Experience the very best of modern luxury at Sofitel Auckland, here you can indulge in a decidedly chic encounter that combines the spirit of our Viaduct Harbour location with the French Art de Vivre. Sofitel offers tailor-made services and splendid facilities that are stylish and cosmopolitan. Authentic and lively culinary experiences in the restaurant, soothing wellness journeys in the spa, and exquisitely designed spaces that exude chic design with a hint of the French touch. The unmistakable influence of fashion has imbued Sofitel with a couture approach to service, from the fine attention paid to the smallest detail, to the elaborate flourishes that enchant and delight guests. As proud “Ambassadors” of l’Art de Vivre around the world, we are committed to delivering hospitality excellence and heartfelt service, in a manner that is tailor-made to you.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Qualmark.
HOTEL STYLE
River View
Luxury
Languages Spoken
English, French
Location
21 Viaduct Harbour Ave, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010 New Zealand
Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
3,678 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour is often commended for its prime location by the harbor, with guests frequently mentioning the convenience of nearby shops and restaurants. While the atmosphere is generally described as welcoming, and rooms are praised for their spaciousness and equipment, there are remarks about inconsistent cleanliness and maintenance.
Although the amenities, including a quality breakfast, are a highlight for many, some guests feel the hotel does not provide good value, citing overpriced rooms and occasional lapses in service.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We spent two nights at this hotel and promptly paid for an upgrade from the superior room that was booked, as we were on the third floor overlooking the street and bus station, and the room shook every time a bus sat outside on the street. Reception did manage to change our room once we complained and we ended up in a Luxury Atrium View room, which was much nicer. A better view and facilities with only a small cost of £25 per night to pay. It was well worth the extra. The one criticism of this hotel is the welcome is poor and it has appalling signage! You enter and there is no indication of where to go to check in, no hall porter and with guests wandering about looking for staff and a check in desk. It is trying to be so Chic that it has forgotten basics! The restaurant, bar, lifts, toilets in the public areas are not signed either; It is a voyage of discovery! We pointed this out to the reception staff, who said others had also pointed out the problem many times, yet they have done nothing about it! The room we ended up in was lovely, with good tea and coffee making facilities, a good bathroom and all the usual facilities you could need, such as iron, ironing board, mini bar, Nespresso machine, hairdryer etc. Two minor niggles. First was that the curtains did not quite meet so we were woken by light early in the morning. Second, that there was no two pin electric shaver socket in the bathroom. We did not eat in the restaurant for dinner as we went out to some of the lovely restaurants on the harbour side, which were much better value. A perfectly adequate breakfast experience with the usual hot and cold buffet done to a good standard, with some a la carte choices available. The best thing going for this hotel is the location. It is within walking distance of the cruise terminal if you do not have too much luggage. It is right on Viaduct Harbour and just a short walk to all the harbourside eateries and attractions, and the Downton stop for the Hop on-Hop off sightseeing bus. If we were to stay again it would definitely be in one of the Luxury category rooms not the basic superior.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid the basic superior rooms and spend a little bit extra on the higher category rooms.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reto Borer, General Manager at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Responded Feb 5, 2024
We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback. I will share your comments with our team. I am sure that this feedback will serve as an encouragement to all of our staff as we strive to continuously improve the quality of our services. Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope your next visit will be as pleasant as the previous one. Sincerely, Reto Borer
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We stayed here for 7 nights over the New Year period in advance of taking a cruise out of Auckland. We did have some trepidation in the days before as we saw that some recent reviews had been somewhat negative. The hotel did contact us a few days before the stay to advise of the well publicised (on TA) air con problems, and to offer alternative accommodation in their sister hotel if we wanted. We decided to stay with the Sofitel as the location was ideal for our needs. We were very happy with our decision. There was a fan placed in the room which was adequate. Our room faced more or less due east so we made sure to keep the curtains drawn in the morning to keep the sun out but that was perfectly adequate. In the afternoons we were able to open the doors onto our Juliette balcony. Housekeeping was very efficient and were normally done by mid morning. Staff were very good. We enjoyed daily breakfast and NYE dinner in La Maree. Location is excellent for restaurants, bars and the sights. Our only negative observation regards the lack of storage space especially for hanging clothes. The wardrobe was very small and luckily we were able to slide the ironing board which is kept in under the sofa otherwise it would have next to useless. Highlight for us was the excellent view of the Sky Tower NY fireworks we had from our room.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reto Borer, General Manager at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thanks so much for your great comments I will forward your comments to my colleagues I am sure they are thrilled to hear this. i hope we can welcome you soon again in Auckland with kind regards
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We love this hotel. We had stayed here on three prior occasions when it was branded as a Westin.
