My husband and i stayed at the hotel for 2 nights. The hotel is in very close proximity from the park itself. Which was our main reason for staying there. All i can say is, food was great, staff was helpful and the overall experience was worth the long drive from Stavanger to Kristiansand.

The hotel itself is located very close to the Zoo, which is good. The rooms are small with little extra space, we experienced some issues with the hot water and dining isnt good. Theres not even room enough for everyone at breakfast and the best description of the dining area during breakfast and dinner is "semi-controlled chaos".

I was very dissatisfied with the service at the hotel in general, but the front desk was the worst. In general it seemed like they weren't interested in helping us at all.
As an example: The hotel had rented out the banqueting rooms at the floor above us to a party. This was extremely loud, but when calling the front desk i was told they also had paid to be there and that i should go up and talk to them myself if this was a problem.

For a hotel in this price range, i would have expected a whole lot more. There is other hotels near by...

There are both some decidedly positive and not-so-positive attributes of this hotel.

The location next to Norway's biggest and most varied Zoo is great. Though not part of the zoo itself (Dyreparken) it actually has one side of the hotel overlooking a lake that is part of the zoo.

The zoo itself I would recommend 2 days for, if traveling with kids. The park/zoo itself is extensive and well planned with both lots of animals (elk, wolf, tigers, monkeys, goats, deers, sea-lions, flamingos, snakes and reptiles (inside a tropic house) giraffes, zebras, etc, as well as a number of attractions: Kardemomme City (a mini-town from a children book), Kaptein Sabeltanns Verden (Captain Sabretooth's World a pirate-character invented by a norwegian, with great domestic success (TV-shows/cartoons) and also theatre shows during the high-season - be aware that the shows can be sold-out). A small pirate-looking boat departs every half hour for a small tour of the park's lake. In addition some more tivoli-related activities and also a playground for the kids. Most attractions inside the park are included in the ticket. Food etc is of course pay-as-you-go. Price for a one-day pass for 2 adults and 2 kids was around NOK 500, per day, with the park open from 10:00 to 17:00. This price increases some during the high season (june, july, aug) but so does the opening time from 10:00 to 19:00 (and so does probably the waiting time for the non-animal attractions).

Back to the hotel the standard is quite good with a quite tasteful animal theme in all rooms as well as in the hallway and lobby-areas.

A play-room next to the restaurant is also ideal for small kids.

The restaurant itself has an OK breakfast included with the room rate (buffet only).

For dinner the restaurant adds to the buffet with various warm dishes, desserts and whatever beverages you want to order. Price for 2 adults and 2 kids around NOK 600 - but this will vary according to what you drink (fixed price for the buffet + whatever you drink).

The buffet is really the only way to eat in a restaurant with impatient kids, because it is a relief that they can immediately run over to the buffet and get something to eat - our went for the melon-only diet ;).

On the slightly negative side: Buffet could be even more varied and better quality. Good but not fantastic. Make-your-own waffles -> only one waffle-iron, should have been at least 3. Carpeting in the restaurant - don't know how good an idea that is given the combination of kids and food. Waiters could seem happier. Regarding the bath in the room it could have been slightly bigger, and the shower solution especially left too much of the floor wet. Also when I booked via the internet I got a promo rate of NOK 750, but nevertheless the actual price turned out to be NOK 1045 per night because of some extra fee related to the kids - so double-check this before you travel.

Summary:
Location - Great when visiting the zoo!
Overall standard - Good but not fantastic
For the kids - Great