MARSDEN VIADUCT — Hotel in Waitematā

The room and bathroom were clean and tidy but the TV not being connected to the aerial and the fact it was so far away from the bed meant you could not watch TV without dragging the unit halfway into the room and signing into apps on a public device. This isn't useful when you need to watch the news because of a local state of emergency. The only way to watch TV is to download apps (which require you to sign in using a google account to a public tv). You then have to log in to those apps to be able to watch anything (TVNZ, TV3, Netflix etc.). You then have to remember to log out of those apps before you leave the hotel (which I forgot to do). The hotel has said they would log out of the apps for me, and I can only trust they have done this as TVNZ cannot be remotely logged out.

Extra pillows are available in the cupboard, and the aircon worked to cool the room down. The one-way blinds are great, so you can still enjoy the view without others seeing into your room.

This hotel is in a prime location on the Viaduct Harbour. Located in the Sofitel Hotel, guests need to be aware that this is not the Sofitel, and the facilities are not available.

Unfortunately the service is where the whole experience of this hotel falls. After a massive storm in Auckland, a local state of emergency was called. The hotel building (Sofitel) suffered severe flooding, and upon our return to the building, we were greeted by Sofitel staff to show us to our room. There were no Marsden staff to be seen. The Sofitel staff advised us that the management would put a letter under the door that evening to let us know what was happening.

We received no letter (because we were Marsden guests); however, the following morning, I got a copy stating everything was okay with the building and that the fire and emergency systems were operational; therefore, the building could remain occupied. At around 11 am, a member of Marsden staff knocked on the door, advising us that we would have to leave the hotel because the Body Corp had deemed the building unsafe. I referred the staff member to the letter from Sofitel, which stated the building was ok, and he went to check. He returned and advised us that we were correct and that it was ok for us to stay. We then went out for the day.

Upon returning at around 5 pm, we received another knock on the door, this time another staff member advising us that one of the fire systems were broken and that we would need to leave the hotel within 2 hours. I asked where they intended for us to go, and she could not answer... the answer to that question was nowhere. There were no arrangements to re-house the guests in another hotel in the area. The only option was to receive a refund for that evening and then find our own solution as to where we would stay. All of this happened during a local 'state of emergency' where people were told to stay home and not go out unless absolutely required.

Whilst I understand the building had issues, the hotel must find alternate accommodations for its guests when a situation arises. This should not be placed on the guests who are not from the city they are staying in and have no way to organise alternate accommodation. Ultimately, we went to the airport and spent the night there as we could not get alternate accommodation before flying to Christchurch.

And then on top of this, the refund for the room has not been processed back to our card so we could not pay for another accommodation even if we could get a room. There is no reason this refund could not have been processed immediately... you managed to take the payment straight away, so you could have completed the refund straight away too (and it is still not showing on my card).

All of this to say it would be unlikely we would stay at the Marsden again. If the situation had been handled better, we would have stayed again and recommended it. The room was clean, tidy, and comfortable, and the view and location were fantastic, but the customer service, in the face of adversity, and amenities, let this...

LONG READ AHEAD….

Unfortunately for me I did not read the reviews prior to booking. I believe I have had a very similar experience to many others that I have read.

I booked a Deluxe King Room for 2 adults for 2 nights, with an extra large double bed through booking.com - $409 The confirmation email explained the check in process, which I found a bit strange but stayed optimistic with my thoughts. The correspondence asked us to call the Marsden Hotel when we arrive, which went on to say someone would greet us down stairs to take us to their “exclusive reception” I thought WOW. Only to be standing in the lobby area of Sofitel Hotel for 20mins confused and waiting before someone finally comes down to take us to level 3 where the Marsden Reception was located and in all honesty it felt anything but “exclusive”. If I were to describe it I would have to say it felt very cheap and underwhelming. None the less we checked in. To then be asked to pay a $10 bond via eftpos, we did this then I enquired about car parking. I was told it would cost an additional $45 per night so $90 for the 2 nights, perfect we were happy with that. We weren’t asked to pay via eftpos as we had just done with the bond so I assumed it would be charged to the room and we’d pay upon check out which we felt was normal from our prior experiences else were. We finally headed up to our room only to see 2 single beds instead of what I had asked for. So I went back to the reception where I was initially told there was no other rooms. At this point I became quite vocal and upset. Miraculously the person found an available room that reflected my booking details. Great! We move rooms, settle in and start to get ready for our evening plans. I go into my banking app to make sure everything was good, only to see a charge of $512 made to Marsden Hotel on top of the $10 bond which is the only transaction I had any knowledge of. I called reception who said yes because that’s the price of the accommodation plus parking I said I had already paid for the accommodation through booking.com $409 and only needed to be charged the car park fee $90 but was not informed or asked when or how that should be paid so in my mind it was an “unauthorised” transaction. Anyway I wasn’t willing to upset the night and decided I would go to the office the following morning. Only to be told they couldn’t do anything because management was not onsite and to return at 3pm a hotel with no manager doesn’t seem right but any we leave and return at 3. I was then informed a refund request of $409 had been put through and they were just waiting a response from accounts. I’m standing there confused and asked why are you refunding the original booking made through booking.com instead of the one which was supposedly made by mistake of $512. Even if you exclude the parking from the $512 it would leave $422 to be refunded. The excess is apparently a transaction fee, I didn’t authorise the transaction so…They have intentionally chosen to request the lesser amount to be returned which is disgraceful. In short we have since left and still do not have our refund. Luckily for them I live in Auckland so they will be hearing from me each and everyday until I have received it.

