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Welcome to Hilton Lake Taupo, the region's only 5 Star International hotel. From its spectacular vantage point, Hilton Lake Taupo commands magnificent views over New Zealand’s largest lake and beyond. This distinguished hotel offers a wide range of room types (113 rooms total), from Hilton Guest Rooms through to the grand Presidential Suite. For families, groups and those staying a little longer, one to three bedroom apartments offer convenient and spacious options. Rejuvenate with a round of tennis, or a workout in the fully-equipped gym, enjoy a dip in the naturally heated outdoor pool and spa-pool, or relax in the sauna or steam room. Indulge in flagship restaurant and bar, Bistro Lago with an inspired menu created by New Zealand celebrity Chef, Gareth Stewart. Bistro Lago's offerings include high tea, $29.95 three course lunch, happy hour and gourmet a la carte featuring locally sourced ingredients. Be prepared for an extraordinary experience: an outstanding location, a breathtaking panorama, exceptional service, an intimate ambiance and contemporary luxury of the highest standard.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Qualmark.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled near Taupo, Hilton Lake Taupo is celebrated for its stylish atmosphere, blending the charm of its heritage wing with the luxury of modern amenities. Guests have called out the spacious and contemporary rooms, though some have encountered issues with maintenance and room service. While the hotel's location is appreciated for its proximity to town, the perceived remoteness can be a drawback for some, especially when on-site dining options are unavailable.
Reviews are mixed regarding service quality; experiences range from encounters with friendly staff to frustrations over slow responses. The cleanliness of the hotel consistently earns praise, as do the well-kept pool and gym facilities. However, the overall value proposition is a point of contention, with many guests feeling that the cost does not align with their expectations.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Stylish
Rooms
Modern
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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Stayed here for 2 nights in December. Nice hotel, everything you’d expect from a decent Hilton. Room was modern and good standard (we were in the “new” wing), pool area was great to sit back at the end of a long days walking - pool is kept to a nice temperature and the hot tub was great into the dusk. Has a gym but very limited (very good as a “standard hotel gym” - a treadmill, bike and rower, a bench and DBs). Location is a quick 10min drive or a solid 50 mins walk to the town. We walked mostly and it isn’t arduous .. and is nice along the lake front. Overall very happy we chose here!
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 29 Dec 2024
Kia Ora thewanderingbee2, Thank you for your review on TripAdvisor following your stay with us at Hilton Lake Taupo. It was our pleasure to have you stay with us and it’s great to hear you enjoyed our rooms and facilities. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you back to Hilton Lake Taupo in the near future. Kind Regards, Janine Al-Rawi Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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Wow, love this Hotel, and now its got even better. We attended a conference there last year and it was great, a couple of things were a let down, but not this time. Could not fault, check in a breeze, nice room, with a view of the lake, dinner was superb, mouth watering, whoever your chef is, keep him/her! Breakfast service was way better than last year, and it was all hot.. Pool is having a make over so was closed, but were offered complimentary entry to De Bretts Thermal Pools next door.. Fabulous. Can not fault this Hotel. Thank you Shubham for what you have achieved in the past year with the running of the restaurant. 10/10! We will be back1
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 24 Aug 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you for your review on TripAdvisor following your stay with us at Hilton Lake Taupo. It was our pleasure to have you stay with us and your kind words regarding Shubham, are greatly appreciated. We'll make sure your compliments reach him, and we're proud to have team members who contribute to our guests' positive experiences. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you back to Hilton Lake Taupo in the near future. Kind Regards, Tracey Poole Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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My husband and I stayed at the Hilton Lake Taupo for two nights and were very happy with our stay.
The hotel has an older, historical section and a newer section. Our room was in the newer section, and was very nice. We were on the first floor and had a patio, which was surrounded by hedges, which gave us privacy when we sat out there. The other floors had balconies, which were separated by partitions for privacy.
There is a secured underground parking lot in which you can park for $25 per day, or there is a free gravel parking lot below the hotel in which you can park. We parked in the free parking lot and had no problems.
The hotel is located within a ten-minute drive of the beach, restaurants and shopping, and also has a restaurant on site. There are also tennis courts on site.
