Kingsgate Hotel Te Anau — Hotel in Fiordland Community

This is more of a motel, not hotel. Unfortunately the ratings on Expedia were false and this hotel was promoted. It was one of the few options available as everything else was booked up. They get a lot of tour operators with large block bookings. Hands down the worst place we stayed in on our New Zealand trip.

PROS: location in Te Anau. It’s close to Milford sound. It is “waterfront” location. You can see the lake from the front of the building. Just not from most rooms…There is a restaurant on site, we did not try it but heard it was good.

CONS: rooms and building are very dated. The bathroom is small. The photos online make it look much larger than it is. There is no elevator. There is no microwave. There is no ventilation in the rooms or bathrooms. The fan in the bathroom appears to be broken. The windows have no insect screens. Windows are old, single paned, and fog up.

The shower drain was clogged. The anti slip mat in the bathtub was actually MORE slippery than the tub itself as it was very old and the suction no longer worked (but ironically there are multiple signs in the bathroom asking you to use this anti slip mat). The front desk lady was very nice, but the front desk man with glasses was condescending. There is usually no parking available as the lot is small and some people park over the lines since each spot is very narrow. You will probably have to park on the street if you arrive later in the day. Overall, just avoid this place. There are better options for similar prices but they book up fast and for good reason.

Tldr: disappointing :( Don’t stay here unless there’s nothing better available! And don’t believe the photos, they don’t accurately...

I'm a bit surprised by some of the other reviews here. While it is not the best hotel in the world, it was pretty good. I'd happily stay there and again and would recommend it. Yes, there might be more inspired options in town and this is the only one I visited, but I thought it was fine. The price/ quality relationship was particularly good. We arrived late at night and needed 2 rooms, and were pleasantly surprised by the price. I didn't try the food, and the late night staff were a bit unprofessional, dare I say didn't have a great deal of professionalism or care in the way they presented themselves, and that might be something that management might like to consider. Also, I was there with a large vehicle and there were maybe 3 other rooms occupied in the whole hotel, and the night manager asked me (very late at night) to move it because it was in the fire lane - which I thought was pretty hilarious because a) it was parked properly, and b) there was probably still a good 5m for a hypothetical fire truck to drive past - but as I say I thought this was just so silly it was actually funny. Overall I...

There is no doubt that the building itself is a little tired, but that can be overlooked as the level of service is really outstanding. Having worked in hospitality I can honestly say you would seldom find better! I was part of a tour of over 60s who stayed there 3 nights. Top marks for the comfort of the bed. My only concern was the shower over bath situation. The bath itself is very deep and anyone with mobility issues takes their life in their hands attempting to safely maneuver getting over the lip and past the shower curtain whilst maintaining their footing. The rubber mat provided to prevent slipping didn't do its job as the suction failed to adhere to the bottom of the bath. It was a very close call the first night I used it. My suggestion for even the able is to close the curtain, allow the shower to reach temperature, then shut it off and open the curtain. Then get in the bath ensuring the mat is secure and once you have secured your footing, close curtain and turn on your preheated water. I know this is long winded but it was a close call for me and I would hate anyone...