voco Auckland City Centre by IHG

The VOCO was able to accommodate an early check-in as we arrived in Auckland at 10 am. We were given a room on the highest floor and it was wonderful. Centrally located, we walked everywhere.

I travel 2 - 3 times a month on business and leisure. I will write an honest and thorough review. This was a business + leisure trip. I was there for business, but I brought my family with me: wife + 10 year and 4 year boys. Would I recommend? Yes to business travelers, single travelers, couples, families with older kids No to families with little children, strollers, and long stay guests with lots of luggage Location: 2 / 5 On the map, it looks like a 5/5. But the hotel is on a steep slope. Not easy when you have a 4 year old, and not easy when you have lots of luggage. The taxi drivers (NOT the Uber drivers) here are incredibly, horribly behaved. They park their cars in the entrance - with lots of space between them, but not enough for your Uber to park, so you end up being parked far from the entrance. Again, with all of your luggage, so you're now pushing your luggage up the hill for check-in (after 12 hours of flight from Korea with the kids). Very awkward. If I were the GM here, I'd make sure the taxi drivers don't clog up the entrance. Btw, to make this experience even worse, the taxi drivers are just staring down at you, looking at how you're dressed from top to bottom. They clearly see we are struggling with all the luggage but they don't care. My first uber upon check-out actually cancelled the ride after seeing where I was standing. Our eyes locked and he still cancelled it. What an experience. Pre-Arrival & Welcome: 2 / 5 I had to call the hotel 7 times to tell them that I booked the first night so that I can check-in the next day morning, so "please do not no-show me." Wow. Really hard to get this message across. I won't write the details, but let me tell you, this isn't a labor issue that the hospitality industry is facing right now. This is training issue. Room: 5 / 5 Gorgeous rooms. Honestly one of the best hotels I've stayed in recently. I would say that the rooms were better appointed and more comfortable than some of the luxury 5 star hotels I've stayed at across the region. I had the view of the tower and the city and honestly, I couldn't believe I stayed in such a nice room for the price. There is a water filter in the hallway to fill your tumbler. This is an amazing touch, as everything in this country is on the expensive side (relative to other Asian countries). Not having to buy water in the city is a huge bonus. Breakfast: 4 / 5 First of all, there's a staff here who is absolutely amazing. She's from South Asian origin, and she walks around ensuring everyone has their morning coffee, and that kids have received their marshmallows and so on. She is so incredibly genuine - you would believe if she said she was working for the joy of working. The restaurant interior is very pleasant, although tables are a little too close to each other. As for the food itself, I believe in quality over quantity, and I think this was a hit and miss. Overall display was great, but the quality of hot food was inconsistent. Options for bread was lacking (although yes, I know this contradicts with my quality vs quantity statement). Other weird experiences: I frequently get on business calls late night, from 10 pm - 2 am. I was working in the lobby downstairs (where the breakfast is). I was shocked that the staff in the evening were very 'casual.' Actually, I have no idea what words to use to describe the situation. Essentially, the staff at the desk were chatting with each other (which is perfectly fine - I'm not a soldier), but extremely loudly, laughing out loud, joking, etc. I felt like as a guest, I was actually intruding others who were trying to have a good time. At some points, I couldn't hear my client on the call very well because of the noise. I've worked at hotels for many years, and this behavior would not have been tolerated in anywhere from 2 to 5 star hotels. It was just bizarre considering how the hotel is physically incredible. (The physical property and staff quality are a mismatch) But to be fair, it's only the night staff. During the day, the staff are lovely.

Beautiful hotel with great views in a great location!

The property was well located and accessible. Enjoyed our stay

Place was great

Very helpful in arrangement for shuttle airport pickup. Great recommendation for restaurants. All staff always had a smile.

The staff were very helpful, and kind. They made sure we were treated like their special guest. If ever I’m in Auckland again I will definitely book my accommodations with Voco

Very clean rooms and polite staff

Good

Loved the area that we found ourselves in and loved the eco-friendliness of the hotel overall. The breakfast was pretty good, but for the bar you needed a reservation (so you can't stay for too many drinks, sadly). One thing of note is that even as a couple we weren't quite ready for the barely-there bathroom doors. It took some getting used to. Another thing is that the room service options, outside of alcohol, were a little lackluster compared to room service options we've had elsewhere.