Protea Hotel by Marriott Gaborone Masa Square

Rooms and decor

Picture a modern tower planted in the middle of a mixed-use complex in the heart of Gaborone's CBD — that is Protea Hotel by Marriott Gaborone Masa Square, a 4-star hotel that has been running since 2013 and was one of the first brand-name stays to take root in Botswana's capital. Across its 152 rooms and 30 long-stay apartments, the look is contemporary in the way international chains tend to be: warm earth tones offset by bright bed runners and pillows, with clean laminate floors underfoot. Open the door and you meet a long work desk with plenty of power outlets, then the sleeping area opens up — roomy enough without feeling cramped. Executive rooms and up face the city skyline, with wide windows that pull in light and, in some rooms, a small balcony to step out onto. Bathrooms run grey-and-white tile with a strong rain shower. Anyone used to the Marriott standard worldwide will feel at home fast — no flashy tricks, but everything works: soft bed, strong hot water, properly cold air-con. For a work trip or an easy break, that is more than enough.

Food and amenities

If this hotel has one beating heart, it is the rooftop. Protea Masa Square goes all in up there with a rooftop pool for a soak after work or a day out, plus the high-up Gin Bar that many reviews remember best — an open-air bar that looks across the Gaborone skyline with nothing in the way. The gin list runs deep with bottles from across Africa and Europe, and the cocktails are built to drink easily in the late-day sun, which has made it a popular meeting spot for both hotel guests and locals. Downstairs, the main restaurant serves a full Marriott-standard breakfast buffet — international plates such as made-to-order omelettes, bacon and fresh-baked bread, alongside a few South African and Botswanan dishes to try, decent coffee and fresh juice every morning. A few steps out the door and you are in the Masa Square complex, which holds a cinema and restaurants spanning steakhouse, sushi and Italian through to relaxed coffee spots, plus small shops — enough that some guests say they barely had to leave the building all trip. The fitness room is open 24 hours with cardio and weights, and the free Wi-Fi runs throughout, stable enough to take an international video call.

Location and getting there

Location is this hotel's other strong card. Protea Masa Square sits in the heart of Gaborone's CBD, inside the Masa Square complex that has become a lifestyle hub for the city in recent years. Big company offices, banks and several embassies ring the hotel, so business travelers can grab a bag and walk to a meeting in 5 to 10 minutes without flagging a taxi. Game City mall, the city's main shopping stop, is about a 5-minute drive. For more local culture, the Three Dikgosi Monument — the statue of the three chiefs who are a symbol of Botswana — and the Botswana National Museum are both within a 15-minute drive. Most important for travelers: Sir Seretse Khama Airport (GBE) is only about 14 km away, roughly a 20-minute drive, and the hotel can arrange an airport transfer for an extra charge. If you are planning to continue to Chobe or the Okavango Delta for wildlife, a night here before your domestic flight is about the most convenient launch point you can pick.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The most common gripe is the room design, which leans plain and chain-standard with no clear Botswanan character inside — anyone after a local boutique feel may find it a touch ordinary for the price. The next recurring note is noise: rooms facing the Masa Square complex can pick up sound from the restaurants and cinema on weekends, so if you sleep lightly, ask for a higher floor or a side facing into town. The rooftop pool and fitness area are not large, and in peak season or on weekends you may wait for a chair — serious swimmers or gym regulars could feel a bit boxed in. The shared Wi-Fi can also run slower than expected when lots of guests are on it, so if you have an important video call, check ahead or use the in-room wired connection. Finally, while breakfast is good and fully up to Marriott standard, some reviews note the menu starts to repeat after 3 to 4 nights — on a longer stay you may want to swap in a restaurant from the complex now and then.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, our take is that Protea Hotel by Marriott Gaborone Masa Square sells a CBD location that has everything in one tower, the kind of reliable Marriott service you can trust, and a rooftop with a high-up Gin Bar that makes you feel like you are really staying in Botswana's capital. If your trip looks like a midday meeting, a walk back to restaurants and a cinema, then a cold gin on the rooftop over the skyline, this is about as well-matched as it gets. But if you are picturing a boutique with a clear African feel, or a resort with wide space for a family, Protea Masa Square may read as a fairly standard chain hotel. Overall we give it 8.3/10 — best for business travelers, couples who want an easy stay downtown, and anyone who needs a comfortable one-night base before flying on to safari.