KELLY'S RIVERSIDE MOTEL — Hotel in North Island

Complaint – Behaviour of Kelly’s Riverside Motel(Mike) staff. Charge of $150 for microwave damage from the credit card without consent. Story - We asked in the morning around 9.30 am if we can check out around 10.30am which was declined by Mike. He said 10.00am means 10.00am no later than that which was really rude. So to check out before 10.00am we cooked our breakfast in a hurry. During that a pack of popcorn which we put in microwave got overcooked which left marks inside the microwave. We binned that packet of popcorn and cooked another one which were cooked fine. We didn’t realise that the overcooked popcorn packet left marks inside the microwave until I saw the picture which I requested from Kelly’s Riverside Motel (see picture attached) after being charged $150 for Microwave damage. When I called Motel. Mike was rude and said that we ran away. Note- I went back to Motel half an hour after checking out to return the room keys which I took along with me in hurry. He did not discuss anything and took the key. On the call he even mentioned that he would have charged more if we have not checked out by 10.00am. Motel was empty and lot of rooms were available , I don’t know what a half an hour late check out would have costed him. When told that $150 is not justified to charge for the stains in the 6-8 year old microwave which is working fine. You can charge a genuine fee of $40-50. Kelly’s Riverside Motel (Mike) said that they can’t put that microwave for use due to the stains even if its working fine. The way he talked was really rude and disrespectful. Regarding cleanliness - When we checked in the room we were welcomed by a cockroach on the bed. See picture attached. When I informed Kelly’s Riverside Motel(Mike) in the morning he laughed and ignored like its normal. DON’T EVER PROVIDE YOUR CREDIT/DEBIT CARD DETAILS TO THIS PROPERTY. They will charge you for anything without your permission. Worst experience of...

The beds were comfy, one of the owners was particularly helpful and friendly, and the cooking facilities were good. The shower was super!

The big down-side was the noise! Our unit was on the back boundary where the back neighbour (not related to the motel) sat up holding court to his mates half the night with a loud opinion on everything. And out the front, the main intersection into Taumarunui from the west (trucks all night) combined with the railway made a constant racket.

There weren't enough towels, cutlery, glasses or china for the 3 people booked - only 2 of everything. This even made preparing an evening meal inconvenient.

We had to ask for the third item of everything. We asked for an extra towel, and the guy kindly gave us several extra plus another shampoo and soap, but having the bare minimum of cutlery to cook with even seemed pretty random.

I guess they expect a lot of inconsiderate guests though, as there were signs all over asking guests to cover pans to avoid splatter (tinfoil provided) and to cover things in the microwave (plastic wrap provided).

We and some cyclists were the only non-work guests there at the time (the others being roading crews, truckies, etc. The other guests seemed quiet and considerate.

So a convenient location, but take your ear plugs! And perhaps your own...

Fantastic hosts who make you feel so welcome even when arriving later in the evening (and leaving early) - location is great with walking distance to main shopping area. This is a basic motel and we were in a studio unit (kitchen, ensuite and bedroom with TV)…we visited in summer for essentially rest overnight during long road trip. Bed was comfortable (more comfortable than expected) - toilet and shower adequate but beware of train noise. We didn’t use the heat pump at all and the room temperature was comfortable however, if this was not summer I would be concerned about the block brick construction and single glaze windows ability to conduct heat. Overall a good choice for short stay base - villas certainly more spacious appearance but as mentioned this was studio stay. Studio kitchen was older but adequate for meal preparation if needed. Also great to have car parking near unit. Our short stay was satisfactory - would recommend for short stay but note train tracks nearby with occasional overnight train noise if you are a light sleeper.|Useful also to know is the office access involves a steep ramp and use of steps which may not be great for those with...