The Shepherds Arms Hotel — Restaurant in Wellington

The good bit:||Reception and housekeeping were friendly and housekeeping was done to a clean standard, with toiletries provided. Location very convenient to Thorndon, Botanical Gardens and western suburbs. Onsite parking.||The bad bits:||1. TL;DR charged for 3 rooms instead of the 2 used due to an error at check in. Manager is refusing to reimburse us for unused room. Seriously doubt they would have sold the vacant room later than our 7pm check in.||We booked two twin rooms for our group. On being checked into just one room at reception (lovely friendly receptionist) I checked my booking.com email and then queried reception, showing them my email. Both bookings were listed in my booking.com email and neither of us noticed that the second room was booked under the name of my partner. The receptionist therefore didn't realise that the other room our party had booked was ours. Honest mistake on both parts. She said there were no twin rooms free and offered us a slightly more expensive queen room with ensuite (which I agreed to and paid for on the spot).||Later we discovered that the hotel had set aside a second twin room (in my partner's name). Booking.com had charged the hotel the booking fee and later the hotel charged the room to our credit card.||I phoned to sort this out (left a voice mail, got no response). I followed up by email when we got back from travel and asked to be refunded for our unused room (which was cheaper than the room we ended up paying for).||The response was rude. The manager said the refund couldn't be made because a non-refundable booking fee had been paid to booking.com. I said I was happy to cover the fee and otherwise be reimbursed either for the room we didn't use or the room we didn't book. Roughly 2 weeks later, still no response. We were open to solving this without loss to the hotel. (Again, it is highly doubtful at 7pm that they would have sold the empty room if available to anyone else). Manager refuses to engage and I now see that the hotel is currently not taking bookings through booking.com.||2. The rooms were clean but in need of repair. We booked cheap and you get what you pay for. But having moved to a slightly more expensive Queen room with spa tub, we wouldn't have wanted to use the that feature (spa tub) because of rotten wood surrounds. Also, we couldn't sit in the chair because it was at risk...

The good bit:||Reception and housekeeping were friendly and housekeeping was done to a clean standard, with toiletries provided. Location very convenient to Thorndon, Botanical Gardens and western suburbs. Onsite parking.||The bad bits:||1. TL;DR charged for 3 rooms instead of the 2 used due to an error at check in. Manager is refusing to reimburse us for unused room. Seriously doubt they would have sold the vacant room later than our 7pm check in.||We booked two twin rooms for our group. On being checked into just one room at reception (lovely friendly receptionist) I checked my booking.com email and then queried reception, showing them my email. Both bookings were listed in my booking.com email and neither of us noticed that the second room was booked under the name of my partner. The receptionist therefore didn't realise that the other room our party had booked was ours. Honest mistake on both parts. She said there were no twin rooms free and offered us a slightly more expensive queen room with ensuite (which I agreed to and paid for on the spot).||Later we discovered that the hotel had set aside a second twin room (in my partner's name). Booking.com had charged the hotel the booking fee and later the hotel charged the room to our credit card.||I phoned to sort this out (left a voice mail, got no response). I followed up by email when we got back from travel and asked to be refunded for our unused room (which was cheaper than the room we ended up paying for).||The response was rude. The manager said the refund couldn't be made because a non-refundable booking fee had been paid to booking.com. I said I was happy to cover the fee and otherwise be reimbursed either for the room we didn't use or the room we didn't book. Roughly 2 weeks later, still no response. We were open to solving this without loss to the hotel. (Again, it is highly doubtful at 7pm that they would have sold the empty room if available to anyone else). Manager refuses to engage and I now see that the hotel is currently not taking bookings through booking.com.||2. The rooms were clean but in need of repair. We booked cheap and you get what you pay for. But having moved to a slightly more expensive Queen room with spa tub, we wouldn't have wanted to use the that feature (spa tub) because of rotten wood surrounds. Also, we couldn't sit in the chair because it was at risk...

This is one for the books.This Hotel does not deserve its reputation as a great place to stay. It does not cater for disabled persons.It has a back entrance thats been physically kicked in and abused.There is steps to a barbeque area thats been abused not cleaned or lookedafter then a gate that has seen better days just open flapping in the wind.Not a secure bac k enterance, people from the street have free acees to the establishement.At the front of the hotel there are two flights of stairs.The atmoshpere smells horrible and stale with very low old fashioned light bulbs.The bed linen had blood stains on them,disgusting, The parking for the patrons is shared with the public who go to the bar. So even if you have paid for staying there for more than a single night you are not guranteed a park space upon your return from your night out.Advertises a free newspaper delivered,didnt happen.Advertises free hair dryer,not in room. Advertises as modern and stylish establishment. YOUR JOKING. Paint peeling off ceiling broken and ripped curtains. Were greated by young individuals who were smoking and looked very roughly dressed. Assistant manager Hamish very arrogant, cheeky not to mention dis respectful, we came back from night out ,no space available .My wife saw him in the bar and said he would attend to it. He kept my young daughter and my wife and I waiting for 10 min never attended to us so I had to chase him up.When I did he was not happy but did...