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CJChew

Slightly better than a cabin

Review of The Park Hotel
1.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed Feb 1, 2017via mobile
Car park feels like it has just been hit by rocks from a recent volcanic eruption - lots of potholes! The basic and old room wasn't really cleaned properly. Do not book the package with crossing shuttle and lunch. Although written clearly, there's no refund if the weather does not allow the crossing to happen. Made my Tongariro Crossing deal feel like a rip off. Opine they should at least replace it with a meal or drink voucher. Shuttle is their own minivan. You can easily find alternate shuttle services and pack a better lunch anytime. Reception were not very helpful. So stay in a better place by paying not much more, or rent a cabin somewhere else for better value.
Date of stay: December 2016
Trip type: Traveled solo
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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.
Mark S, Owner at The Park Hotel, responded to this review
Responded Apr 17, 2018
Thank you for you review. The points you make were quite valid at the time of your stay. We're pleased to report that (subsequent to your stay) the hotel is under new ownership and management. We have invested significantly in the rooms, the restaurant and spent $100k+ upgrading the car park. We also agree that it has been unfair that unused non accommodation components of the crossing package are not refunded. Accordingly we have changed the policy, changed the T&Cs on the website and will refund this whenever such a situation arises.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Reviewed January 30, 2017 via mobile

Rather than complete the 10 hr train journey from Wellington to Auckland in one go, we decided to spend one night in the National Park. Unfortunately, the Northern explorer train only travels on certain days which meant we had to stay for two nights.
As we are not walkers we chose what we thought was the most hotel like accommodation, but this, by UK standards, was not the case and is more geared up for walkers/backpackers.
The "Hotel "is more like Butlins set up. The rooms are very small, bathroom is tiny, but had fridge and TV. It was clean and adequate and great value for the price.
Unfortunately for us, the room did not overlook the gardens but was opposite the communal kitchen and, As previously stated, anybody walking past to gain access to that room could see straight into yours and with the blind down to avoid this the room became very dark. We had no trouble with noise.
One of the hot tubs was out of action and it seems the hammocks have been removed. The "Hotel "is fairly isolated. You can walk to the nearby garage and coffee shop but for anything further you need to book passage on one of the crossing buses, it seems it costs $35 for a return journey to where ever you want to go.in addition, you need to fit in with the times of the walkers using the transport. There is no other option.
As we were not there to walk the crossing we arranged an alternative activity and were picked up from the hotel.
For us, the best thing about this accommodation, was the view and the food which was superb.

Date of stay: January 2017
Trip type: Traveled with friends
1  Thank Mandy W
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.
TheParkHotelRuapehu, Front Office at The Park Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded June 15, 2017

Hello,

Thank you for your comments. We are currently under new ownership and the hotel rooms are being renovated. There are many exciting changes occurring!

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our amazing view and delicious food:)

Thanks again.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 25, 2017

Mid range hotel in a handy location on the central plateau. Rooms were very comfortable, with wet room bathroom. Food was good, but breakfast was not included and was a little pricey. The common areas were a little bland. The staff were very helpful. There was 500mb of free wifi after that was used you had to pay extra.

Date of stay: January 2017
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Thank Gary L
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.
TheParkHotelRuapehu, Front Office at The Park Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded June 6, 2017

Thank you for your comments.

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us and we look forward to seeing you again.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 20, 2017

Stayed for two nights at this hotel.

The room was small and not even a proper wardrobe. Old & simple architecture and definitely not recommendable for being a skiing resort. In Austria/Germany/Switzerland they would get only 1 star and it would be a cheap, basic backpacker place.

Definitely overpriced for what you get. But everything was clean and tidy.

Noise wise you could hear a lot. Simply not good enough.

For that price I can get better places, though.

Date of stay: January 2017
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
    • Value
    • Rooms
    • Service
Thank Adrialos
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.
TheParkHotelRuapehu, Front Office at The Park Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded March 14, 2017

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback, we are sorry to hear you did not enjoy your room. We are rated by Qualmark at three stars plus, but we are all entitled to our opinions:)

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 14, 2017

We wanted to do the Tongariro Crossing and were tossing between The Park and another provider. The Park's package was cheaper but the other provider had a much earlier shuttle. We emailed The Park re shuttle times and were told that the manager had said they could organise a 6.30am shuttle for us no problems (theirs goes at 7.30am, which is way late unless you like going at snail pace because of the crowds ahead of you). So with the promise of a 6.30am shuttle, we booked (and paid unfortunately).

When we arrived, we received a very lukewarm welcome from the receptionist (you know, the kind who won't even hide that she doesn't give a toss about you). When we asked for the 6.30am shuttle, we were told that no, they don't do that, the person who told us that did not work there any more and there was nothing they would do about it. Another receptionist came who was friendlier but made it clear she didn't care about the whole situation. And then she said "It doesn't matter anyway because the Crossing will most likely be cancelled tomorrow because of the bad weather". Actually, it did matter a LOT to us, because if we hadn't been lied to, we wouldn't have booked there in the first place. When I booked, I put a note in the comment box about wanting the 6.30am shuttle, so they had plenty of time (I booked back in August) to ring us and tell us it wasn't possible IF they cared. We felt we had been lied to so we would book (and hand our money over upfront) but they knew all along they would never keep their promise. If you have any special requirements, be aware that they are unlikely to be fulfilled even if you have it on an email from them.

