouse. Perks include a dedicated workspace, TVs with satellite, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi.
This hotel has three dining options: Marabi, Rooftop, and Thorn. The Marabi Club is an in-house jazz club and cigar lounge serving top-notch food and drink. Located in the basement of the Hallmark House, this is a must-visit while you’re here. Rooftop, situated on the 15th floor, serves lighter bites and cocktails with incredible views of the neighborhood and city. Thorn, a colorful and unique space, specializes in coffee and brunch, but also has a lunch and dinner menu. You won’t go hungry while you’re here!
Hallmark House has a small fitness center, in addition to an onsite dance studio and barbershop. From weekend events to incredible dining, there’s no better place to stay in Johannesburg!
Hotel deals & lowest price guarantee
We partner with Booking.com and Agoda. Both booking websites offer the lowest price guarantee, so you can be certain you will always get the best deal for this hotel. If you have seen a better price elsewhere, all you need to do is contact the booking website, and they will refund you the difference immediately. You can price match right up until the day before check-in.
Location
Recent guest reviews
4 May 2024
Fabulous
The rooms are exceptionally clean and comfortable. The bed was really comfortable as well as the pillows.
I highly suggest NOT using the tour company they recommend as i was cheated out of my money, and not sure if the hotel was in on it as well, plus the tour was HIGHLY overpriced. Use viator website to get your tours, at least you can see the ratings. The security door to the rooms are extremely loud, so you hear it banging all night. I asked housekeeping to not go in the room which they continually did, which is a good thing, but I had a bad experience in another country where my items were stolen, so I preferred them not to be there while I wasn't there.
3 May 2024
It was lovely staying at your facility
One staff refused to sweap the room, the laundry lady is very good. The admin team is amazing, the food is great at the restaurant.
The behaviour of the one cleaning lady who refused to swear our room
19 April 2024
Value for money - everything under the one roof - bars food comfy accommodation. Excellent.
Convenient location, no frills, value for money, good bar a nd restaurant, close to Maboneng. Marabi Jazz bar below - fantastic and rooftop bar great Great food and music.
Not sure...
11 April 2024
Very good
Good but the lighting with LED did not go completely dark on the ceiling.
8 April 2024
We loved everything, especially our suite. We enjoyed the Marimba club, loved the live band. The staff was amazing👌🏾
Everything inside the hotel. I’m a big fan of Laduma (Maxhosa), Nkosinathi (Blackcoffee) & Nelson🎨. Choosing this hotel was influenced by them, especially the Maxhosa suite.
The location. The noise at night made it difficult to fall asleep.
6 April 2024
Very good
The ambiance was great
The shower had no hot water and pressure was low could only be booked for fixing after I had left
6 April 2024
Fun for a night
Friendly staff and vibe, rooftop bar with amazing views, comfy bed
The bathroom light and fan were on one switch so when the light was turned on the noisy fan also comes on - annoying at night. Food menu had nothing healthy for a vegetarian! Only pizzas, nachos etc Room a bit small for the price.
6 March 2024
My favourite hotel.
Great breakfast, fantastic, friendly staff. The hotel is a hub for the local creative community so a lot of interesting people to look at, talk to etc. Roof top bar, basement jazz club. Great massages.
The area is up and coming, but not the safest, so take taxis to get around.
5 March 2024
Great time.
Stunning rooftop. The panoramic views of Johannesburg from the rooftop are truly breathtaking, especially during sunset. Additionally, the staff at the hotel were very nice, and the food was good.
Location. The hotel is in a sketchy area, and the traffic and occasional street parties during the night made it difficult to enjoy a restful night's sleep.
29 February 2024
A very good surprise in an unique boutique hotel
The rooftop and the Marabi Club are excellent. I recommend the sunset and a cocktail on the rooftop. The view and atmosphere are amazing. Staff is also very kind and profesional.
We didn't know beforehand that we couldn't walk around the hotel as the area is not safe.
27 February 2024
Our stay was absolutely amazing! The rooftop bar was quite the experience. The staff were super friendly and helpful. A
The property has a nice aesthetic to it, everything is in order. Our room was so beautiful and spacious.
I think the surrounding location was intimidating. It was not easy to go for a walk feeling like you’re being followed
8 February 2024
Wow!
Very nice.
No microwave in the room and no access to kitchen microwave after 22h00.
8 February 2024
Good value for money
Bedroom is big. Lovely, helpful and friendly staff Location is good, away from the centre but easy enough to get to it
Suggestion only: Free bottle of water could be provided as a nice touch.