A few other unexpected details, although Marsden has photos of the restaurant, pool and spa. Which are all listed as facilities open to their guests. It’s not until you get their your told it all comes at an additional cost the restaurant I understand but the pool and spa is borderline false advertising. Parking is also an annoying hassle I’m all to happy to avoid.

I want to say some positive things about the room and location but all these other inconveniences have out shadowed the situation leaving a very dull feeling.

WOULD NEVER RETURN...

Subject. Formal Complaint Regarding Stay at Marsden Hotel Anniversary Experience

Dear Hotel Management.

I am writing to formally raise my concerns regarding the highly disappointing experience my wife and I had during our recent stay at the Marsden Hotel. We chose your property to celebrate our wedding anniversary on 28th September, as we had our wedding at the Sofitel last year and expected a similar level of service and hospitality. Unfortunately, our experience fell far below acceptable standards and left us extremely dissatisfied.

Room Conditions & A/C Issues

The first room assigned to us had stained carpets and an air conditioning unit that failed to produce cold air.

After requesting a change, the second room’s A/C did not function at all. I immediately reported this to the front desk and was assured by the receptionist that assistance would arrive within minutes. Nobody came.

After following up multiple times, I was met with dismissive behavior. On one occasion, the receptionist even raised her voice at me, which was both unprofessional and unsettling.

After an hour, we were moved to a third room. We switched on the A/C and left for dinner, only to return to find the room unbearably warm, even hotter than outside. Once again, I requested assistance and was told that I was the “only guest complaining” about the A/C. I asked the staff member to check the room personally she promised to come but never did. This was at 6:00pm, and by 11:00pm nobody had attended.

As a result, we endured a sleepless night with a noisy fan in place of functioning air conditioning. At no point did staff take the initiative to properly investigate or resolve the issue.

Service & Staff Conduct

The front desk staff were consistently dismissive, rude, and argumentative.

Instead of addressing our concerns, they repeatedly ignored requests and showed no willingness to resolve the issues.

I had mentioned upon arrival that this stay was for our anniversary, yet no consideration or effort was made to ensure a positive experience.

Charges & Policies

A pre-authorization of $250 was placed on my card at check-in, followed by an additional $46.50 charge for overnight parking.

I was shocked to learn there was a $25 per person fee to use the swimming pool. In my experience, hotel facilities are part of the booking and should not require additional payment.

Check-in is from 2:00pm, yet checkout is required by 10:00am. Furthermore, a $25 per hour surcharge applies for any late departure. These policies come across as unreasonable and unwelcoming.

Summary: Our anniversary was ruined by this experience. The rooms provided were substandard, the A/C was never fixed, and the staff displayed a lack of professionalism and courtesy that one would not expect at a hotel of your standing.

Recommendations:

Ensure front desk staff receive proper training in professionalism, courtesy, and conflict resolution.

Address maintenance issues promptly with technicians rather than repeatedly moving guests between faulty rooms.

Reconsider unreasonable additional charges (pool access, late checkout fees) that diminish guest satisfaction.

I strongly urge you to review this complaint carefully. Our experience was unacceptable, and we left your hotel feeling not only disappointed but also disrespected.

Sincerely, Mustafa...