Inside the $650-a-night luxury South African hotel where Lara Logan and her CBS crew are waiting out their 21-day Ebola quarantine...but no one told the front desk

  • Lara Logan is staying at luxury hotel 54 on Bath in Johannesburg 
  • Hotel charges up to $650-a-night for its luxury suites in affluent suburb
  • Logan and her CBS team are on day 18 of a 21-day self-quarantine 
  • Visited Ebola stricken Liberia last month for CBS 60 Minutes report
  • Hotel staff appeared clueless when asked if they knew of the quarantine
  • Logan is a celebrity in her native South Africa for her journalism  
  • Guests are able to dine on imported Salmon and take English High Tea 
  • CBS said Monday that Logan's 21-day self-quarantine will end this Friday
  • Neither Logan nor the four other CBS employees in South Africa have shown any sign that they are infected with the virus 

Counting down a 21-day self-imposed quarantine for Ebola may sound like a nightmare, but if you are CBS News' Lara Logan at least you get to do it in a $650-a-night boutique hotel in the center of Johannesburg.

Cooped up inside the luxury bijou 54 on Bath for the past 18 days, restless with cabin fever, Logan and her crew have had to get used to lobster bisque and scallop mousse for dinner and eggs Benedict for breakfast.

However, while Logan waits out her self-imposed quarantine which ends on Friday, when asked, the front desk staff of 54 on Bath seemed clueless about their special guests and precautions for the deadly disease.

Scroll Down for Video 

Quarantine: Lara Logan and her CBS crew are staying in 54 on Bath in one of Johannesburg's most affluent neighborhoods

Quarantine: Lara Logan and her CBS crew are staying in 54 on Bath in one of Johannesburg's most affluent neighborhoods

But while MailOnline has been assured the hotel management are aware of the quarantine and working with CBS and the South African government, the staff treated the news as brand new information

'No, I did not know there are guests staying here under self-quarantine,' said one member of 54 on Bath's front desk to MailOnline.

'We have been given no specific orders.'

While the need to keep any panic to a minimum is understandable, it is especially interesting to note that Lara Logan is of course a celebrity in South Africa, having grown up in the coastal city of Durban.

Luxury: There are three luxury suites at 54 on Bath which can cost anywhere up to $650-a-night and come with double en-suite bathrooms

Luxury: There are three luxury suites at 54 on Bath which can cost anywhere up to $650-a-night and come with double en-suite bathrooms

Neither Logan nor the four other CBS employees in South Africa have shown any sign that they are infected with the virus

Relaxation: Lara and her crew have had to put together their film they made in Liberia while they have been cooped up inside the Johannesburg hotel

Relaxation: Lara and her crew have had to put together their film they made in Liberia while they have been cooped up inside the Johannesburg hotel

En-suite: There are two en-suite bathrooms in the three luxury rooms available at 54 on Bath in Johannesburg

En-suite: There are two en-suite bathrooms in the three luxury rooms available at 54 on Bath in Johannesburg

Despite this and her international profile, the front desk appeared blissfully unware that one of the country's most famous exports was staying upstairs, quarantined from Ebola.

Holed up inside the exclusive 54 on Bath, Logan, 43, her producer, Max McClellan and British security expert, Geoffrey Mabberley and two others have had the run of one of Johannesburg's finest hotels.

Situated in Rosebank, one the most affluent suburbs of South Africa's largest city, it would seem the ideal place to unwind and wait out a quarantine after Logan and crew returned from filming their CBS report in Liberia last month.

Indeed, with its leafy streets enjoying the early southern summer heat, Rosebank is a million miles away from Ebola ravaged West Africa, where up to 14,000 people have been infected and 6,000 have perished from the deadly disease.

View
Pool

Views and a pool: The rooftop swimming area gives guests a panoramic view of the Rosebank suburb of Johannesburg

Dinning: Guests call on room-service that serves up specials such as imported Scottish salmon and sea bass

Dinning: Guests call on room-service that serves up specials such as imported Scottish salmon and sea bass

Boasting only 75 rooms, 54 on Bath's cheapest suites are the $350-a-night 'Deluxe Standard', while the most expensive 'Luxury' ones will set back a guest up to 7,000 South African Rand or around $650 at the earliest booking in December.

Each of three luxury suites has a double en-suite bathroom, as well as a separate lounge and dining area and access to a rooftoop pool.

The suites are based in the corners of the top of the hotel, featuring balconies that offer dramatic views of the city.

They are also equipped, obviously, with plasma screen televisions and internet access and Logan and her crew were seen to put together their African report from one of the hotels rooms and give a Facetime interview for 60 Minutes Overtime on Monday.

Makeshift studio: Logan and her team (including producer, Max McClellan pictured behind the microphone) put together their report from Liberia for CBS 60 Minutes

Makeshift studio: Logan and her team (including producer, Max McClellan pictured behind the microphone) put together their report from Liberia for CBS 60 Minutes

Reception: Guests at the bijou hotel are able to indulge in English High Tea - served with finger sandwich and Earl Grey

Reception: Guests at the bijou hotel are able to indulge in English High Tea - served with finger sandwich and Earl Grey

Pricey: The interior of the hotel exudes class - a long way from the rudimentary conditions Lara Logan would have stayed in while producing her Ebola story for CBS 60 Minutes

Pricey: The interior of the hotel exudes class - a long way from the rudimentary conditions Lara Logan would have stayed in while producing her Ebola story for CBS 60 Minutes

Decor of each room is described as 'soft and subtle', with 'white linens set against black, grey, teal and cream for a calming effect.'

Food and drink wise, the hotel has an award winning restaurant named Level Four and a Champagne bar to unwind during the long balmy evenings.

