Rydges Rotorua — Hotel in North Island

Dear Rydges Rotorua Management,

I am writing to express my profound dissatisfaction with my recent stay at your establishment. As a frequent traveler and a valued customer of various high-end hotel chains, I had high expectations for my stay at Rydges Rotorua. Unfortunately, my first night at your hotel has been nothing short of a distressing experience.

Upon check-in, I courteously requested a room with a good view, considering we were traveling with elderly family members and children. However, the front desk staff was indifferent and did not make any effort to accommodate our request. We were assigned Room 825, which overlooked the parking lot. I can understand if the hotel was fully booked, but our needs were clearly not prioritized.

The issues encountered in Room 825 were as follows:

The coffee table had visible sand remnants, evidently left by the previous guest.

The carpet was littered with hair and what appeared to be cookie crumbs or similar debris.

When I tried to call the front desk around 3:30 PM to request additional towels, my calls went unanswered multiple times and directly diverted to voicemail. When I finally reached the housekeeping department, the staff member was impatient and directed me back to the front desk, despite my explanation that my calls were not being answered. Although I was promised delivery, the towels never arrived.

After bathing my child, I discovered the bed sheets were stained with mold and covered in hair. It was clear that the bed linens had not been changed.

After raising these concerns with the duty manager, I was moved to Room 824. While this room was supposedly a "view room," it was too late in the evening for us to benefit from this view. The relocation was an inconvenience, as we had to repack and move all our belongings, including those for elderly family members and children.

Room 824 also had several issues:

The carpet and desk were similarly littered with hair and threads.

The bathroom's body wash bottle was empty, indicating that housekeeping had not conducted a thorough check.

As a seasoned business traveler and a Hilton Diamond member, Accor Platinum member, and Marriott Platinum member, I have come to expect a certain standard of service and cleanliness from high-end hotels. My experience at Rydges Rotorua has been a stark contrast to the exemplary service I have received elsewhere. Given my itinerary, which includes multiple nights at Rydges Hotels in various cities across New Zealand, this initial experience has been profoundly disappointing.

The lack of attentiveness and enthusiasm from the front desk staff directly impacts the hotel's reputation. Effective service requires considering the guest's needs and striving to resolve any issues. The cleanliness of the rooms at your hotel fails to meet the standards expected of the Rydges brand. Mold-stained bed linens pose a health risk to guests, and the housekeeping staff's lack of professionalism, coupled with insufficient managerial oversight, will inevitably lead to the loss of valued customers. In light of the current tourism off-season and the global economic downturn, such irresponsible behavior is unacceptable and damaging to your brand.

While the duty manager's decision to change our room was an immediate response to our complaints, it does not compensate for the subpar service and experience we endured. As a valued customer of Rydges, I did not receive the service commensurate with the room rates charged. If this level of service continues, it will undoubtedly tarnish the reputation of the Rydges Hotel brand.

I urge the management to take my feedback seriously and provide appropriate compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused. I reserve the right to escalate this complaint to the relevant authorities if...

I recently stayed at this hotel with a group over the Christmas season, and unfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations.

Location:

The hotel is located outside Rotorua’s city center, making it impractical to walk to central restaurants or attractions. This is worth considering if you plan to explore the city without driving.

Facilities:

The hotel’s facilities for kids are a highlight. The pool is excellent—arguably one of the best I’ve seen in a Rotorua hotel—and the games room adds a nice touch for families. However, these positives were overshadowed by other aspects of the stay.

Rooms:

The hotel is dated and in dire need of renovation in many areas. While I was given a "recently renovated" room, it was disappointing to find visible damage, including missing chunks of gib board and a ceiling that clearly needed attention. The only evident update was new carpet. While the room and bathroom were clean, they could have been much cleaner. The bed was uncomfortable, further detracting from the overall experience.

