The Garden Venue Hotel

What a pity that there is no one running the place that cares about the guests. A lovely venue, yes. In fact there are many different venues there. but my experience was awful. The food was inedible, drinks service non existant Reception staff not very friendly at all. Service, what service??? The rooms were not comfortable. There was no guest information, so we had to go to reception to ask for the wifi code. No guest amenities apart from 1 small soap in the bathroom. 2 huge bins in the toilet, but nothing in the bathroom. No plugpoints next to the bed. Cleaners waiting outside our room to come in to clean were all engrossed on their cell phone. There was no cleaning trolly, just a bucket crammed full of cleaning stuff! The breakfast room was unbelievably bad. The 3 staff behind the counter leaning against the wall on their cellphones, which took precedence over customer service. Everything was very badly set out, with cups on one side, and the beverages on the other side of the buffet. Bowls for fruit were also on the other side to the fruit. Plates for "cakes" also on the other side of the room. We got a golf cart to take us to our venue, but when I wanted to go back to my room, I was told that the drivers had gone off duty.

We had my mom’s 70th birthday celebration at The Garden on 14/12/2024 and disappointing is truly an understatement. Upon arrival we were greeted by an arrogant security guard who insisted we needed to go to the entrance to “sign in”. Got to the front gate and there is no security guard in sight yet we have to sign in. At the reception desk, we’re greeted by someone who couldn’t even give us the courtesy of introducing herself and when we questioned why there was no liquor, a “yoh” and then communicating with her colleague completing ignoring us continued. Asked to speak to the manager who pitched an hr later apologising for the inconvenience and informing us that their liquor license expired. Our event was supposed to start at 6pm. We arrived and the coordinator who was handling our event was still setting up. This, after our initial coordinator got moved to weddings, we then had a coordinator who resigned a week before our mock set up and the coordinator assigned had to get another to take over due to a family emergency. Should be mentioned that we were then told that “our GM resigned 3 days ago. We were meant to call our clients to let them know about this as well as the liquor issue.” Well…we didn’t get that call. 2hrs later, we’re finally set up. Only to get the wrong menu, no water for the tea and coffee set up, a DJ who hadn’t received our song request playlist, a power outage in the room and no welcome drinks. Would I recommend The Garden Venue to anyone? That would be a no. Spare yourself the trouble.

I am writing to express our dissatisfaction with the service, catering, décor, and facilities provided by The Garden Venue for our recent event. The issues we encountered were numerous and severely impacted the overall experience for us. Catering The agreed-upon menu included Roast Beef with Mushroom Sauce and Cheesecake for dessert. However: • The beef was not roast beef but resembled minute steaks and was tough and unpalatable. • The cheesecake was drastically different from the tasting, neither in flavour nor quality resembling what was agreed upon. • The bar was inadequately stocked, and many of the directors’ requested drinks were unavailable that was supposed to be available according to the bar menu provided. This required last-minute efforts from Munya to source specific items, which was completely unacceptable. Décor The décor was another significant disappointment: • Chairs, underplates, and centerpieces were not as agreed during the mock table arrangement. We were informed only the night before that five chairs were unavailable, and we expect the invoice to reflect this deduction as advised by Munya. • Inconsistent underplates were used without prior notice, which was noticed during the event. • Damaged tablecloths were used, some torn and burned, which we only avoided by checking the setup ourselves. • The red carpet provided was frayed and in poor condition, with the ends folded to conceal the damage. Facilities The venue’s facilities were poorly maintained: • The ladies’ bathrooms were untidy, and the door locks were faulty, remaining unresolved throughout the evening. • The venue was excessively hot despite air conditioning set to 16°C. Additional air conditioning units should be installed to accommodate the venue size. Other Issues • The high staff turnover of the Garden Venue staff caused significant miscommunication, resulting in unfulfilled promises and confusion. • Administrative delays were unacceptable, with welcome drinks only confirmed shortly before the event despite multiple follow-ups. Furthermore, the gin and tonic welcome drinks lacked any discernible gin flavour. Cost and Recommendation Given the subpar service and quality of items provided, the cost of R995 per person was unjustified. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend The Garden Venue to others. We will definitely do a Google review to ensure other companies do not get the same disappointing experience we have had. Compliments I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of the DJ, who was the highlight of the evening and contributed positively to the event.

Loved every moment! We attended a wedding and everything was magical from the ceremony to the reception and even our stay in one of the suites. Clean and well serviced.

We booked a film production shoot at The Garden Venue, and at their insistence, we changed our schedule to accommodate the venue. We were told that we should film on a Monday (14th Oct) because it is a 'quiet' day for them. This was not the case. On the day of the shoot, we were shocked to find out that they had accepted a 'last minute' booking for a party in the venue right next to the one that we had been given. The music was so loud coming from the venue, that we couldn't film anything for over 3 hours. A stand-down of over 200 cast and crew members in the film industry costs thousands of rands. The event planners had no excuses, everyone was passing the buck. The General Manager and Accountant of the venue were not helpful either, their excuse was that they had no idea that the events team had booked another event so close to ours and that we must just wait for the party to end. Worse of all, the person who had made our booking just turned off his phone and left it to his junior colleague to try and sort it out. Our emails of complaint were completely ignored, and to this day, no one from the venue has apologised for this huge mess up. No accountability and bad customer service, are the only words to describe our experience.

The Garden Venue provided an outstanding venue for our Teambuilding event. The staff at the Garden venue were exceptional. Ms. Charmaine Nkosi was attentive, accommodating, and responsive to our needs. Thank you, Thabo Mulomba, for helping us from the planning stages to the day of the event, your professionalism made a significant difference in the overall experience. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellence made the day a success. I would highly recommend the Garden Venue to any business looking for a venue that offers exceptional customer service and a great atmosphere. The seating was comfortable, and the break areas were well-equipped for refreshments, and we had so much fun! Thank you!