13 January 2024
Good value
The staff was amazing, really kind and helpfull. The hotel has a nice decoration and good ambience. Everybody with a smile. The bedroom is ok with big size and the bed is confortable.
The location was not good, It is a dangerous area. That is not a problem of the hotel but you have to move by car anywhere (Although the hotel staff is always checking for the safety). The breakfast is always the same. The hot water did not work well.
6 January 2024
Pleasant
The staff was friendly because they managed to help me
The room had no Fridge and the air-conditioner was not working, and the location was in a dangerous neighborhood.
6 January 2024
Beautiful hotel in the heart of JHB.
No drinking water is provided in the rooms which is weird.
5 January 2024
I had good experience of the hotel, would recommend it for staycation
The overall aesthetics and interior it give of the full Joburg Morden experience
They did not provide full bedroom amenities as stated they would be and it was not clean up to standard
2 January 2024
Iconic and easy.
I loved the clean bedding and exceptional customer service. From the entrance gate you are welcome with sunny faces. Which makes it a pleasure to be there.
The restaurant had awful service, to an extent where our breakfast was not only almost 2hrs late, my food order was also late. Sadly, with much frustration I ended up not eating the food. Truly, don’t come with high hopes when you order food, though according to the manager/supervisor they only booked a SINGLE chef knowing very well they had hosted an event the night before. Food was so disappointing!
1 January 2024
A Gem in the Rough
The location is close to Maboneng. They host cool events here. The rooms are spacious
No water in the rooms. They were understaffed, so no room service and long waits to order and get breakfast at the restaurant downstairs. Staff was visibly strained and spread thin between guests and hotel tasks.
31 December 2023
Pleasant
The hotel was modern and fairly pleasant, the staff and the food made it feel really good
Unfortunately, i didn't like how dark the rooms and the corridors were, it was a bit scary at times. Also, wifi doesn't work in the rooms. The location is bad, you can't go out on foot alone but if you have a car, it's ok.
27 December 2023
I would return, and would certainly love to visit the Marabi Club again
It's location, given I was attending a show at the Marabi Club. The room I had was MASSIVE. really enjoyed the space, fittings and feel of the room.
The service at the restaurant was non-existent. There was one person manning the area and he appeared overwhelmed. The swinging chair on the balcony wasn't clean.
22 December 2023
Pleasant
Good value for money
The service in the restaurant for breakfast
18 December 2023
Beat experience ever! I’m definitely coming back!
Loved the balcony and the rooftop experience was amazing!
8 December 2023
Very good
The lady at the front desk was so friendly and very assuring of the safety of the venue considering the area, .
The towels were so worn out. They need replacement.
4 December 2023
A good place If you want to stay in Johannesburg downtown.
The restaurant in the hotel is very nice, the rooms are very clean and modern. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful.
The wifi connection is very weak inside of the hotel rooms, it was only working perfectly in the lobby. The rooftop bar is closed from monday - wednesday.
1 December 2023
Restful leisure
The comfort, peaceful sleep I had in an unfamiliar bedding was bliss
The lack of communication amongst the staff had me in a little rage for something I had prior clearly communicated
18 November 2023
Very good
Everything
18 November 2023
Good place - artistic —kind of sketchy neighborhood
Very nice , cool vibe , artsy Good value , helpful staff
The neighbourhood was a bit sketchy
15 November 2023
Good facilities and staff, but dodgy Wi-Fi and neighbourhood bring it down
The staff were very attentive and helpful, they ensured we stayed safe and escorted us to the shop as we were advised to not walk around the area alone. Unfortunately the area around the hotel is dangerous but the property was secure and had great facilities. The room was enormous and we found everything to be clean. Loved the jazz club downstairs too.
The Wi-Fi was often quite slow, and unfortunately we had some noisy neighbours that were playing music through the early hours of the night. The noise from outside can be loud too. The location was very rough so in hindsight we would have stayed around Rosebank instead.
31 October 2023
Fabulous
Everything
30 October 2023
Exceptional
The place is beautiful and feels luxurious. I enjoyed the rooftop and Marabi jazz lounge 👌🏾 😍.
The portions of the food are too little.
24 October 2023
The place to be in joburg
The roof top, the restaurant, the staff. Rooms are nice too. Central position in town. One more time the roof top. And the jazz club and the arts.
Could have been cleaner, and also,,sadly but not because of hotel, the area is unsafe, the hotel is like a golden jail. Water was not really hot, they said because too long time without using. But O give a 8, the experience was good.
24 October 2023
Great CBD hotel with amazing jazz club.
