The Spire Hotel Queenstown — Hotel in South Island

My First Nations friend from Canada and I were on a roadie around Dunedin and Queenstown and decided on our second to last night to treat ourselves to two nights at The Spire. Finding the place on Google Maps was a bit of a mission as it is down a pedestrian alleyway - but as soon as we walked into reception, we were treated like queens. They offered to find and park our car, bring in our suitcases and help with everything.

A massive shout out to Antonia (it was her first post-training day) and Joel, whom we called Josh throughout our visit (sorry, Joel), the proactive, awesome, attentive, friendly 24-hour concierge team during our two-night visit. You two, in particular, really made us feel special. They both went out of their way to be helpful and assist us with local recommendations and bookings for dinner and other activities.

The rooms are spacious and luxurious - mid-century inspired - think Austin Powers with taste and a fire to boost! The balconies were large, with furniture for four to six people. The office desk and chair were extremely comfortable for the zooms and emails I did during our trip - this is usually NOT the case. More often than not, hotel study chairs and desks usually make my neck and back hurt! Attention to detail that I truly appreciate! The bathroom was spacious with a huge bath and a toilet with a door. Having a separate space for luggage was genius - keeping the girl mess out of the main room.

The in-room provisions represented Aotearoa quality (Whittakers choccy, proper crisps, antipodes water, benjer juices, teas - all inclusive). The spirits and wines were a nod to NZ artisan distilling and wineries. The welcome drinks/cocktails were whatever you fancied and not limited to the usual house brands - thank you! negroni, please.

We booked a spa at The Vault after going through the offerings with Antonia, and we have to say that both therapists (massive thanks to Michelle, my masseuse) were incredible and provided an excellent myofascial release. You were able to select your oil fragrance from four options. Again the attentiveness of the concierge at Eckhardts was also to be commended - running back upstairs to grab my shawl for me as I melted away from my massage.

The breakfasts (included in the room price) were also good if standard fare - although I have been inspired by places that do more savoury options (Shashuka, Kedgeree, Dahl or even tomato and pesto on a great wholegrain). The pastries were fresh and tasty and the fruit platter was ripe and sweet. The coffee was a bit average, which is the only criticism I have. But I am a coffee snob - so for most people, it is probably fine.

The price for this type of luxury is way more than I and most would usually spend, but it is so amazing all around - I have stayed at the Hotel Britomart (once), and it is not a patch on The Spire staff, facilities (room size and provisions) and service. If I could add more stars to this review, I really would!

I said to my friend that staying here was making me feel very entitled - she quipped, "Just like a white man!" Boy, did we laugh!

Totally recommend it for a girl's luxury getaway (we room shared with two beds) or a romantic escape - you will never want to leave. Thank you to all the staff in the front and behind the scenes who made our time so memorable and special. Now to wrangle the husband to...

The description of our room on the website says “The Laneway Suites are ideal for those with an appreciation of spirited cities, overlooking the walkway beneath.” I would rewrite that to be, “you will look directly at someone’s exhaust fan and into their apartment and listen to drunk bros yell all night in the alley below” The hallway carpets are tattered and stained. Our bed skirt was also stained. The bedside tables are weirdly far from the beds and fixed to the wall so they can’t be moved. It looks like they used to have king sized beds and went down to queen or something. The decor is dated and there is a sign up “subtly reminding” not to steal the toiletries (how very welcoming). They still use old school keys with the name of the hotel and the room number prominently displayed (this is a safety risk if the key is ever lost) and the safety latch on the door inside our room was broken. The mini bar which includes items that are at no additional cost is a nice touch, but not worth the outrageous price for what has been one of the most disappointing hotel stays of our South Island trip Paying this much I expect to enjoy my experience, not have to sleep with earplugs and the curtains drawn and all times. Honestly, I can’t believe more people haven’t commented on the noise and the terrible views. Note that the on-site restaurant is closed so breakfast is served around the corner at another hotel. The staff were nice but the best thing I can stay about this hotel is we only...

In theory this should have been a wonderful stay but in reality it certainly wasn’t. What you’d think would have been a fabulous location (because it was close to the beach/lake, botanical gardens, gondola, eateries, bars, shops etc, etc - sounds great right?!) actually turned out to be a bad choice of location. The Spire is located in a quaint little lane way that you’d expect would be quiet BUT, be warned…..The Club (adult entertainment and strip club is located opposite the front door of the hotel) so you get nothing but noise from party goers and thumping music until at least 2:30/3:00 am. The staff were nice, the rooms were good and the turn down service was very good but if you can’t get any sleep then what’s the point of saying you’re ‘on holidays’??? In another location this boutique hotel could have been fantastic but they charge an arm and a leg considering the noise (apparently The Club isn’t open on Monday nights so maybe stay at The Spire then). It’s an ideal place for young people to stay if they want a holiday that involves night clubbing and partying but it certainly wasn’t suitable for us (in our 60’s). No parking is available either so on top of what we already had to pay, we also had a $40 per day parking/valet charge. Sorry The Spire, but did what you charge, we expected to be able to sleep but found all 3 nights pretty bad with Wednesday night being atrocious - would hate to be there on the weekend when things...