Ellerman House

I don’t typically write reviews but wanted to post one for Ellerman house (they did not ask for one). This was our second stay at Ellerman (previously March 2019). This is probably the best managed boutique property in the world. The place itself is one of a kind with a world class art collection to be enjoyed. Rooms and property are in excellent condition having been recently retouched in April 2024. The staff is the most attentive and friendly group in the world. They are creative and have extremely high standards. The service is more attentive than the Ritz in Paris and the friendliness makes the house feel more like staying at a wealthy friend’s home with some very generous hosts than a hotel. The food is delicious. The staff will organize bespoke tours around Cape Town if you speak with them. We are already planning our next trip.

Having stayed at Ellerman House at least once a year from 2006 to 2018 inclusive, we were confident in again choosing this boutique hotel when we needed a three-day venue in Cape Town. Unfortunately, in the intervening period, this hotel has gone downhill badly and appears to lack competent management. The physical Ellerman House property remains beautiful on the outside but the interior décor has been dumbed-down and presents seamlessly with a dumbed-down approach to guests. Most of the staff appear to be doing their best but they appear to lack training, tact and mutual cohesion. A once “guest-centric” Ellerman House that had physical and metaphorical colour and vibrancy, has lost its soul and now presents as “business-centric”. One can't escape the notion that the hotel is being run by accountants rather than hospitality professionals, as it had been in the past. To our dismay, our stay was capped off by an encounter with a large cockroach that was making its way from the pantry to the kitchen as we were returning to our room after dinner. I hasten to add that this was the only concern regarding hygiene during our stay but it was, nevertheless, a real shock observation at such a supposedly prestigious address. Despite its pretentions, Ellerman House is no longer close to the epicentre of top-notch Five Star hospitality in CapeTown. The crown for boutique perfection is now worn by The Silo hotel and the crown for old-fashioned traditional ambiance still sits with the Mount Nelson Hotel.