Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua — Hotel in North Island

I stay a lot at Rydges, and I’m shocked by this hotel! Reception staff is extremely unprofessional, not nice at all and a shame for this hotel. It’s also a shame how this once beautiful hotel is tearing apart (see pictures of suite), but the staff is much worse.

Front staff denied “early check-in” when I arrived at 11am, because the hotel was fully booked last night, and said check-in would be at normal check-in time 2pm, if earlier, they would call me. I come back at 2:10pm, they tell me that the room is still not ready. Then she tells me that the room hasn’t been stayed in, so it should be ready, but she will send housekeeping to check. 5 minutes later, we can have the room. Frustrating to know that we could have had it when we first arrived at 11am (according to our Black tier benefits). They also first refused me an upgrade, because they were fully booked this night as well. I went on their website and see that they have plenty of rooms available, including a suite, so I go back and talk to her. This time she admits that they have a better room and tells me that I can have that. So already before I’m in the room, the hotel staff has been lying about two things: 1. That they were fully booked last night. 2. That they are fully booked tonight. No apology, just a harsh tone.

In the room, the minibar lacks several items and there’s no complimentary water and gift, which I’m entitled to. Another disappointment. This was fixed by the only nice person I met in the reception later in the evening. He also fixed late check-out, which the other staff said they had to contact the manager about and would let me know shortly, but they never came back to me. This was the only reception staff helping us out and being nice and polite.

The restaurant staff and chef is a completely different experience. They provided great service and great food. I also had a great breakfast in the room. But the lunch menu is so tiny it’s a joke. And the bar was closed already at 9pm. That meant no cocktails for dinner, only beer, house wine and soft drinks.

Furthermore, the hotels pool have been closed for a long time, but while we were staying the gym were also “Out of order”, looking through the windows there were a couple of equipments in a dark almost empty room. It also has to be said that the whole hotel fees like a ghost house, with almost no people anywhere. No people in the restaurant when we arrived at 9pm, no people in the lobby or restaurant when we arrived at 11am, and again when we were back at 2pm. No people at all. And they were almost sold out. Unbelievable.

It’s the worst Rydges experience I’ve had and I’ve checked-in to Rydges 12 times just the last two months (1-5 nights each time) in Canberra, Campbelltown, Brisbane Southbank, Brisbane Fortitude, Christchurch, Wellington and Rotorua + Atura Blacktown and Atura Adelaide.

At 10:58am this morning I got a call from reception, telling us that we have to checkout immediately. This was actually Rydges HQ fault, as they had mixed up memberships and reached out to the hotel to tell them that we were not entitled to our benefits. I personally contacted HQ and clarified the misunderstanding and they sent a new email to the hotel. The guy who called me this morning to tell us that we had to check out immediately, had obviously not read the second email. He had a harsh tone on the phone, and could have tried to be more nice when delivering such a message. Again, no apology, when I explained it to him.

It’s impressive that the staff at this hotel have managed to make a loyal guest with top-tier membership feel so unwelcome at their hotel. With a pool and gym out of order, an always empty restaurant and a ghostly vibe, they should at least try to make their guest feel welcome at the hotel. The staff didn’t manage to do this at all.

I’m sorry, but I can’t recommend anyone staying at this hotel. Choose somewhere else. And Rydges, you should start a new chain, downgrading hotels like this one and Rydges Canberra to a lower-end brand. It’s really a shame for the...

Dear Arawa Park Hotel Management,

I am writing to convey my profound disappointment regarding my recent check-in experience at your hotel. As a frequent traveler who values high standards of service, I was taken aback by the indifference and lack of professionalism displayed by your front desk staff.

Upon my arrival just before 3 PM, I approached the front desk to inquire if any rooms were ready. Despite understanding that 3 PM is the standard check-in time, my extensive experience with high-end hotels has shown that accommodating guests with ready rooms is a common courtesy. Unfortunately, the front desk employee’s response was far from courteous.

When I approached the front desk and greeted the female employee, she neither responded to my greeting nor made eye contact. She appeared preoccupied, and her smile felt insincere. When I inquired about the possibility of an early check-in, she curtly informed me that no rooms were available and suggested I pay extra for an expedited service. Throughout our interaction, she spoke rapidly and incessantly, leaving me unable to interject. This encounter made it abundantly clear that she neither valued my patronage nor took pride in her role.

