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manpreet s

Worst stay of my life

1.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 24 May 2023via mobile
1) Housekeeping did not replace dirty towels

2) No toilet refilling
3) On website it says parking available but I found it was dollar 28 per day for parking
4) No microwave in the room
5) I requested them to heat my food in a microwave but the staff denied to do it. They said it was against protocol to heat outside food. But I have stayed at other Accor restaurants and they absolutely did it when I requested them to….so why the protocols same for all Accor restaurants???
6) when I explained about these problems during stay, the staff did not even apologise. Worst customer service ever.
7) lastly, the showers in the bathroom was not good at all. The water came out very bluntly b’coz the shower was of very low quality.
Date of stay: May 2023
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this review
Responded 30 Jul 2023
Dear manpreets530

Thanks for your feedback and apologies that we did not meet your expectation in so many areas.

While it is sometimes hard to fully understand reviews and the context that they are written I will do my best to respond to some of your comments.

With the towels we have an environmental programme where if the towels are hung up they are not replaced and the savings of this are put into planting with the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust. This may be the reason for this.

Our website and as far as I am aware all others say we have parking available and denote as paid parking - it is a service that not all guests need and that costs a significant amount to supply so we do charge for this service if required. We try to make it as clear as we can that this is the case.

Most hotels in NZ do not have microwaves - we do have a couple of these that we can lend to guests that need one. Our local food safety regulations suggest that we should not reheat guests food for them as we do not know where it was prepared so I am sorry that this was not well communicated.

The showers in the hotel normally get positive comments about steady flows and constant hot water so I am not sure as to why yours would have been any different. We do understand the need for guests to have a comfy bed and a good shower so it is disappointing to hear that you did not experience this.

Thanks for staying - your comments are noted and we will continue to look for ways to ensure our guests are looked after .

regards

Jim Moore
General Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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61 - 66 of 3,980 reviews
Reviewed 19 May 2023

Excellent location in the idyllic, paradise city of Queenstown, in front of the lake and boardwalk, within beautiful walking distance to all the attractions, restaurants, bars and shops. The hotel has its highlight with an excellent team of excellent professionals, highly helpful and attentive. Breakfast was good, with a variety of options for all tastes, needs to improve the presentation and availability. The rooms and the social areas are in need of renovation and updating. Overall, good cost x benefit. I recommend.

Room tip: Rooms at the 4th. floor
Date of stay: May 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled solo
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
3  Thank André N
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.
Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this reviewResponded 31 July 2023

Dear Andrenalini

Thanks for your comments and for staying - and apologies for the slow response.

It was good to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us - we are working through plans to upgrade the hotel. In the meantime later this month we start to work on the lounge area of the bar and in September start to replace the guest lifts. These projects will then be part of a hotel wide project where all rooms and public areas will be refurbished.

Thanks for the feedback - we hope that you will come back to see us again sometime.

regards

Jim Moore
General Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 13 May 2023

We loved our 5 night stay at the Novotel Lakeside Hotel in Queenstown. The young man at Reception who checked us in was so friendly and helpful. Unfortunately I didn't get his name but he was a gem. Our room was on the ground floor with a lovely outlook to the grassed courtyard. We were very happy with our room. Yes the carpet could use an update but I believe the hotel is in the process of being renovated. Everything was spotlessly clean. We had a casual dinner and drinks one night in the lounge area by the fireplace. The food was great! The hotel is in a fabulous location by the Lake and a short walk to the Pier and Town. Thank you Novotel. We loved our stay with you.

Date of stay: May 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank 875janettew
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.
Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this reviewResponded 18 May 2023

Dear 875janettew

Great to hear that you enjoyed your stay and were well looked after by the team. We are working on refurbishment plans - not quite started but we are in the process of replacing some of the carpets in the meantime to keep them up to standard while we wait for our major works to start. We are also about to start replacement of the lifts in the hotel which will start this year.

These things do take a long time with consents and various other requirements but we are working through all of this now. Not wanting to use Covid as an excuse but it did slow this process so it is good to see it coming back on track.

Thanks for staying - we hope to see you again soon

Jim Moore
General Manager

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Reviewed 5 May 2023

Very tired hotel that’s long overdue for refurbishment. The price is very high considering the room quality. Showers over the bath and no vent fan so you need to wipe the mirror to shave. No toilet brush provided. Noise from the street at night. Staff at reception very attentive but took two days to replace noisey fluorescent bulb over the bath. Valet parking $28.00 per night expensive considering the vehicle was parked at the end of the building outside. Breakfast was very average and only had it once as there is better a few meters away. Only real positive was the bed was very good.

Room tip: I wouldn’t go back
Date of stay: May 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank Sunshine828634
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.
Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this reviewResponded 10 May 2023

Dear Sunshine

Thanks for staying and for your review. The last couple of reviews have been similar but thanks for your comments.

