Marriott's Surprising Protea Hotels

Back in 2014, Marriott quietly purchased the Protea Hotels brand in Africa. It wasn't the type of acquisition that made many headlines here in the United States, as most consumers hadn't even heard of the chain. But it vastly increased the size of Marriott's overall portfolio on the continent.

For consumers, Marriott advertised this additional part of its worldwide family as a new place to earn Marriott Rewards points—or conversely, to redeem points at for free stays.

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Protea today has roughly 100 properties in South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, and six other African countries. The brand, now officially called Protea Hotels by Marriott, has the majority of its properties across the whole of South Africa, with 59 locations in the country at last count.

On a recent trip to the so-called Rainbow Nation, my partner and I decided to check out one of the urban locations of Protea—namely, the airport hotel location near Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport. Conveniently, the hotel offers a free airport shuttle. From the website and the marketing information, I was expecting to find something similar in scope to a Courtyard by Marriott property.

As we drove up to the hotel, barely a mile from the airport terminals, my heart fell a bit. While the property looked in decent shape from the outside, something about it reminded me of perhaps an old Howard Johnson property that had its facade slightly updated a few years back. Some silver metal accents adorned the building, and I couldn't quite decide how much they helped the architecture.

So, imagine my surprise when we walked into the lobby to find a stunningly modern property with brick, concrete and metal highlights, a five-story glassy atrium and some truly creative design accents that harkened back to the glory days of airline travel.

Our room continued the modern vibe, with steel accents and beautiful artwork and mirrors that seemed to be constructed out of miniature airplane engines. The overall layout was comfortable and offered plenty of workspace.

Our bathroom was more of a European setup, with a separate room for the toilet and a curved glass stand-up shower and sink in the midst of the room. A curtain could be pulled around the outside of the glass shower enclosure for privacy if necessary.

Little aviation touches were everywhere. The room number plates in the hallways were engraved on small airplane wings. Designs on the floor in public spaces evoked pilot charts. A welcome letter in our room was in the shape of a boarding pass that read, "Air Protea." Chocolates on our pillows proclaimed, "Welcome on Board." And the design on the guestroom desks evokes the metal and rivets on an old airliner's skin.

We ate two meals in the hotel's restaurant, The Warehouse, and the menu was quite varied and creative. The breakfast buffet the following morning was a fairly typical affair. Hot and cold foods were available, along with a made-to-order omelet/egg/flapjack station, as well as beans, meats, cheeses, and an assortment of breads and pastries.

A small fitness center on the basement floor was simple, but practical and had everything we needed to get in a good workout. And the staff was exceptionally pleasant and helpful—something that we encountered across this traveler-friendly country. Protea was a definite winner in my eyes, and I'm fascinated to try some other locations on my next African trip.