voco Queenstown by IHG

The room was clean and tidy, and the front desk staff provided excellent service. You need to exchange coins to use the laundry room. The hotel is conveniently located near a bus stop, making it very accessible. I highly recommend staying here. I think it's been rebranded as a Voco now.

It was okay. It's one of the newer hotels in Queenstown, and the location is decent. The only downside is that it's a big uphill walk from the town center, but overall, it's not too far. Facilities: Standard Holiday Inn Express, but the curtains are too thin and let in a lot of light. Cleanliness: Pretty clean, and they tidy up daily. Environment: The hotel is currently renovating its restaurant, so it's a bit noisy and messy, but the surrounding area is fine. Service: It was alright, not overly enthusiastic but not cold either. Nothing remarkable, neither good nor bad.

The hotel's location isn't very central; it's quite a steep walk up from Queenstown's main street, which isn't ideal if you have heavy luggage. My room faced the street, so the curtains had to be drawn all the time, making it feel like a windowless room. The reading light on one side was broken, but the front desk quickly fixed it after I reported it. Breakfast was decent, though it got quite crowded during peak hours, and you had to find your own seating. The lobby was under renovation, so it looked a bit messy.

The price was definitely a steal. However, getting to the hotel from the city center involved a 200-meter walk uphill with a 30-degree incline. Pushing a suitcase, my legs were definitely feeling it. But, it was indeed a third cheaper than hotels in the city center. It felt like this Holiday Inn was a budget version of voco, as the front desk was undergoing renovations for the voco hotel. It felt like I had to navigate through construction and a renovated corridor just to reach the elevator. While not exactly inconvenient, it certainly lowered the overall impression.