Despite coming back after more than 10 years, the hotel looks immaculate. It has been well maintained, and rooms have been somewhat refurbished.
The rooms are very spacious and the bathroom is great. When we built our house, we copied many elements of the bathroom in this hotel.
We paid less than $500 AUD per room and thought that this was good value for a fine 5-star hotel in a big city.
Restaurant also serves good food, for which we got a discount as we are Accor ALL members.
I highly recommend this hotel just on the fringe of the Auckland CBD in a very nice location known as Viaduct Harbour.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reto Borer, General Manager at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Responded Mar 4, 2024
We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback. I will share your comments with our team. I am sure that this feedback will serve as an encouragement to all of our staff as we strive to continuously improve the quality of our services. Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope your next visit will be as pleasant as the previous one.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at hotel on February 21 and 22. We had booked for a superior room. For a superior room, it was ordinary. Firstly, I had to remove the dressing gowns to save hangers and space. The wardrobe was very small, if not non-existent.
The location of the television meant that we could not watch it comfortably since it does not turn and faces the window. No USB plug.
And finally, the noise and the view of the bus parking. The noise woke us up at 5:30 a.m. and ended the evening around 10:30 p.m. It was not relaxing, as we were undertaking a 17-hour flight to Canada.
What can I say about the staff on arrival, not very smiling and welcoming. We arrived at the hotel at 9am, we knew that the room would not be ready until 15 pm. We arrived at 14:45 the room was not yet ready, the person assigned us another room. Was it the same category we had reserved (Superior Room)? Let me doubt it was not worth $426.75 per night.
In addition, we had 2 friends who booked room 432 which was much quieter and much better equipped for half the price we paid. We don't recommend .
Sorry for the mistake English is not my language
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is located at the harbour which is a really nice location for walking and accessing nearby bars and restaurants. We had a room with a balcony which had a nice view, it was spacious and well equipped. Breakfast was nice and tasted freshly cooked, the staff were generally friendly although at times it all felt a bit soulless.
Unfortunately the hotel felt dated and run down overall, in much need of a deep clean and refurbishment. Our room was not clean, the cupboards covered in dust and there were many dirty patches on the carpet, walls and in the bathroom. The duvet was yellow and clearly hadn’t been washed in a while. Our air con was broken. We went for a swim and this was also a disappointment due to the dirty water and floors.
Overall, whilst the location is good, the hotel is not worth the money. Suggest looking elsewhere.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Room with balcony is nice and spacious, don’t expect five star service or cleanliness
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reto Borer, General Manager at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Responded Nov 29, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience at the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. I am sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations; please allow me to express my sincerest apologies. At Sofitel Hotels & Resorts, we strive to provide a superior service experience for every customer; therefore your feedback is very important to us. Please rest assured that we are taking the appropriate measures to address the problem and prevent future occurrence. We appreciate your sharing your concerns, and it is our hope that you will give us the opportunity to better serve you in the near future. Sincerely, Reto Borer
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Our room had mold all over the bathroom - in the shower & even coming out from under the mirror; the mirror mold appeared to be black mold.
There are stains on the curtains, wall paper is peeling from the walls etc. It feels “tired” & no amount of dim lighting and fancy finishes can hide that.
The location is decent if you are wanting to explore the area. Staff was average but not overly accommodating when we needed it, which was rather disappointing.
