14 days in New Zealand with a night at the Rutherford in the middle, how bad could it be? We were a group of 3, a couple and an adult child. We wanted a room together and not two double suites, so we booked the 3 bedroom suite. At check-in I asked if the room had a view. I was told it looked at the Cathedral. Great I thought. We checked-in in the afternoon and left our luggage in the car while we walked around Nelson and then after we had dinner arrived at our room. The first thing my wife said was "this room looks like where they store their excess furniture". The room was the converted manager's apartment on the first floor with no view of the Cathedral over looking the hotel's front door. Outside the door was the main stairs to the function room on the ground floor. It was also next to the entrance to the swimming pool and the gym. By the looks of it we were in the only room on the first floor. At 12:30am we had function guests standing outside our door talking and carrying on for 20 minutes. At 4:00 we had a couple standing under our windows in the forecourt having a full-on domestic dispute for over 30-40 minutes. Two people screaming abuse at each other for over half an hour. It was gross beyond belief. My 15 yo daughter had never heard adults speak to each other in such an appalling manager before. The next day she was still visibly upset by the experience. A standard suite at the Rutherford, with a view of the bay, is NZD$190. We paid NZD$880 for a night in hell in the converted managers apartment. At checkout the receptionist was surprised because she had "heard" that the 3 bedroom suite was "really nice". Then she apologised as she charged me full price for the room. Reception no interest in our night from hell other than to ask us to fill out a hotel survey.…
I was here as part of a conference and also staying an extra couple of days. The staff have been amazing and really going out of their way to please. The food has been outstanding as part of the conference package, such a pity the restaurants are closed. Breakfast is in a lovely restaurant with spacious tables and a peaceful setting. Whilst I haven’t yet checked out, I must say the location is central, a little dated but very clean and has character. A lovely foyer, and I like having opening windows for fresh air. Nelson is a wonderful spot, restaurants close by and friendly locals. If you are looking for an event to be held in Nelson, I highly recommend this hotel. Great for tourists needing a central location. I will not hesitate to return.
We took 40 senior folks to stay a few nights at the Rutherford in May 2022. Rooms are great, they were able to provide rooms with walk-in showers for a handful of mobility-impaired clients. Breakfasts were excellent, likewise a catered set-menu dinner. The conference room we used for this dinner and musical concert was a bit sterile and lacked any decoration but would have been perfectly satisfactory for its usual purpose. The management and staff were uniformly helpful and attentive. Overall we were treated extremely well and highly recommend.
Brilliant as always. We have stayed many times. Central city. Lovely views. Close to all the restaurants cafes bars and shops. Next door to the iconic Cathedral. Part of a top hotel group. Hotel is getting old and is a little bit on tired side. But is clean and everything works well. Lovely breakfast buffet area. Friendly and helpful staff.
Hotel was exceptional, really comfy beds with all the amenities. Great service at reception. Lovely morning dip in the pool and the thing to top it all off was the great customer service from Anuris this morning for breakfast (best laugh in the world).
Great pre Xmas stay. Wonderful views from the room. Good for our family of five with room in close proximity. Could walk to town centre, markets and local restaurants. Good sized rooms. Great to have a pool. Nice lobby and friendly helpful staff.
I have been coming here since 11 years and unfortunately there are less good things to say each time. The reception staff are very cold and do not give a very welcoming impression. The room service (from Oceano) is served as very small portions considering the high price. Even after three courses you are left feeling hungry. The quality of the food is okay. I once forgot to sign my breakfast card and the reception staff made me come all the way back down to the lobby to sign it. This is not only unnecessary but very unprofessional given the amount of paperwork you already complete at checkin. The Japanese restaurant (Miyazu) has sadly closed down due to the pandemic. This was a great restaurant. There is however still plenty of signage advertising Miyazu. Hopefully this will be removed soon. The hotel is in need of a renovation and is slowly becoming tired and old. Many years ago the hotel once sold us a room at short notice. We later found out that this room was actually reserved for the crew of an airline who were just running very late. Not believing this we asked reception staff later that evening and indeed the crew had to be sent to another hotel when they finally arrived. On the plus side the hotel is in a great central location and within short walking distance of many food and shopping options. The rooms are light and offer good views.…
This is a hotel in a great central location - walk around town for shopping or dining. A bit dated - but very clean and staff really helpful and pleasant. There is a bar and restaurant on site - we didn't go there but they appeared popular.
We went to The Oceano restaurant for our wedding anniversary on Sunday, not only was the food superb but the service from Simran was excellent, we had a 3 course dinner and it was so nice and then at the end Simran and the chef surprised us with a chocolate selection which was such a special thing for us, they went the extra mile and we would diff go back, highly recommended
This hotel is interesting because it is dated but in a classic way. Everything is neat and tidy, just not modern or new. Our room was comfortable and spacious plus the staff were friendly. Very convenient location to park up and explore central Nelson on foot. Disliked · I paid for the room on check in but had to pay $5 for parking on check out, which was slightly irritating. The hotel also charges credit card fees. The shower set up means water gets onto the bathroom floor.
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