Conferncing in the heart of Jozi

TNW’s sister publication,
Meet, enlisted the
help of a meetings
expert to inspect the newly
refurbished Garden Court
Milpark in Johannesburg.
After a detailed walkthrough
and interviews with key staff,
the venue inspector provided
us with her independent
assessment of the venue.
The inspector
Clare Coomer, director of
Network Conferences, has
been in the conference
industry for 35 years. Her
career in hotels started
in Zimbabwe with Meikles
Hotel and Southern Sun
Hotels, after which she
moved to South Africa in
1981 where she joined
the Southern Sun Hotels
sales team. Clare founded
Network Conferences in
1994 and now operates as
a professional conference
organiser, this year
celebrating 20 years in the
MICE industry. She is also
an executive committee
member of the PCO Alliance
Network, which upholds a
professional code of ethics
in the conference industry.
The hotel
Situated within
Johannesburg’s academic
precinct, the Garden Court
Milpark provides easy
access to the highway
and is only 30 minutes’
drive from OR Tambo
International Airport. It is
also conveniently close to
the Johannesburg CBD and
other local hot spots. The
hotel opened originally in
1974 and is now owned
by the Southern Sun group
of hotels. The most recent
renovations were completed
in December 2013, with
all bedrooms, the lobby,
lounge and corridors being
refurbished and the addition
of three new conference
rooms and a fitness centre.
What Clare found…
The hotel has 251 spacious
and comfortable bedrooms,
with options from standard
to executive. Each unit
is designed around the
concept of the Johannesburg
skyline, particularly well
depicted in the unusual
curtain design. All rooms
have tea- and coffee-making
facilities, a built-in safe,
flat-screen TV with DStv and
air-conditioning. A unique
feature – the Rea Vaya bus
route – has been translated
into the hotel’s carpet
design, mapping out different
routes for guests to follow
as they walk through the
hotel. Each level of the hotel
has its own route number
with a unique accent colour
for each of the three wings
of the hotel, serving as an
effective way of directing
guests while adding a stylish
touch to the interior design.
The venue’s new stateof-the-art
conferencing
facilities, which include the
Westcliff rooms 1 and 2
as well as the Parktown,
can accommodate up to
140 people cinema style.
The rooms are modern
and contemporary, offering
standard conference
equipment and WiFi
connectivity.
It was very refreshing to
meet the general manager
of the Garden Court Milpark,
Noel Macquet. Noel has
great passion for his newly
refurbished three-star hotel,
which is a definite four-star
in the making. His eye for
detail and knowledge of his
hotel from top to bottom
brings whole new meaning to
the word enthusiastic. The
gm was so knowledgeable
about his hotel during my
site inspection, that I left
feeling I knew the hotel
inside and out in just a short
space of time. Under the
care of such a hands-on gm,
the Garden Court Milpark is
well equipped to provide an
enjoyable and successful
stay. I would certainly not
hesitate to recommend this
hotel to my clients.