Our room was very nice with a king-size bed, a large bathroom, and a small refrigerator. The bed was quite comfortable, and Hilton has the BEST pillows of any hotels in which we have ever stayed.
We would definitely recommend the Hilton Lake Taupo if you plan to visit Lake Taupo!
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 2 weeks ago
Kia Ora, Thank you for your review following your stay with us at Hilton Lake Taupo. It was our pleasure to have you stay with us and it’s great to hear you enjoyed our facilities and rooms. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you back to Hilton Lake Taupo in the near future. Kind Regards, Janine Al-Rawi Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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. Not given a map upon arrival . No signage to Reception from where we were staying . No one answered Restaurant or Reception and in fact when I chose option 5 for call back it rang straight away then cut me off Option 6 to hold the line also cut me off . The bottom sheet on the bed was not smoothed out and I had to remake the bed - my first thought was that the bed was unchanged from the previous occupant! (It was fresh.) There was no soap available near the bath for easy access, and Power points were located behind the bed and difficult to reach . No room service menu available
This was the main complaint I had:
A light in the entrance way ceiling kept coming on. Finally managed to contact reception by pressing button for duty manager as dialling 0 I kept getting cut off. Sent up maintenance man who said it was an emergency light and that they had had issues with the system and this room should’ve been fixed. Had no solution of how to do so. I requested the duty manager who came to my room. Only solution was to move rooms either to another floor or at the other end. (We were at the last rooms on the end.) I was travelling with my 92yo frail father with terminal cancer who had just come out of hospital and I was transferring him to residential care in Carterton. I had specifically requested either joining rooms or rooms side by side so I could attend to his needs. I declined the offer. He then suggested moving us both but it was well after 10pm by this time and I did not want to disturb my Dad (who also can’t walk for long or very far). I said I wanted a refund on my room to which he said there would be a significant discount. We shall see.
The staff are nice but do not think creatively. If it isn’t in their manual then they won’t think of a workable solution. I have found this to be consistent when working along side or dealing with other people from the Philippines - lovely people with a caring nature but absolutely no skills to think outside the box.
A Customer Recovery programme would go a long way in keeping loyalty. Before I had to ask for a refund, I should’ve been given, say, a voucher for a free breakfast, complimentary gift (maybe allowed to take the guest bathrobes) etc etc. I suggest the Hilton Group research other major corporations involved in customer service as to what they provide for recovery. Reading reviews on various sites, it seems an automated apology is sent out and obviously nothing is done to rectify the problems which were consistently repeated by other guests.
Overall a very, very disappointing stay especially after driving 7 hours from the Bay of Islands.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Don’t book here!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 27 Aug 2024
Kia Ora Darrlyn, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback following your recent stay with us. We sincerely apologize for the various issues you encountered, particularly the problems with the emergency light and the lack of support from our team. This does not reflect the high standards we aim for. Our management team has reviewed your feedback and understands your frustrations. Please reach out to our front office team at your convenience if you'd like to discuss this further. We are committed to making things right for you. Kind regards, Hilton Lake Taupo
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We stayed in a corner room in the heritage wing with a wrap-around balcony and lake views. Only downside was it was directly above the kitchen so the cooking smells in the evening meant we had to shut all windows etc. We had a great stay. The heritage wing has a lot of character. Can't comment on the new part of the hotel. Parking was easy, we usually got a spot right out the front of the entrance (where the restaurant was). Only one time we parked in the gravel park at the bottom, there is a path from the carpark back to the hotel. The room was large and clean, as was the bathroom. It's only a short drive into town, you are also near Huka Falls and other nature walks. It's also right near the botanical gardens which I highly recommend for a lovely walk (or you can do a drive through). Breakfast was small, but adequate. Would have been better if they offered freshly made coffee rather than using the machine, but it was OK. We really enjoyed our stay.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 9 Oct 2024
