We weren't here on business nor visiting from overseas, but Wellington locals with the desire to get away from it all, and that's just what we did.
After searching through webites and then reassusring ourselves with Tripadvisor reviews we agreed on a night away at the Wellesley.
It was the perfect choice for us. The decor wasn't like every other hotel in this price range, so we bypassed Ohtel and Museum Hotel for something different.
We were greated at the front desk by a polite chap who welcomed us warmly but was not fussy. The old style cage doors were opened to the lift and we were sent up to our room for the night. I'm a sucker for retaining character, so details like this made me smile.
A cosy room with high ceilings, smart and brilliantly clean linen and a spotless black and white tiled bathroom awaited, with claw foot bath and shower big enough for two. Ah the serenity.
At 5pm we made our way downstairs to bask in the warmth of the fire, enjoy some tasty and well priced sauvignon blanc and then take our seats in the charming dining room. Both our meals were very good, so we were pleased we had opted for the breakfat deal the next morning. Hannah, our waitress, was lovely and attentive, but gave us room to breathe and enjoy our night away together.
All in all our stay at Wellesly was perfect. We will definitely go back.

We booked a private dining room to host a birthday dinner for friends and decided to stay over. If you are tired of modern hotels with no character - try this place. Lots of wood paneling, comfy furniture, interesting art and great bathrooms with claw-feet baths. Its a little bit darker/shabbier than the photos (but we thought that added to the atmosphere). There were a few Fawlty-tower like moments but the staff recovered the situation nicely (and gave us some great anecdotes to discuss with our friends). The private dinner room was fab (but a bit more heat would have been welcome). The grand staircase is great for taking group photos. Will definitely be coming back.

Some things to note: Premium" is the Wellesley's confusing term for its least expensive room. Yes it has a full-size bath, but it's not the gorgeous clawfoot bath in a spacious bathroom as you see in the pictures splashed over its website. The Premium rooms have a small, modern bathroom with a small shower-over-bath arrangement. It didn't make for the romantic evening I had planned; really I booked to stay here for that bath!

While I am grateful that free wi-fi is provided (a sad rarity in NZ hotels), there is a 50MB limit, which will restrict anyone to only the most vital searches. It's provided through a third-party and getting online was a hassle -- two phone calls to reception to sort it out.

My guess is these rooms were originally much larger and have been divided; there is only one narrow window (so the room is very gloomy this morning) and with the massively high ceiling, the room feels all very out of proportion. It's a bit like sitting in a corridor. There's not a lot of sound insulation, we could clearly hear the person in the next room talking on her phone.

I'll be off early this morning -- there was a lot of noise from the street from about 4 am (the hotel is very close to major roads) and by 8 am jackhammers had started up. It's not pleasant.

I really wanted to love this place. I like character and old buildings and don't care for the sterile atmosphere of chain hotels. The quality of the fittings and soft furnishings is superb. The staff are excellent. The selection of teas and proper coffee is a nice touch and I love the bone china teacups! The room was comfortably warm in winter, with a very quiet heating/air-con unit. The bed was very comfortable and the choice of pillows was great.

It is a beautiful old building (old and delightful by New Zealand standards! I see some reviews from Europeans who couldn't see what the fuss was about, which is understandable) and I got a kick out of being in what was once a gentleman's club.

I would recommend this hotel if you stayed in one of the more expensive rooms AND if you did not have a car. The hotel does not have parking. The on-street parking outside is limited to two hours and the adjacent car parks are expensive. However the location is fantastic for exploring the city on foot.

lovely restaurant and bar, nice size room and nice amenities, and lots of interesting events during the day & evening bringing in local folks so that this didn't have the feel of a "tourist" hotel.