Mt Cook Lodge & Motels — Hotel in South Island

One of the very few choices in Mount Cook. A bit confusing when I tried to book... It has everything that can accommodate from backpackers, comfortable and family stays.

There is the lodge and motels. The lodge is in the main building with the reception and the newer renovated (newer motels/chalets are located somewhere else where either you drive to the location (which most people does that) or take their shuttle van.

We booked the Lodge Room Valley View 1 King Bed (not knowing how the hotel setup is like) and luckily its in the main building. The rest of the options are more like for homestay where you want to do some cooking etc.

What I like: Valley view - amazing! Room looks exactly like the pictures on the internet I forgot my travel adapter but luckily they have a USB in the room for me to charge my powerbanks. Nice and friendly front desk staffs The heating system works and sufficient for us (but this is summer so may be different from winter)

What I do not like: Walls are thin, we stayed on the Ground floor and it felt like earthquake when people on the upper floor are moving around! No noise proof. Wifi is horrible. The kettle in our room has rice bits! Asked for a replacement the first response was they may not have anymore kettles. They did bring it in the end since the old one is so dirty! Breakfast for almost NZD20 and it consists of cold stale bread, some juices and thats all. The whole place looks like a ghost restaurant in the morning, so did not want to spend our money there. Too expensive for such quality. 3 star hotel setup but more expensive than 5 star hotel. Limited food choices - only one restaurant

I also found out that the even more expensive Hermitage is their most luxurious option. Which costs 2x of any 5 star hotel in the city... We took the shuttle van to the other side - shuttle van drivers are very cold so don't expect any friendliness from them. Just doing their job.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the only "decent" option available in Aoraki which is really small. Of course Hermitage is better but not worth paying double so thats why we picked this. Food in this place is also super overpriced for really poor quality. The whole area seems like a rip off anyway, so if I do return there's really not much options and this might be a revisit, but will ask for the...

During a recent visit to Mt Cook, our plans were unexpectedly disrupted by adverse weather, leading to the cancellation of my accommodation at a Tramping hut. Unfortunately, this left two families without a place to stay on Saturday night. I understand that The Heritage hotel, lodge and motels were fully booked and couldn’t provide a room for that night. However, the real disappointment stemmed from the hotel's response to our predicament.

Despite the unforeseen circumstances, the staff showed a complete lack of empathy towards our situation. We had a booking for Sunday night, which we could no longer utilise due to no Saturday accommodation. When we requested the possibility of adjusting our Sunday reservation to another date, the staff rigidly adhered to the 48-hour cancellation policy without considering the unique circumstances. This inflexible approach was not only frustrating but also left us feeling undervalued as customers.

The lack of compassion was even more evident when compared to the emergency accommodation we managed to find for Saturday night (closest was 90min outside of Mt Cook). The staff at this alternative location went above and beyond to accommodate us, waiving their usual minimum stay requirement to assist in our time of need. This stark contrast highlighted what customer service should look like, especially in the face of unexpected travel disruptions.

Given the frequency of weather events at Mt Cook, a more understanding and flexible approach would be appreciated by travelers. Unfortunately, due to this experience, and the likelihood of others experiencing similar weather issues, I cannot recommend the Heritage hotel, lodge and motels to others. The strict adherence to policy over customer care in extraordinary situations is a significant drawback, one that I hope the Hertiage will reconsider in the future to improve its service and...

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. I booked the room through the Hermitage website. They did not have availability for all the days we needed at the Hermitage so the site offered the Lodge instead. It was very misleading to market a 2 star property on a 4 star hotel website. That’s like going to the IHG site and trying to book the IHG and instead, getting the Holiday Inn. But in that situation, you’d know exactly what you’re getting because it’s very clear in the brands. If I had known I was getting a Holiday Inn, that would have been fine. Clarify your marketing and separate the brands.

The stay was extra disappointing because of my expectations. The walls were very thin, you could easily hear conversations through the wall. We were woken up every morning by slammed doors. The heater/AC remote was screwed into the wall so you had limited control on simple things like where the airflow pointed. They didn’t even have a single lamp inside the room so if you wanted any light, you’d be blasted in the face via the overhead lights that were directed over the pillows. The water vending machine on-site was perpetually empty and if you wanted filtered water, you had to go to the bar to ask for it. But the bar doesn’t even open until 3:30. If you purchase the breakfast and dinner buffets, the restaurant is 1km away and parking isn’t guaranteed so you better be ready to walk 4kms per day for your meals. There are no lunch options until the Chamois opens at 3:30z

The only positives of the stay was that the room was clean and its location. That made it convenient for the hikes. Other than that, I’d recommend finding a place in Twizel which is about a 40 min drive each way. You’re spending a bunch of time walking back and forth for...