Kia Ora kkets, Thank you for taking the time to post your review on TripAdvisor following your stay at Hilton Lake Taupo. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and appreciate the time it has taken for you to provide this feedback to help us to improve future stays. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you back to Hilton Lake Taupo in the near future. Kind Regards, Janine Al-Rawi Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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Found this place to be in need of some genuine warmth and attention. Previous reviewers had reported booking a heritage room in the beautiful historical building, only to be allocated a room in the sad modern block next door on arrival. I booked directly with Hilton, as a diamond member, and this is exactly what happened. When I asked to be relocated to the room I'd booked, a manager informed me that the lake-side of the building was being renovated. She asked whether I'd like a room where I'd be woken by building noise every morning. Wow. This is really not the kind of service I'm looking for. Most of the reception staff were in training - suggestive of a high staff turnover? The modern rooms in the hotel are larger, but the one I saw was dark, not very clean, pretty bare and shabby looking with scraped paintwork and a faint smell of rubbish in the hallways. The heritage room I finally stayed in was bright and comfortable, with a huge bathroom, but the safe malfunctioned and set off an annoying alarm every time we tried to use it. Breakfast was fairly average and very busy at 8.30am. We were asked to pay 2 NZ dollar (= 1 euro) each to upgrade from a continental to warm breakfast. Given the price we were paying for the room, this didn't seem a great marketing, or diamond reward, strategy. The lake is a good 20 minute walk along a fairly busy road. Views of it are distant.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 1 Jul 2024
Kia Ora, Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback in TripAdvisor. We pride ourselves in giving the best possible guest experience and we are sincerely sorry to hear that we fell short in this instance. Your feedback has been taken on board and is being reviewed by our team. We hope to have the opportunity to make it right in the future. Kind regards, Hilton Lake Taupo
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Our experience at the hotel got off to a terrible start due to the unfriendly demeanor of the receptionists who did not make any effort to address our complaints concerning the tiny bathrooms in our Junior Suite. Moreover, despite two reminders to fix the faulty air conditioner in our room, it remained non functional till moments before check out . Furthermore , basic amenities such as having our luggage taken to our quarters or being shown where our actual room was seemed too much to ask for. My conclusion ? Unless you wish to subject yourself to unnecessary stress while simultaneously breaking your bank account, avoid vacationing here altogether—especially taking into consideration how far everything else of interest happens to be situated away from this alleged 'hotel'. However their culinary department certainly deserves recognition : great ambiance complemented by mouthwatering entrees paired perfectly wines chosen by knowledgeable sommeliers who engagingly present all options ,
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If staying here you will need your own car as it’s far from town
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 23 Jul 2024
Kia Ora, Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback in TripAdvisor. We pride ourselves in giving the best possible guest experience and we are sincerely sorry to hear that we fell short in this instance. However, we are still grateful for your recognition to our culinary department team members. Your feedback has been taken on board and is being reviewed by our team. We hope to have the opportunity to make it right in the future. Kind regards, Hilton Lake Taupo
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After a hell year due to illness culminating in major surgery 7 weeks ago we decided to have a few days at Hilton Taupo to rest and recuperate. And it was my birthday this week. We’ve stayed there a few times and always enjoyed it and found it comfortable. Not so this time.
We paid a higher price to get a lake view room and better standard than a basic room and when I received an email saying I could check in online I did so. The room said 1st floor so believing this was actually first floor and not ground floor (the map doesn’t show it’s ground floor) that’s what I booked. We don’t like ground floor rooms and I knew they were quite dark having been here before.
On arrival we checked in to our room and found it was ground floor with no lake view at all thanks to a big hedge in front. It was dark and felt claustrophobic so I went to reception and asked for another room. All they could offer me was a twin room and they could push the beds together but it was at least not ground floor. Being tired and not feeling great I decided to take it. I did try to explain the reason we were there but felt the person dealing with me didn’t really care. They were very busy but I was just about in tears as I’d really been looking forward to it. She offered us a couple of drinks vouchers to make up for it but that never makes up for being hugely overcharged for the standard of the rooms.
When we moved to the twin room we found not only was it a twin room, it was a disabled bathroom so no vanity and a shower curtain instead of a normal shower. So here we are paying nearly $900 for a bed shoved together and not even a decent bathroom.
Like other reviews for Hilton Taupo (that we’ve only just read) we noted the place is in real need of maintenance, especially the accomodation block. The walls are terribly marked and damaged from service trolleys in the entrances to the rooms and the rooms still have the same furniture they had when we first stayed about 10 years ago.
