We have stayed in a number of motels in Taupo over the years which have had luxurious, large rooms with spa baths and are closer to the town. We decided to splash out an extra $100 or so on this hotel because of the location by the beautiful lake and the reviews of the restaurants.
Our standard room was ok, but nothing special. The toilet seat was broken (cheap plastic), and we shared the balcony with an air conditioning unit. The bathroom was a bit dark and pokey and certainly not luxurious.The swimming pool was small and nothing special.
Our biggest disappointment was with the restaurant. We checked into the hotel early but could only get a table booking for dinner at 8.45pm which was the only slot left on a busy night. We arrived promptly, bought a drink at the bar and opened a tab for our meal. 40 minutes later, and despite sitting right in front of the bar, noone thought to show us a menu or take us to our table. As we observed some poor service all round, we decided to leave, feeling tired but hungry!
Unfortunately there was nothing about our experience that merited the over- inflated room rates, and we would definately recommend that there are much cheaper, better options in Taupo, and on reflection a motel nearer town with easier access to all the fabulous restaurants would have been a more sensible, financially astute choice.
An extra tip...the newspapers are complimentary but you have to request them the night before...unfortunately we weren/t told this on check in so missed out. However, thank you to the helpful gentleman on reception who showed persistence in arranging a taxi for us on a particularly busy afternoon.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
11 February 2012
Dear Slob1234 - whilst your review is certainly not what we want to read or what is the normal for our hotel, it is however, most important for us to know of any areas that may run short of achieving great guest satisfaction. TRIPS members are private but I am aware of one only incident such as this on a recent particularly busy night.
Firstly I will say how sorry i am that this did happen to you, or to anyone at all - I can absolutely assure you that it is our goal to accommodate all house guests within our two wonderful restaurants. The staff concerned on the night I am aware of, were very upset about their errors, there was complimentary breakfast extended the following morning as well as the bar drinks that evening. I will add that I believe it happened due to inexperienced staff not working together at this time. In turn I realize this is not good enough for our guests. .
The Exec Assistant Manager was aware and personally followed up with guests the next morning, if this in fact, was not your case, please feel welcome to contact me personally with all relevant details so that I can address your complaint in a different manner.
Peak times, Taupo events and holiday periods do necessitate high rates; however, we do have off season specials at many other periods, which for many of our guests provide great opportunities for our location and facilities.
Thank you very much for taking the time to advise us of your experience so that we may address for future improvement.
Kind regards
Diane
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
