La Quinta by Wyndham Parnell Auckland — Hotel in Waitematā

A decent hotel that is in a convenient location to Auckland Strand, my experience being brought down by two things - a room defect and a customer service defect.

A welcome start to the room - my late arrival was welcomed by Raj who checked me in and even called the room a few minutes after I entered it.

The rest of the trip was up to departure was without incident, apart from the air conditioner making the room smell like smoke after about an hour of using it (the HVAC system said the filter needed to be changed).

However upon checkout I couldn't find one of my room keys. I returned one but could not find the other. As such the hotel charged me $10 for not returning it. While they are entitled to do so, this practice never reflects positively on the hotels that do this. They said the whole thing was to promote "sustainability" - contradicted by their actual practices of 1) replenishing linens, coffee, and tea daily; 2) the cards being the plastic white kind which cost less than $0.50, and 3) the faucet poured so much water it would overflow the sink in about a minute.

Not wanting to accept defeat, I decided to look through my dirty clothes - in the hotel lobby - for about 15 minutes before giving up. It was probably left in the room, but if not, I will return it when I find it.

Overall, while I started out optimistic about the property, I left feeling defeated and pathetic, and I won't forget...

I absolutely loved my stay here. The rooms are new and fresh and everything is very clean, which is a priority for me. The sound proofing us excellent. The curtains blocked out the light well as well for a deep sleep. The kitchen had everything you might need including salt and pepper, tea and coffee and hot chocolate as well as a plunger coffee as an option.

The bathroom is spacious with lovely shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap and shower gel. They smell amazing . The mirror had anti fog option as well as 3 different lighting options , which was very useful for makeup application as I was traveling for an event.

The check in was lovely and the consierge checked with me if I knew the area and if I needed any recommendations.

I didn't use the gym, but had a looksie, it's very small, but if you are a fitness bunny, you can make it work!

I liked the security at night, where you can only get in with a key card and the same about getting to the hotel floors via elevator.

A+++ no...

Close to the Northern Explorer, though I wish I had stayed elsewhere for the money and caught a taxi to the train. The highway outside was being rebuilt all night and while not the hotel's fault, they didn't acknowledge it. Beware there's an empty section next door, which will eventually be under construction. The in-room fridge is new but noisy. All hotel rooms are from the 4th floor down, so close to the highway. No breakfast or restaurant available (it is a short walk to Parnell restaurants and shops). Amenities include an alarm clock with a wireless charger, but it blinks madly while charging and the clock doesn't dim, so it's worse than nothing. I asked for a quiet room and got one with a restricted window. Sizeable bed with comfortable mattress. Sufficient for a single night, but I you might consider elsewhere for...