Would not recommend you stay here until they make necessary improvement for guest safety - like removing mold from bathrooms.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stay at the Sofitel Auckland as our hotel of choice whenever we come to Auckland. We choose it mainly because we like their Atrium facing rooms as they are very quiet…and again in this instance the room was very peaceful. However, there were several aspects of our stay this time that were surprising and disappointing and which might make us think again about returning. Firstly the aircon was not working sufficiently. There was a portable fan in the room so this is obviously a recognised problem. There was certainly no air or decent extract system in the bathroom and I had to get ready for our event with the fan positioned in the bathroom doorway… Secondly there was no turn down service which I’d expect at a 5 star luxury hotel and have had on previous stays…..we were disappointed to find after our evening out that there were no replenished towels, teabags or clean cups and glasses in the room. Also in this instance the cleanliness of the bathrooms skirting boards/tiles were caked in dust and looked like they hadn’t been wiped down for sometime. Around the bath surround and bathroom cabinets was a similar problem and the grouting and tiles are showing quite a lot of wear now. When we first started staying at the Sofitel in Auckland it was always a superior stay and the aspects above were never an issue. Our experience this time was not what we would expect for the rate we paid and definitely not representative of the 5 star Sofitel brand that we have enjoyed here and elsewhere around the world.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This Sofitel has absolutely amazing staff, lovely corner rooms, a big bathroom with double sinks & truly wonderful beds. The location is perfect - a short walk & you are in the midst of some wonderful restaurants - La Maree (located at the Sofitel) & Oyster & Chops are both worth a visit - food was amazing! We felt the closets could use more hangers & drawers (under the TV) for clothes would be a great addition to the room! The air con is a known issue - we were provided with a portable one which was welcome.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I recently stayed at the Sofitel in Auckland on my way home after a stay in New Zealand. I chose the hotel as a splurge. While in Auckland I stayed (at various times), at both the new Intercontinental and the QT. There are many things to like about the Sofitel, but for the amount of the room, I was surprised by the things this hotel lacked. Once in the room I found a well stocked mini bar and coffee/tea station along with complimentary bottled water, cookies and chocolate, which was a lovely touch. I chose a club level room which was huge and had a great view of the harbor. At a lesser priced hotel I would t have minded the frustrations I felt as I wouldn’t have expected what was lacking, but, as one of the two highest priced hotels in Auckland, night, i was frustrated by the following: No one at the drive up to greet and give directions to the registration desk, (not obvious). I can manage my own bags but I was never offered help, either upon arrival or at the registration desk. I ordered room service and my food was burnt. I would have asked for another but it was late and room service takes time as it is. In the bathroom there is a lovely bath, but not any bathtub amenities, including soap, (one small bar for the sink).Additionally, when I went to fill the tub, the drain handle was broken, (it came off in my hand), so I couldn’t open or close the drain. It was late and I didn’t call down. Other lesser priced properties in the same area, have more room amenities and kinder staff for 2/3 the price of the Sofitel. If it didn’t cost so much I wouldn’t complain, but at these prices, they need to do better.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reto Borer, General Manager at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Responded Mar 4, 2024
Dear BeMac7309 Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience at the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. I am sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations; please allow me to express my sincerest apologies. At Sofitel Hotels & Resorts, we strive to provide a superior service experience for every customer; therefore your feedback is very important to us. Please rest assured that we are taking the appropriate measures to address the problem and prevent future occurrence. We appreciate your sharing your concerns, and it is our hope that you will give us the opportunity to better serve you in the near future. Sincerely, Reto Borer
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5 star hotel at current 4.5 star level. Top location with short distances to the harbor and the city center. Valet parking. Good breakfast buffet. Friendly staff. Nice rooms. Bathroom fittings could be replaced. Room service could also be more thorough when cleaning after the previous guest.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:./.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hertford, United Kingdom29 contributions9 helpful votes
I see someone recommending the Hilton to you instead the hotel is slightly tired and not as as stunning. We are local living in the Waikato two hours away, so knowhoth well. The location is right on the wharf so yes more going on but if you’ve young kids then it can be too much noise and too much going on. I’d much prefer the location of Sofitel. Your literally five mins walk into the restaurants on the viaduct etc. And the maritime museum. Both charge crazy money for parking i think NZD$45 a night. Horrendous
There are more places to choose from in the Auckland Central area.
PRICE RANGE
$208 - $299 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Lighter Quay Hotel
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandAucklandAuckland Central
NUMBER OF ROOMS
80
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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