President Hotel Auckland — Hotel in Waitematā

I like to leave good reviews. I’m a positive person, it’s a cruel world out there and I’m not out here to get people trying to make a living. I also got a bit of a deal on the room, and you get what you pay for. But here we are, my first 2 star review.

I was already inclined to dislike this place because 1. I’d come from a much better hotel and 2. The welcome I got at reception made me feel like they were accepting me as some sort of charity case outreach program. But, as I’ve said, I’m a positive person, let’s see what was in store. First up, they demanded a $50 bond at reception which seemed odd because I was paying up front and I hadn’t been informed of this before. They said this was for damage, ok fine, but I’m still not a big fan of unpleasant surprises. I got a gigantic welcome message from them on booking, it even included details of their coin operated laundry .. did it refer to this secret bond?! (Also, at time of writing, the bond still has not been repaid so presumably I have a headache in store to call them and sort that out.)

Disappointment met me upstairs. Tired, sad, my ‘landmark view’ was a dismal scene of roofing, office windows and air conditioning vents behind sad grey curtains. I had a little kitchenette strangely placed next to my bed. What I was to cook, who knows, because all I had was a sink, kettle, a microwave oddly perched high on a wall (that seemed as surprised to be there as I was to see it) and a fridge. The dining table cum tv unit cum desk opposite the bed faced me brazenly, as if to say, no, this hasn’t cheapened the room, actually this is an efficient, space saving arrangement. Also no headboard, I know that sounds weirdly pedantic but, no headboard?! I am also disappointed to report - no bedside table lamps. No extra blankets either, and with just one thin blanket and sheet (not a fluffy, pillowy duvet), it wasn’t even a cold night, but I was cold.

There is a 15 min cap on hot water and you have to wait 45 mins for it to refresh. I’m a big fan of a no nonsense 4 min shower and hello Auckland is in a drought but even I thought this was excessive. It made me think of a prison, or maybe a creepy boarding school.

I know squat about hotel management but the general tidiness and excellence of service (reception welcome excepted) amidst such a sad state of affairs makes me inclined to believe that none of this is the fault of the staff, or even management (bond excepted), but actually the blame probably sits squarely on the shoulders of an ownership with zero interest in updating or refreshing its facilities or understands/cares about a customer experience.

In conclusion, it’s clean, tidy, central and generally ok but if you actually want something decent spend a bit more money, go further out of CBD, or get a smaller room and go...

We were deeply disappointed with our experience at this hotel. The hotel changed its name (from President to Edit) without any communication, making it confusing to find upon arrival. This lack of transparency was just the beginning.

At check-in, we were met with an unnecessarily rude and unprofessional duty manager. Because I booked our room under my preferred name rather than my legal name, he refused to acknowledge my valid booking ID and went as far as to suggest it could be fraudulent—an offensive and completely unfounded accusation. He wouldn’t even look at my booking confirmation until I insisted several times.

To make matters worse, the room we were given was not the one we booked. We had reserved a king bed, but were instead assigned a room with a queen bed and two single beds, without any prior notice or our consent. When asked to explain, the duty manager first blamed housekeeping for not having the original room ready (despite our arrival after 2 PM), then contradicted himself by saying there was a fault with the room allocation system. No apology—just a series of excuses and lies.

When I pressed further about why we weren’t consulted before the room change, the manager lost his temper, became aggressive, and threatened to cancel our stay, saying he would refund us and that he didn't want us staying there at all. Inexcusable behavior from someone in a Duty Manager position.

Thankfully, another staff member stepped in, calmed the situation, and kindly offered us an upgrade. We appreciated her professionalism, but by then, the damage was done. Honestly, she should be the duty manager, not someone who clearly has no understanding of customer service or how hospitality works.

Even with the upgrade, the room itself was underwhelming. The bathroom and furniture were tired, the fridge was dirty, and there was rubbish under the bed. Cleanliness and upkeep were clearly not a priority.

Save yourself the trouble—there are plenty of hotels in the CBD with better service and basic respect for guests. This experience was stressful, frustrating, disappointing, and...

ot the best experience

Firstly at 14.00, the check in time, there was a bit of a queue but when we had finally checked in, there was a wait for a lift - 3 lifts - one out of action, one had been commanderred by workmen and the remaining one was being used by a cleaner so the delay was even more - 30 minutes from queuing to check in to actually getting in the room. Once in the room, went to the kitchenette sink to get some water and the tap came away in my hand. Called the reception and a maintenance guy came quickly and repaired it. He commented that Housekeeping should have noticed and reported it - totally agree!! Finally thinking everything was now OK decided to have a bit of a rest before venturing out - No way!! The noise from presumably air conditioning outlets outside the windows was unacceptably high and we would definitely have problems sleeping for the 3 nights we were booked in for. Went down to reception and asked to be moved and after a while we were given a much quieter room which was fine The first morning at breakfast went in to the room and the first 4 tables were vacant but each had dirty dishes. There were no staff visible so I poked my head into the kitchen and 2 of the 3 staff were looking on their phones so I had to ask for the tables to be cleaned. The lady was very apologetic but it was not good and shouldn't have been necessary The remote for the AC wasn't working so asked housekeeping for new batteries. Was told to ask reception which I did and the girl made a note. Never materialised Rest of the stay was fine - nice hotel in good location with friendly staff although needs a bit of TLC - many cracked floor tiles plus a few other minor issues. Not sure I'd...