It doesn’t take much to give the walls a coat of paint and tidy them up. Currently the walls and doors look dirty.
They’ve used duct tape to patch up broken floor tiles and even used duct tape to fix one of the towel boxes at the pool. Come on guys you can get these at Bunnings - they’re not that expensive to replace.
Overall it’s more motel than 5 star hotel standard and the only thing that saves it is the pool and gym area .
Not up to Hilton standard and a real shame as it used to be great.
Oh and the same lady who checked us in checked us out and didn’t even ask how our stay was. Avoidance doesn’t fix the problem. I also think Hilton have to be very careful advertising rooms as lake view when they are not.
No doubt this review will get the same cut and paste response others have but at some point the hotel really needs to take note of the feedback
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My kids are still talking about this hotel a month after we got back. It's a gorgeous property, quiet with great views of a canyon park and city/lake. The rooms are clean, large and feel luxurious, and everything was in great condition. I debated because the hotel is a bit outside of town and a bit pricier than some other choices, but it was excellent value for money and I highly recommend it. The rooms are large and have lots of room to spread out, balconies and work if some folks are sleeping. Breakfast - one of the best I've had (fresh made eggs / full selection of breakfast meat and sweets / large selection of fruit and juice / fresh honey, condiments and baked goods / coffee of all types / etc. Plenty of free and safe parking. Friendly and helpful staff. Rooms are bright and property doesn't feel crowded. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool and hot tub area (large, well-maintained). This is definitely our family's new standard for a "fancy hotel" - but it felt warm, fun and will be hard to beat. (Being a little outside of town was great too - I walked down one day and it's not all that far, but it feels like a resort up on this hill.)
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Bring your swimsuit - hot tub is large and the pool is balmy (outdoors). Absolutely buy a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 29 Dec 2024
Kia Ora, Thank you for your review following your stay with us at Hilton Lake Taupo. It was our pleasure to have you stay with us and it’s great to hear you and your family enjoyed our rooms and facilities. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you back to Hilton Lake Taupo in the near future. Kind Regards, Janine Al-Rawi Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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The hotel is a great property with nice rooms and ample parking. The pool is heated but we did not use it due to the strong winds during our stay.
Service is a total mess though and it wasn't even that busy when we were there. Room 443 either has a dysfunctional phone or just no one answers the phone when one calls any of the options (Front desk, operator, concierge, room service, etc...). There is also an option to 'press 5' for a call back, which we never received the two times we did it.
It took over two hours for them to bring a crib/porta cot post check-in. This is after I had called in advance to confirm it on the reservation to 'ensure it'd be there once we arrived.' - it was in the reservation notes but not in the room. The front desk at check-in said they'd call for it to be brought to our room as we began unloading our vehicle. We tried calling the front desk to no avail so I asked for it in person a second time when I was heading out to go get some groceries. It was still NOT in the room after I returned from getting said groceries (a full forty five minutes later). Upon the third request, direct to the manager, it finally arrived in the room several minutes later.
Total time from check-in to receiving the crib / porta cot was approximately two hours (not 1.5, not 1.75 but 2 hours).
Were it not for the above this hotel would receive five stars in the review.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hilton Hotels, General Manager at Hilton Lake Taupo
Responded 19 Jan 2025
Kia Ora GeneralShamu, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed our hotel’s facilities. However, we regret that the service did not meet your expectations during your stay. We have taken note of the issues you raised regarding the crib request and the phone service. Your comments have been shared with the team for review and improvement, as we strive to provide the level of service we take pride in. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future and provide the experience you deserve. Kind Regards, Janine Al-Rawi Hotel Manager - Hilton Lake Taupo
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We stayed in the 3 bedroom apartment .. they can reconfigure the beds per your request but we had king size bed in two of the bedrooms and two single beds in the other bedroom.
There are more places to choose from in the Taupo area.
PRICE RANGE
$264 - $336 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hilton lake taupo hotel taupo, terraces hotel taupo
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandWaikato RegionTaupo DistrictTaupo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
113
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
