Mercure Queenstown Resort — Hotel in South Island

Bad. Not advised of scaffolding being built outside our room for scheduled maintenance. Whilst we were shifted to an unaffected room, that's also an inconvenience when you're packing up and moving often enough whilst traveling. The hotel was shabby with WC's that didn't work properly, toilet seats that were loose and crooked, door handles not aligned or crooked, holes in the wall and peeling wall coverings. I noticed water services running across the ceiling outside a bulkhead with no sealant around the holes left in the walls. There were no toilet brushes in the wc's of both rooms we occupied. The hotels restaurant, South Eatery, billed itself as a 5 star restaurant! Not our experience. Trainee waitress is one thing, 3 times having to leave the table to enquire from the kitchen about the menu presented. Getting the soup of the day wrong and badly pouring the wine, are all things you can gloss over as she was learning, looked and acted like it was her first day. However, when directed elsewhere and wait duty taken over by a senior staff member, only the wine pouring improved. The food wasn't bad, if a bit dry. We had Salmon & venison dishes. The entrees were soup, yet we had to ask for the appropriate cutlery. We also had to ask again for butter and a butter knife for the bread with the soup. The butter when it was supplied, was a small packet, that was used for the Mercure's Rises restaurant where the continental and cooked breakfasts were. Not what I would expect a 5 star restaurant would produce. The continental breakfast was barely adequate and the cooked breakfast was disappointing. String bacon was undercooked, scranyeggs were over cooked. The sausages were just horrible. Why do these large hotels stock reconstituted hi cholesterol food, I won't call the sausages meat. The coffee machine was archaic and should be retired, or better models purchased. No better than instant which is what I'd expect in a 2 star hotel. The price of the continental was $NZD19:00 and $NZD25:00 for the cooked. The quality vis a vee the price left a bad taste in our mouths. If we weren't on holiday and just did not want any aggravation we would have commented. The scaffolders waking us up on our third morning was the straw that broke the back. We did complain and were accomodated, however, as previously stated, that was not the point. Our new room was no better, apart from an uninterrupted view. After 33 years in construction I often note the defects in buildings. The Mercure Queenstown have numerous in the brief sojourn I had there. The accomodation and associated costs did not reflect the hype. The one thing we came away with after our stay was disappointment and a resolve to stay in Wanaka next visit rather than the Mercure or...

The views are fantastic, 5 stars but if it wasn't for the views, then you'd possibly, wouldn't bother staying here. It's true, the Hotel is in need of some love.

The staff are great, friendly and helpful but it's a shame that Accor Group doesn't invest more money into the actual Hotel to help their employees do their jobs, as they are literally carrying the place for the upper management eg: Sarah Derry - Chief Executive Officer - Pacific. Sarah, have you stayed here recently? Rescue your floor staff! They're doing the best that they can with, well ... this. And there's some work to be done, a total makeover.

The hotel, way back when it first opened, was originally a 'Holiday Inn'. It used to have a silver service restaurant, serving top class food to guests in the amazing restaurant - now called 'Vista' - with majestic views of the Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables beyond.

Sadly not the case now, far from it, Vista - the main restaurant sat empty while I was a guest, due to a sad and frankly unimaginative menu that could be whipped up by a kitchen hand out the back, a menu that inspires nothing, except mainly fear, fear of the unknown. Is this going to be created with love? Or reheated in a microwave? It's a shame because this restaurant used to be busy all the time.

Rooms are basic, my room had a superb view, the shower had some mould, ( I did a Karen and complained ) it was a very simple room, no mini bar. I ordered room service, it was prompt. Later I ordered an chocolate ice cream Sundae, this was not on the menu - very basic room service menu BTW - it arrived promptly $8.00 (two scoops).

The pool area has great potential, it's presently ok but again you could get a landscaper in to to spruce the whole place up, you used to be able to order drinks and food here! Poolside service!

Breakfast at 'Rises Restaurant', ho hum, bog standard stuff, weird scrambled eggs, spongy chicken sausages, watery mushrooms, that kinda thing - awesome views though! But you'd get way better kai in a Koru Lounge. Way better.

The overall feeling you get staying here it is that Accor Group must be in financial trouble, they've run out of money, this place is running on empty, relying on boozy conferences for hyper sales people instead of cashed up guests looking for some sanctuary from bustling Queenstown - and it's unfair on the staff who work here - who try hard.

So come on Sarah, get the chequebook out, put some love and energy into this place, it deserves it and so do these people who...

Stayed at the Mercure Queenstown for a birthday getaway. The hotel itself is cosy and ideally located just a few minutes from the city center. The stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and the snow capped mountains were absolutely spectacular..

As a Platinum Accor member, we were assigned a parking spot, clearly marked with our name. However, a fellow inconsiderate guest reshuffled the parking spaces on some nights, nearly leaving us without parking. I want to commend the hotel staff for their prompt and effective responses to resolve these issues each time.

A special shoutout to Raven, who went above and beyond to ensure our comfort and satisfaction throughout our stay. Her attention to detail, warm hospitality and genuine care made a significant difference. I never felt overlooked or less valued, even though I’m quite certain she would have treated all guests just as well. Raven’s great personality truly enhanced our experience at the Mercure Queenstown.

Additionally, there was a young man working the morning shift who also tried to help resolve our parking issue. Although I didn’t catch his name, he was was fantastic and very helpful.

I usually don’t bother with minor complaints, especially over something as trivial as parking, but the incident with the other guest moving our assigned space was frustrating. Out of courtesy, I won’t mention the guest’s name (I know their name as they switched it with mine), but I hope they can show a bit more decorum and respect for fellow guests when they stay at other hotels or go anywhere in public.

Apart from that, the hotels facilities including the gym, sauna and restaurant were excellent. The breakfast buffet, whilst not that extensive was delicious. The staff kept the dining area clean and tables cleared efficiently. Special shout out to Marty who was extremely hospitable to everyone and very efficient and just very pleasant to deal with.

Thank you to the entire team for an unforgettable stay. We will...