We really enjoyed our recent stay at the Hotel Ashburton. The staff were, without exception, welcoming, friendly and helpful. Our room was comfortable, well-appointed and sparkling clean; the lounge and bar area was conducive to conversation; and it was nice to have easy access to the public bar too, where we met a few of the locals. It was fun to see the remnants of the 70's decor too! The food was outstanding - tasty, fresh, well-presented and good value and the staff were attentive and enthusiastic. What a great vibe!
We used the hotel as a relaxing base from which we could easily explore the ski-fields and further afield. We loved the quiet position, so close to town but without the hubbub, and the gardens were lovely - summertime must be beautiful.
As regular visitors to NZ, and lovers of the South Island in particular, we will certainly be back.

we stayed here in Feb 2010 and have to say would NEVER stay again. We put alot of research into our NZ holiday and when finding this hotel we thought we were on a winner HAH!!! think again. upon arriving we found the staff not overly friendly. THEN we went to use the facilities well what a joke, the pool looked outdated and very tacky so wouldn't let the kids in it, the spa's were under refurbishment and had been closed for a few months, the putt putt golf area had been bulldozed, the sauna had also been closed off. The rooms are old and in need of a refurbishment, the hallway smelt of wet carpet, the inground trampoline looked unsafe. Now keeping in mind we have 2 children, so the main reason for booking was the facilities, but as you can see there were NONE as they were not in use. Although this was NOT mentioned to us prior to booking and there website still showed they ALL existed so VERY VERY dissappointed and would NOT recommend anyone stayin there.

Ok for the price.....New Zealander's must learn ONE rule in the hospitality business.

Having guests is not for the benefit of employees. One madding feature of the New Zealand Hotel/Motel business is the rule of check out! Generally ALL hotels and motels have a check-out time of 10am (check-in at 2pm).

This rule is only to benefit lazy laidback Kiwi's who's only focus is to depart the scene of work as early as possible.

Notice to owners: Guests pay YOUR wages...........say that manta everyday a hundred times .

We stayed here as part of a tour group. Our room 106 is on the ground floor. The terrace opens out to the parking lot which also happens to be our view. Because of the large panel of glass, it didn't feel very secure. The lock on the door also feels flimsy. Our room has 2 queen beds with plenty of desk space in the room and well lit. There is very limited counter space in the bathroom, otherwise, it's decent. There is nothing near the hotel. The breakfast was ok, the choices not too varied. Our tour group had dinner here and my rib eye was excellent. The salmon was undercooked. We found out later on that that's how New Zealanders eat their salmon, a bit on the rare side. The best part of the hotel was the trampoline by the pool. I used it to work off excess energy.