After my inquiry, I sat in the lobby and observed the same employee assisting another guest, seemingly of European descent. The stark contrast in her demeanor was striking — she greeted the guest warmly, engaged in pleasant conversation, and facilitated the check-in process seamlessly. This inconsistency in service based on perceived guest profiles is both unprofessional and unacceptable.

As a seasoned business traveler and valued member of Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Marriott Platinum, and GHA Platinum, Etc. I have certain expectations when staying at a high-end hotel. My previous experiences with Rydges Hotels have been exemplary, making this incident at Arawa Park Hotel all the more disheartening.

Adding to my dissatisfaction, upon entering my room, I discovered multiple cleanliness issues. The carpet had visible debris, including stones and what appeared to be cookie crumbs. Such lapses in cleanliness are a direct reflection of inadequate housekeeping and oversight. In a period where tourism is struggling, such negligence can drive away loyal customers and tarnish your hotel’s reputation.

On a positive note, I would like to commend your Duty Manager, Ying, whose warm and professional demeanor was a stark contrast to my earlier experience. Her genuine smile, proactive greeting, and thorough responses to my queries were greatly appreciated. Similarly, another front desk male staff member in a white uniform exhibited commendable service standards.

Despite these isolated positive interactions, the overall experience has left me profoundly dissatisfied. As a guest who has chosen to stay at Rydges and Arawa Hotels in various New Zealand cities, I expected a level of service commensurate with the brand’s reputation. Instead, I encountered a series of avoidable issues that have severely impacted my perception of your hotel.

I urge the management to address these concerns seriously and implement appropriate measures to ensure such incidents do not recur. Additionally, I request suitable compensation for the inconvenience and distress caused. Should this matter not be resolved satisfactorily, I will not hesitate to escalate my complaint to the relevant authorities.

I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution that restores my faith in the Rydges and Arawa...

Upon arrival the front of house was friendly and accommodating. We had booked a deluxe king suite, however upon entering the room it was anything but deluxe. The furniture was dated, scratched, the draws in the dresser were broken and the room with the Spa was in need of some maintenance. The roof was cracked where you could clearly see it had been leaking and the window frames also showed water damage. The ceiling fan was not secured to the ceiling via the brackets and was coming away and was hanging on only by the wires. The bathroom/ toilet provided us with a half and a quarter roll of very thin toilet paper, instead of at least having 1 full new roll. There were also tissues in a tissue box, just a few which had been folded and pIaced in the existing box. It was disappointing.

After going out to do some exploring around the town, the heavens opened and the rain came down in bucket loads. When we got back to the room, we found that the spa room which adjoins the main room had been flooded, water pooled all over the floor. This was a hazard. It was clear that this was not the first time it happened.

Going to see the front of house to advise them and to request a room change, we were told O no, this is a 111 situation and not acceptable and they would give us another room. We were told we could either wait in the lobby while they sorted another room or go back to our room and they would bring us the keys to a new room, we opted for the second option. After waiting for 1 hour we rang to see what was going on, and the chap in the front desk hung up on my husband. My husband had had enough, and went to go and see why it was taking so long to get this resolved not to mention the fact he had been hung up on. On his way there the chap we had been dealing with was casually walking to our room, and when he saw my husband he quickened his pace and provided a key to the room next door, but did not bother to come and see all of the flooding. We were given the room right next door, not much better than the one we were in. Soap and empty body wash was left in the bathroom from previous occupants! I mean come on..we have just come out of the Covid 19 lockdown and soap from previous guests is left in the shower. At least this time we had toilet paper. The room still leaked around the windows but not to the extent of the first room we had. The dining chairs need replacing as when you sat on them they were ready to fall apart. This was supposed to have been a memorable experience for us as it was our 32nd wedding anniversary weekend away. Very disappointing, with a little care, upkeep and maintenance this would have been better. Being able to open a window or the door to the patio outside even better, but everything was bolted shut. Very suffocating and hot with no air circulation. We got no apologies to the service or the rooms provided. Upon leaving we paid the full price, our deposit we paid was not deducted off our bill, but we were told it would be credited back to our account within 3-4 working days. We got no apologies, and we were told that the chap we had been dealing with was actually the Manager. We were also told there was a miscommunication in getting this resolved. So much for good customer satisfaction and service. This is a health hazard and they should not be booking out rooms in this state. Very disappointing and not a place I...