We acknowledge your comments about the age of the hotel and yes the Owners of the property are aware of this and are in the final stages of planning major works - to date this has resulted in us completing a couple of prototype rooms which are not exactly what the finished product will be but allow us the opportunity to decide on this, get the works costed ( we have 273 rooms to upgrade, as well as all of the public areas of the hotel) as well as replacing the lifts. The fourth floor of the hotel was added new a few years back so this does offer more modern facilities but this too will be upgraded at the time and we know that these works will greatly enhance the experience for our guests.

You are correct that we have great beds ( one of the most important aspects of any stay) our aim until the above works get done is to try to ensure our guests are looked after and made to feel welcome by our team and also that the hotel is clean - the carpets being older are hard to look good but are cleaned often.

We appreciate you staying with us and for the feedback - hopefully we can assist the owners in starting these works as soon as possible.

Regards

Jim Moore
General Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 26 April 2023

Comfortable basic hotel, great location
Staff friendly and helpful.
Restaurant left a bit to be desired somewhat disappointing. Would stay again, but dine elsewhere decor requires refreshing, hall carpets replaced and walls repainted

Date of stay: March 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank C946UVannet
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.
Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this reviewResponded 10 May 2023

Dear Uvannet

Thanks for staying and for your review .

We acknowledge your comments about the age of the hotel and yes the Owners of the property are aware of this and are in the final stages of planning major works - to date this has resulted in us completing a couple of prototype rooms which are not exactly what the finished product will be but allow us the opportunity to decide on this, get the works costed ( we have 273 rooms to upgrade, as well as all of the public areas of the hotel) as well as replacing the lifts. The fourth floor of the hotel was added new a few years back so this does offer more modern facilities but this too will be upgraded at the time and we know that these works will greatly enhance the experience for our guests.

You are correct that we have great beds ( one of the most important aspects of any stay) our aim until the above works get done is to try to ensure our guests are looked after and made to feel welcome by our team and also that the hotel is clean - the carpets being older are hard to look good but are cleaned often.

We appreciate you staying with us and for the feedback - hopefully we can assist the owners in starting these works as soon as possible.

regards

Jim Moore
General Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 26 April 2023 via mobile

The Novotel Lakeside is a very old and tired hotel. It clearly hasn’t been renovated (i dont think ever) and it it shows pretty much everywhere you look.

This property has exactly two things going for it. 1 - the location and 2 - the comfy beds.

Everything else was a disappointment unfortunately. Ugly stained carpets and old scuffed and beaten up wooden panelling lead you to your unbelievably tiny room - which features more ugly stained carpet and wood. The bathrooms are just awful - tiny with no bench space - stained bathtubs with an old school rubber slip mat provided (also pretty gross to look at) and a super old school shower curtain which blows everywhere as soon as you turn the water on.

We were on the ground floor which was a plus as it meant a nice big paved patio with a very uncomfortable table and chairs with a simply superb outlook to the lake. (Note: we paid the extra price for a lakeside view room and noted that the balconies on the upper floors are super tiny - very glad we got the ground floor).

We stayed at Hilton Resort and Spa Queenstown about a week ago and it was LIGHT YEARS better than this dump. Despite it being about a 10 min drive from the city centre, it was so much better, with very large rooms and the most modern contemporary fixtures and furnishings and outlook. If you have hired a car I’d stay at the Hilton over this place (in fact tried to book there and leave here but they were full sadly.)

We also had a hire car but thought it would be nice to spend our last few days in the heart of Queenstown which was nice. This place didn’t spoil our stay or anything it;s just a run down old hotel that isnt worthy he price point - there would be better more modern places in the city no doubt for the same price.

Room tip: They only provide valet parking - otherwise if you want to park yourself they tell you to find a pay car park in the city.
Date of stay: April 2023
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank Drew H
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.
Jim Moore, General Manager at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, responded to this reviewResponded 10 May 2023

Dear Drew H

Thanks for staying and for your review - it was good to hear that the age of the hotel did not spoil your visit.

We acknowledge your comments about the age of the hotel and yes the Owners of the property are aware of this and are in the final stages of planning major works - to date this has resulted in us completing a couple of prototype rooms which are not exactly what the finished product will be but allow us the opportunity to decide on this, get the works costed ( we have 273 rooms to upgrade, as well as all of the public areas of the hotel) as well as replacing the lifts. The fourth floor of the hotel was added new a few years back so this does offer more modern facilities but this too will be upgraded at the time and we know that these works will greatly enhance the experience for our guests.

You are correct that we have one of the best locations in Queenstown - and that we have great beds ( one of the most important aspects of any stay) our aim until the above works get done is to try to ensure our guests are looked after and made to feel welcome by our team and also that the hotel is clean - the carpets being older are hard to look good but are cleaned often.

We apologise that your experience was not as we would want it to be but are please that you enjoyed Queenstown - hopefully in the not too distant future you can come back and witness the works that we will do and get to enjoy a downtown experience as well a great hotel.

Thanks

Jim Moore
General Manager

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