Three Cities Royal Palm Hotel(formerly Royal Palm Gateway Hotel)

The 2 bedroom penthouse apartment was decent but very dated. The 'kitchen'( no stove) , is just sink, few cupboards, a micro, kettle and fridge .. nothing to talk about.. neat but dated, like the rest of the decor. Loved the mirrors everywhere! Loved the layout upstairs. Wish there were 2 showers though and the tub was very used , it did not look good! There was just one tv. The balcony needed cleaning. The apartment , inside, was neat and clean. My bed was comfortable. But the single beds were not. Their towels smelled of vinegar! I couldnt tell if the towels were changed but we thankfully carried our own towels. The stairs were unsettling, a few felt wobbly. You can immediately tell its not a 4 or 5 star place just by walking into their foyer, contrary to the star rating shown. I wasnt happy with the service at reception, in person and when called.i wasnt even asked if I enjoyed my stay etc. Their parking is atrocious! The service could be better, at reception. The staff at the restaurant were great. Location is fabulous if u want to be close to the mall you can walk across . It is noisy at all hours of the day and night .

Royal Palm is conveniently located directly across from Gateway Mall, making it an excellent base for shopping and dining. Unfortunately, not all of the so-called Penthouse Suites are actually penthouses. This was quite misleading and frustrating, as what we booked turned out to be a standard apartment rather than the premium accommodation we were expecting. As a result, the experience felt more like staying in a residential apartment block than a hotel. The property is showing its age, with dated interiors and a noticeable musty smell throughout the unit. While the housekeeping staff were friendly and efficient, the reception team could benefit from additional training in customer service and guest relations. Overall, the experience fell well short of what the name “Royal Palm” suggests, and the property lacks the level of quality and refinement one would expect.

This was my first and definitively last experience booking accommodation via Booking.com at the Royal Palm Hotel. I had mistakenly booked for 21 April instead of 22 April 2026. Upon arrival, I acknowledged the error and explained that the booking had already been fully paid for. I simply requested that they accommodate me for the correct night, especially since rooms were available. What followed was extremely disappointing. Despite escalating the matter from reception to the supervisor, then manager, and ultimately the General Manager, there was zero flexibility or willingness to assist. I was told I would need to pay the full amount again, even though the hotel had already received payment for the booking. Yes, technically they could argue a “no-show,” but in practice especially within the hospitality industry, this situation could have been resolved with basic commercial understanding. At worst, I expected perhaps a reasonable administrative/ penalty fee. Instead, the approach was rigid, transactional, and completely lacking in customer-centric thinking. What makes this particularly short-sighted is the lost opportunity. Our company has executives travelling to KwaZulu-Natal monthly, and this stay was firstly an emergency trip for only one night and secondly intended as a trial for ongoing bookings. Based on typical spend, this represents a minimum of ±R144,000 per annum in accommodation alone, excluding food and beverage. As a matter of principle I refused to pay again and walked out and took residence in another Umhlanga Hotel "Coastlands" which I would recommend. Over 30 years of international travel, I have never encountered such a lack of practical business sense and customer service alignment. There are many accommodation options in Umhlanga that understand the value of long-term client relationships. I would strongly recommend future travellers consider those instead. Clearly they don't value clients or their business.

The rooms are very dated.. not the cleanest. Lots of stains. Towels are so old..for the price u pay not worth it in my opinion. Just checked in.. asked housekeeping to bring better towels. Was told will report to supervisor when she is back..hope the stay will get better..