Disappointingly (and unlike other providers), there is no refund or alternative offered when the Crossing is cancelled. So read the T&Cs very carefully. If it's cheap, you'll get cheap service. We asked if they could drop us off at the Old Coach Road instead, but they refused. Given that they'd got our booking through false promises, you'd think they would at least try to make up for it and do a small gesture to keep us happy-ish.

Our room was dismal: tiny and badly designed. The only window in the bedroom faces onto the covered walkway, so everyone who walks past can see into your room. If you want privacy, you have to pull down the blinds, which plunges you into darkness. There are two inadequate ceiling lights and a number of fluorescent tubes on the walls, which make you feel like you are in a supermarket or an office. Not very cosy. The TV is on the wall opposite the bed but to the side, so you end up with a crick in your neck by the end of a movie. The furniture is tatty (I think even the Sallies would reject it) and recycled from the office. The only bedside table still had labels on it that read "cleaning supplies" and "lost and found". As mentioned, the room had only one bedside table for a double bed and no bedside lamp at all. If we wanted to read in bed, we had to turn on the fluorescent lights on the opposite wall. This made it impossible for one person to read and the other to sleep, as it was way too bright. Not to mention that you had to get in and out of bed every time you wanted to turn the lights on and off. Apart from the bedside table, there was no other table or desk to put things on, so not a very practical room. Whoever designed it, should be fired. The bathroom was adequate although tiny (you couldn't do a star jump in there without maiming yourself). Because the window leads onto the walkway, you cannot sleep with the window open as it wouldn't be safe. Our first night was very hot and uncomfortable because of this. We had the bathroom window fully open but that didn't provide much in terms of air flow. The partition walls are incredibly thin and you can hear everything in the rooms next to and above you. The floorboards creak awfully, so every time the people above us moved about in their room, it made a hell of a racket for us.

The spa was filthy. It was full of leaves and bits of blue foam from the cover floating on the surface and sitting at the bottom. Clearly, it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Again, we felt we were promised something that was not supplied.

The breakfast and packed lunch were good. We didn't have any other meals at The Spiral as we were loath to spend another dollar in that place. I think the worst in all of this for us was that we were never give an apology for being misled. The old "this person doesn't work here any more" has got to be the worst cop-out in terms of customer service. Needless to say, we will never return to The Park. We finally did the Tongariro Crossing yesterday and stayed at our first choice of accommodation and we had an absolutely fantastic time. Good to see customer service still does mean something to some.

All in all, it was dreadful customer service, poor facilities and dismal value for money,

Room tip: Stay away from room 21; has double bed but only one bedside table and no bedside lamp.
Date of stay: December 2016
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
    • Value
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Thank natleamy
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.
TheParkHotelRuapehu, General Manager at The Park Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded March 14, 2017

Wow you have a lot to say. I hope people don't listen to the rubbish you have written. This is an awesome place to stay with awesome people working in it. I don't normally write back on reviews in this manner, I generally have time and effort to put into reviews and customers who actually appreciate life and treat people with respect. You treated my staff as if they below you with no courtesy at all. You are the one that should be ashamed!
My staff were at fault for saying they would do the 6.30am transport but you failed to mention they would try and rectify the situation if the crossing did go. But it didn't so there was no need to continue with this.
My staff are awesome with our guests but they can only take so much from people like you. If you are going to leave a review like this then at least speak the whole truth.

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Reviewed January 13, 2017

Like most people we stayed here to access the Tongariro Crossing. We stayed for 4 days to maximise the chance of the weather breaking, which it did; for 1 day.
The rooms are small and very basic. My feet hung out of the single bed (I am 6ft tall) and we had to be very tidy to make sure we could move around. The worst thing though was the noise. Walls are paper-thin and when our neighbours took a shower I though they were in the same room! We could hear conversations next door and from outside quite easily. The gutters are blocked which means that when it rains water pours onto the walkway so you get wet, even though you are under cover. There are two laundries, though the staff use the upstairs one to wash the linen, so you may want to avoid that if possible. On a positive, all the staff were friendly and the food is good, though only one person serves drinks and takes food orders at the bar, so you may be queuing for a while. On the day the weather broke this amazing mountain appeared from nowhere and suddenly the views were spectacular. Most tour companies will pick up from here which is a bonus.

Date of stay: January 2017
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
    • Value
    • Rooms
    • Service
Thank Five-star-critiques
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.
TheParkHotelRuapehu, Front office at The Park Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded February 27, 2017

Hello,

Thank you for your comments.

We will address the maintenance issue regarding the guttering, thank you for bringing this problem to our attention.

It is great to hear that you were able to see the mountains during your stay and enjoyed our restaurant and found the staff to be helpful.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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