Pricing:

Being peak season, the room rates were understandably higher, but I felt the pricing exceeded the quality of the hotel. I stayed at other hotels during the same season in comparable towns that were both cheaper and better. Additionally, the hotel charges a surcharge for credit and debit card payments, something I’ve never encountered at a hotel before.

Dining:

The breakfast buffet was adequate, with the inclusion of a gluten-free section being a nice touch for one of our group members with coeliac disease. However, the dinner buffet was disappointing. At $65 per person, I expected much better quality, especially since I am not typically a fan of buffets and hoped for something above average. Sadly, it was subpar even by buffet standards.

Booking and Staff:

The booking process was frustrating from start to finish. The hotel’s website repeatedly errored out on multiple devices, forcing me to book via phone. The phone rates and deals didn’t match the website, and while the hotel agreed to honor the website rate due to technical issues, my confirmation was incorrect and required multiple follow-up calls. This was the same for others in my group, leading to a shared sense of frustration before we even arrived.

At check-in, the receptionist made a big deal about my “renovated” room, which only added to my disappointment upon seeing its condition. During checkout, I left with the rest of my group at 8:30 am, assuming my card would be charged automatically. Later, I received a rude call from a staff member informing me that my card would be charged if I had already left. When I explained that I had checked out earlier, they abruptly ended the call without apology.

Overall, the service felt unprofessional and poorly managed, with many staff seeming inexperienced or inadequately trained.

Conclusion:

While the pool and kids’ facilities are great, the poor booking process, outdated rooms, overpriced dining, and subpar service make it hard to recommend this hotel. There are far better options in Rotorua offering superior quality and value. I won’t be...

We come to Rotorua for a family trip every year and stay here. So, I believe my review is quite genuine, and I deserve to leave one.

[Good things]

If you are planning to visit the Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Village, or Te Puia, it is located in a great spot. It's also far enough from the city center, so there is less noise.

If you can book through a mobile platform app or the Rydges website with a good deal, it's a reasonable per-night price by Rotorua standards.

The bed is quite comfortable. However, the cleanliness of the sheets on the bed could use some improvement.

The facilities are a bit dated, but the outdoor pool and spa are quite nice. There's also a small area next to the pool with table tennis and arcade games.

If you include breakfast when booking the hotel, you can have a good buffet breakfast. There isn't a wide variety, but it has everything you need for a simple morning meal. If you have to pay separately for it, though, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

[Areas for Improvement or Potential Complaints]

Honestly, don't expect the cleanliness or service level of a 4-star hotel. If you're thinking in terms of world standards, you might be disappointed.

I'm not sure if it's because we booked through an online platform app, but the cleanliness of the accommodation was honestly the worst. We noticed this last year, and it's quite disappointing that there has been no improvement.

First off, the carpets aren't cleaned properly. If you're curious, try moving the bed a little and check if they clean under it. You'll likely find a lot of dust. Last year, we found a used water bottle under the bed, and this time, there was a beer cap just lying on the floor. Maintaining a clean carpet is a basic expectation.

Secondly, the issue with the bathroom is that it's extremely dirty, including the toilet. You might feel even more outdated because it hasn't been properly cleaned. There's mold between the tiles, and if you look under the sink, it’s clear that it hasn’t been cleaned at all—there's an incredible amount of dust. This isn't something that can be solved just by RENOVATION. I think it's essential to maintain the rooms through regular deep cleaning to keep them truly clean and in good condition.

One thing I've noticed every time I stay at this hotel is that the staff always seem tired and aren't particularly friendly. Perhaps it's because the Rotorua area attracts many large tour groups from overseas? Depending on how you interpret the situation, it could be seen differently, but it’s hard to describe this hotel as "friendly."

The reason I'm leaving this review is to help bring about improvements, so your business can grow and succeed. There's a high chance we will stay at this hotel again next year, but we hope to see more improvements by then. If you listen to customer feedback and work to identify and address the issues, I'm sure you will become an even...