The expansive dinner menu offers gems such as Seabass and specially imported Scottish salmon, while the hotel's signature offering is classic English High Tea - served with finger sandwiches and Earl Grey tea.

Despite its modest fitness pool and center, 54 on Bath is where Logan has admitted to cabin fever as she waits out the final days of her stay till Friday.

MailOnline contacted the hotel to speak to Logan and two of her crew members and was told that the phone to each of their rooms had gone unanswered and their whereabouts unknown.

When asked, the front desk said they had no idea that Logan, McClellan and Mabberley were on a self-imposed quarantine for Ebola and they said no special instructions had been given on how to deal with these guests.

Dinner: Fine dining in a restaurant named Level Four and a Champagne bar is available at the hotel and includes, Lobster bisque, brandy, prawns & scallop mousse

Dinner: Fine dining in a restaurant named Level Four and a Champagne bar is available at the hotel and includes, Lobster bisque, brandy, prawns & scallop mousse

But, speaking on 60 Minutes Overtime, Logan said that having seen Ebola ravaged Liberia, she wanted to keep her interaction with people to a minimum.

Situated in Rosebank, one the most affluent suburbs of South Africa's largest city, it would seem the ideal place to unwind and wait out a quarantine

Situated in Rosebank, one the most affluent suburbs of South Africa's largest city, it would seem the ideal place to unwind and wait out a quarantine

'We wanted to try, as much as possible, to minimize our exposure to anybody while we still had to get our piece done,' she said. 'We were very mindful of the fact that this 21-day period after you've been in an Ebola-affected country is very important to everyone.'

MailOnline approached 54 on Bath's manager for comment, while CBS said every effort is being taken to ensure a responsible self-quarantine.

'The 60 MINUTES team members have taken every measure to keep themselves and others safe in the course of reporting the plight of Liberian Ebola victims and their caretakers,' said a spokesperson at 60 Minutes.

'They have been symptom free the entire time. The precautionary isolation period they have subjected themselves to is with the permission and cooperation of the South African government.'

The interview broadcast on Monday showed Logan and CBS security worker Geoff Mabberley in a room stuffed with equipment. 'We haven't traveled far from the room that you can see,' she said.

The '60 Minutes' report detailed her precautions while in Liberia, including being hosed down with a chlorine solution, having her temperature taken frequently and making sure not to touch people.

Explaining the context behind an Ebola quarantine, Logan said in the '60 Minutes Overtime' interview that 'the scientists and the doctors that we spoke to said that the real quarantine period for Ebola is actually ten days.

'So, when they look at the 21 days, what they're actually looking at is two ten-day periods where, of quarantine or of not showing any symptoms other than Ebola, and then an extra day added for security because the latest that the disease ever showed in animals was within that period.'

Back at work: It was Logan's second '60 Minutes' story since her return from a forced leave of absence after questions were raised about her role in a disputed story on the deadly 2012 raid at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya

Back at work: It was Logan's second '60 Minutes' story since her return from a forced leave of absence after questions were raised about her role in a disputed story on the deadly 2012 raid at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya

Holed up: Logan, seen quarantined giving an interview with Geoff Mabberley, who helped her team steer clear of the Ebola virus, admitted to experiencing cabin fever 

Holed up: Logan, seen with Geoff Mabberley, who helped her team steer clear of the Ebola virus, admitted to experiencing cabin fever 

Contained: A preview of Logan's report from Liberia showed her at the hospital speaking with doctors. Shoes are hung upside down and dried as a cleaning precaution 

Contained: A preview of Logan's report from Liberia showed her at the hospital speaking with doctors. Shoes are hung upside down and dried as a cleaning precaution 

Mabberley traveled with the crew with the responsibility of watching everyone's interactions to minimize any chance they could be infected.

Speaking about Mabberley, Logan said during the interview 'Geoff just watched us every minute of the day, and sprayed us with chlorine and disinfected everything - the drivers, the cars, the luggage - every time you got out, came out of somewhere.'

'I'm just constantly looking at what they're touching, where they're going, where they're standing, where they're moving to, to try and preempt the next move, try and protect them from that next move,' Mabberley said in the interview. 'And it is difficult.'

A cameraman who was working for NBC News in Liberia contracted the virus but recovered last month. Nancy Snyderman, the NBC News medical correspondent who worked there, was asked to go into voluntary quarantine when she arrived home but that was made mandatory after she was spotted leaving her home. ABC's Richard Besser was not quarantined upon his return from Liberia because the ABC team was judged not to have had exposure to the virus.

Quarantined: CBS News reporter Lara Logan is spending 21 days in quarantine, following a visit to an American-run hospital treating Ebola patients in Liberia 

Quarantined: CBS News reporter Lara Logan is spending 21 days in quarantine, following a visit to an American-run hospital treating Ebola patients in Liberia 

Logan briefly teared up when talking about William, a 5-year-old boy featured in her report who was cared for in the hospital by his father but who later died. She said she has a son the same age.

'It's so heartbreaking,' she said in the interview. 'It's really been hard on all of us, not just on me. And the scale of this tragedy and the brutality of this virus, the way it tears through families, and all the children.

'There are so many children. And so, you know, such little children. Of course that's - that's also one of the things that tears at your heart. And they're young children in these wards who have nobody to care for them.'

She also revealed in the interview that 'On the grave markers, instead of writing, "Born and died," the way you would in the U.S., the Liberians write, "Sunrise and sunset" to mark a person's time on the earth.

'And that, for us, was symbolic of the spirit of the people that really moved us.'

It was Logan's second '60 Minutes' story aired since her return from a forced leave of absence after questions were raised about her role in a disputed story on the deadly 2012 raid at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now