George Street Motel Apartments — Hotel in South Island

My response to the manager’s misleading comment on Chloe’s review:

First — If your front desk closes at 9 PM and you refuse to check in any guests after that, why does your Agoda page clearly advertise “24-hour front desk” as one of your top amenities? That is false advertising and deceives travelers.

Second — Agoda’s customer service tried multiple times to contact you last night. They told us you did not respond, even after 15 minutes of waiting. Eventually, Agoda confirmed they had to cancel the booking because the hotel did not cooperate. If you truly “spoke with Agoda,” then why did you repeatedly come outside asking us what Agoda said, instead of resolving it directly with them?

Third — Who gave you the right, as a hotel owner and employee, to yell at guests upon arrival? Who gave you the right to question someone’s nationality and make racially charged comments? This is absolutely unacceptable behavior in the hospitality industry.

Fourth — I have received an official apology and confirmation from Agoda that the booking was canceled as a “supplier cancellation”, not “guest cancellation” nor “Agoda cancellation” — meaning the hotel was at fault from Agoda’s point of view. If you insist the booking was not canceled, please go ahead and try to charge us.

Finally — If we hadn’t been treated with such extreme rudeness, discrimination, and verbal abuse, who would spend their vacation time filing complaints with Agoda, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, and New Zealand Consumer Protection? Who would waste precious holiday hours writing a detailed review like this? We were forced to — the situation was so bad that we even had to call the police last night. This is something we never imagined would happen in any hotel interaction, anywhere in the world.

I have traveled for over ten years across more than thirty countries. This is, without doubt, the most shocking and unprofessional experience I have ever had...

Dear George Street Motel,

I must respond to your misleading statement with facts of XIAO Wang’s comments:

Booking details: Our Agoda booking clearly stated 7 adults and 1 child (under 2 years old). Agoda has confirmed this and don't charge infant. You had no right to charge an additional fee for a child who was already included in the booking.

Your aggression: When we arrived after a long drive, we were polite and simply wanted to check in. You started shouting and insulting us right away. We even asked you to calm down, but your manager loudly replied “We don’t need to calm down” and continued to yell.

Discriminatory language: You repeatedly asked “Which country are you from?” and made comments with a clear discriminatory and condescending tone. This is unacceptable behaviour in New Zealand’s hospitality industry.

False claim about policy: Your Agoda listing clearly shows “24-hour front desk” under top amenities. If you do not accept check-in after 9 PM （after hour check-In）, you should have emailed or messaged guests in advance, instead of leaving us outside and yelling at us at 10 PM.

Agoda complaint: When Agoda tried to contact you during our complaint call, you stood beside your phone for over 15 minutes but refused to answer their calls, while repeatedly walking over to us asking what “solution” Agoda would give. This is unprofessional and suspicious.

Agoda has now refunded us in full and confirmed the booking was “cancelled by the supplier”, which speaks for itself.

I sincerely hope future guests will read this and know the truth. We will also be filing a formal complaint to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission for...

Our group of 7 adults and 1 two-year-old child had fully paid through Agoda. We arrived at the motel around 10 PM, exhausted after a long drive, only to find the reception completely closed and no after-hours check-in instructions provided.

When we called the motel for help, the owner answered the phone in a very rude and aggressive tone, shouting at us for “waking them up.” He even threatened to refuse our stay, leaving us effectively stranded in the middle of the night with nowhere to go.

Moments later, he came out from a back room and continued yelling at us face-to-face, using offensive and discriminatory language. He demanded to know what country we were from, implying that people from our country are “impolite.” This was deeply insulting, racist, and completely unacceptable.

We tried to calm the situation and speak respectfully, but he continued to lecture us about “how to behave,” as if he were scolding students rather than speaking to paying guests. His behavior was shockingly unprofessional, aggressive, and demeaning.

To make things worse, the motel tried to charge us extra for our two-year-old child, even though our Agoda booking clearly stated “7 adults and 1 child.” The owner also imposes a curfew-style rule for guests — dictating what time people are “allowed” to arrive or enter — which was never mentioned on the booking page.

Overall, this was the worst accommodation experience we have ever had. The owner’s hostility, discrimination, and refusal to accommodate tired travelers late at night were appalling. Absolutely not recommended, especially for families or...