Marabi Club downstairs is brilliant, Rooftop bar at the top also cool. Dodgy location but fine when you’re inside and you can easily get Ubers around to Maboneng etc.
17 October 2023
Great stylish hotel near to Maboneng
Great friendly hotel. Spacious comfortable room. Lovely vegan breakfast.
The location does mean you need to take a taxi for every trip even short distances.
15 October 2023
Trendy building in a central location, good value for money
Vibrant building, trendy hotel. Nice and central
12 October 2023
Very good
Place was clean, friendly staff,comfortable bed and lovely breakfast
The location, the street is scary especially at night there is too much noise and too busy was even scared to go out and buy a cold drink
9 October 2023
Sweet and short night stay, great entertainment value. Memorable.
Well-decorated rooms with ample light and air-conditioned to suit any comfort level. Neat and well-cleaned spacious rooms. Perfect for a night out in Joburg.
Parking is tight. One needs special parking skills to manoeuvre the parking bays.
7 October 2023
Easy to find hotel, not any amazing views from my side, helpful staff
The lobby looks lively
Once you go past the lobby the mood changes and it’s not pleasing if you alone, there’s no ramp and of course I wouldn’t like to use wheel chair bound people lift . But would have helped for my bags but going up the stairs is not fun, also there aren’t enough signs once you head to your room everywhere looks the same so it’s like you in a maze .
27 September 2023
We enjoyed our stay. Spacious and urban style room. The roof top terrace was something to experience
We enjoyed our stay. Spacious and urban style room. The roof top terrace was something to experience. Very friendly and helpful staff.
25 September 2023
Nice stay
Nice room, all you need is there
Hot water took a while and no nice view/neighborhood but i guess thats normal in joburg :)
23 September 2023
Wonderful stay
Great and kind staff
17 September 2023
Pleasant
Staff members and the building was beautiful
There were no towels
28 August 2023
I had a great peaceful time, something that was long overdue
Clean, minimalistic and stylish
The Location
25 August 2023
Very good
The staff was helpful.
Lifts not working properly.
22 August 2023
Beautiful hotel, comfortable room, very friendly staff
The hotel is beautiful. Our room was comfortable and spacious. The restaurants were good and reasonably priced. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
Nothing to complain about
17 August 2023
Very good
great location if you fully want to enjoy the Marabi Club, Maboneng and Downtown Joburg
nothing
16 August 2023
Pleasant
Rooms were clean and modern. The staff was very friendly and helpful !
I booked the hotel because of the rooftop café/bar and the Jazz Club in oder to have the possibility to listen to some music without going out at night. However, it was not described anywhere in the hotel description that kids could not enter these facilities at all - not even from 7pm-9pm and accompanied by their parents. And so we were in a quite rough location (neighbourhood) and still had to move in the evenings. Real pity... Showers were (really) cold during the whole stay...
14 August 2023
The customer service is wonderful.
The customer service is top notch
The heating system
7 August 2023
Beautiful concept, really in the heart of Jozi. But expect street noise. and phantom TV's
beautiful big room, with a balcony and nice bathroom. The local restaurants at the location were impeccable and the both the building and its inhabitants exude artsy jozi realness, luxury and coolness.
We were disappointed that there was no room service available and that our room was so loud with the traffic outside, even with windows closed. The TV turned on randomly by itself twice during the night, so our sleep was very disturbed. The staff were nice, although they could be more focused/ attentive to customers and not speak amongst themselves as customers are checking in.
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Snack bar
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Kid meals (additional charge)
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Soundproof rooms
- - Packed lunches
- - Car hire
- - Heating
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Shuttle service (additional charge)
- - Minimarket on site
- - Grocery deliveries (additional charge)
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
- - Lockers
- - Invoice provided
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Golf course (within 3 km) (additional charge)
- - Evening entertainment (additional charge)
- - Fitness classes
- - Personal trainer
- - Temporary art galleries
- - Walking tours (additional charge)
- - Bike tours (additional charge)
- - Themed dinner nights (additional charge)
- - Happy hour (additional charge)
- - Tour or class about local culture (additional charge)
- - Live music/performance (additional charge)
- - Live sport events (broadcast)
Outdoors
- - Terrace
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor furniture
Entertainment and family services
- - Babysitting/child services (additional charge)
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Parking garage
- - Accessible parking
Accessibility
- - Wheelchair accessible
- - Toilet with grab rails
- - Higher level toilet
- - Auditory guidance
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key access
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Thermometers for guests provided by property
- - Face masks for guests available
17 May 2024
Enjoyable