Novotel Queenstown Lakeside

Who gives out the star ratings? This is by no means a 4 hotel. 3 is a push. Lakeview room looking onto a carpark that's not available to customers unless they pay a ridiculous price.nSpent 20 min driving around town to find somewhere to park. Hotel didn't care.nNo facilities like pool/sauna etc.nPaid for B&B. Asked if we could get breakfast takeaway. Answer is no unless we pay for additional breakfast. Worst service we have ever received. Seriously thinking of looking for somewhere else tomorrow.nNice barmen but that's it.nI don't like putting bad reviews but I feel this is important.nNo plug sockets beside the bed. Need to charge my phone at other end of room.n#DISGUSTING CARRYON

We’d totally stay here again! You cannot beat the location. Within a few minute walk you can reach anything you need. Many of the tours around the lake leave about a 7 minute walk from the hotel, and there’s a beautiful trail right by the hotel. The room was a good size, and serviced daily. We didn’t have issues with loud neighbors or anything like that. We had a super positive stay, and would totally stay here again!

It's extremely expensive and the expense is not really justified given that there's no pool, fitness centre or recreation area at the hotel. Also, the TV stations in the room are heavily restrictive and limited. Even IBIS in Christchurch was better because at least it had Al Jazeera. No international channels at all at the Novotel. Please consider having BBC, CNN or Al Jazeera available in the room. In order to get Netflix or Prime, this can be operated only via the app. Extremely frustrating. Restaurant menu is very limited. Room service is non existent. The QR code pasted on the mirror in the room for ordering room service does not work. Please check on this. When I tried ringing Reception or Housekeeping, there is never an answer. We have to physically go to reception if we need anything. Additionally, I paid my account in full at the time of booking and each time we had a meal at the hotel, I paid by cash to avoid transaction fees by charging these expenses to my card. When I was checking out on Thursday 8th January, the staff at reception advised me that there was an outstanding amount of NZD 37 buffet breakfast that had to paid. I had paid this by cash on Sunday 4th January in the evening to a staff member at Reception. I trusted the staff member on duty that day to update my room account and therefore did not request for a receipt. But she failed to update my room account and therefore, I was extremely frustrated and annoyed considering that I settled all my food bills by cash promptly each day. However, one of the staff members at Reception contacted this staff member and resolved this issue promptly. I would also like to mention that all the staff members at the bar, restaurant and also the cleaning staff are all truly wonderful, competent with exceptional interpersonal skills. I am extremely grateful to all of them for all the fantastic work they do every single day. The staff at reception are also very pleasant, courteous and well mannered. Just this specific staff member at Reception on Sunday 4th January evening who did not update my room account needs to be counselled.

The hotel completely under-delivered on its name and reputation for our stay. The only positive during our 4-night stay was the location of the hotel, otherwise, it was the worst place we stayed for our whole trip.nIf I have to list issues:n- TV not working. With a 5-year old in tow, TV was an essential for us, and the process to use your Netflix account on TV was made unnecessarily complex and absurd. It took me 3 days out of our 4-night stay to finally make it work.n- Roller skating beds, which will move from their place with a touch. Good for fun and play, but an absolute nightmare otherwise. And, the maintenance team was so busy that it could put duct tape only before our last night there.n- Parking, they charge you additionally for parking, and still there is no guarantee that you will get it. They will kindly provide you with a map of the city to go and hunt for a parking space. However, hotel management has about 6-8 parking spots reserved for them in the hotel parking.n- Internet, unsecured and needs to be activated every 24 hours. Primed for an upcoming cyber criminal to hone his/her skills.

This hotel is a bit hard to review. We stayed during peak season, which really impacted the parking situation. There’s almost no on-site parking, so we ended up parking 5–15 minutes away and walking back. That was fine for us, but it wouldn’t be ideal for older guests or anyone with mobility issues.nnOne important note: avoid rooms on the south side if you can. They haven’t been renovated. We were initially placed in a room right by the elevator and had to ask to be moved.nnOn the positive side, the continental breakfast was very good, the beds were comfortable, and the staff were friendly and helpful.nnOff season stay here. During season stay a bit farther out of town if you have a car.

Directions to Novotel Queenstown Lakeside with public transportation

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