Holiday Inn Express AUCKLAND CITY CENTRE by IHG

The room is spacious and the breakfast is rich and varied. Cleanliness: Very clean. Environment: The room offers a view of the harbor. Service: The front desk and restaurant staff were very welcoming and helpful. Step outside and you'll find the Sky Tower. There's a large supermarket and a drugstore within a 500-meter radius.

Conveniently located in Auckland's CBD, the hotel is quite new, with complete facilities and good hygiene. The hotel laundry room is cheaper than outside laundromats. It's located halfway up a hill, so taking a wrong turn can be a bit tiring. There's a pharmacy right opposite, and shopping is also convenient.

When I first booked this hotel, I read a lot of reviews and was a bit hesitant. However, I ended up staying there 3 times consecutively, for a total of 8 days. First off, the value for money is exceptional. The location is also fantastic. They accept cash for the deposit. The breakfast is simple, but it has all the essentials. While there's no salad, there are fruits. For a hotel with such great value, this kind of breakfast feels like a bonus. The staff are also incredibly friendly. I wasn't sure how to use their laundry room, so I asked for help, and they were more than happy to assist me, making two trips – one for washing and one for drying. A huge thank you to the lady at the front desk. Another pleasant surprise is how well-insulated the rooms are, despite being in the city center. This is definitely why I was able to stay for so long. If I ever return to Auckland, I'll definitely stay here again. The laundry room is on the third floor, and you can exchange coins at the front desk. It costs eight dollars in total, including laundry detergent.

The location is fantastic, just a short walk to shops and restaurants. Honestly, the hygiene was pretty average; the sheets had some stains, but since I was only sleeping there, it didn't really bother me. The value for money was excellent, though it's a shame I didn't get to try the complimentary breakfast.

The hotel's location is excellent, close to Queen Street with very convenient transport links. There are New World and Woolworths nearby, and directly across the street are Chemist Warehouse and Japan Market, making shopping incredibly easy. The hotel reception is on the second floor, but there's no clear signage at the ground floor entrance, only on the elevator button, which is very hard to spot. We spent quite a while looking for it, and even encountered other guests who couldn't find it and asked us for directions. I think the hotel needs to address this. Everything else was great; there's a curfew at night, and you need to use your key card to get in. The buffet breakfast was also pretty good. It was purely European, with a decent variety of choices, and since it was included in the room rate, I was quite satisfied. I also saw staff replenishing dairy products and other items, all in supermarket brand packaging, which made me feel more at ease about eating them. My assigned room had a great view, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Sky Tower. The soundproofing was also excellent; the entire hallway was quiet, and I couldn't hear any outside noise. There was indeed an issue mentioned by other guests about a bar downstairs; before 11 PM, I could hear some noise, but it didn't really affect my sleep. I was on the eighth floor, so it wasn't a problem for me. I always thought the hygiene was excellent, until the day I checked out and was tidying the bed, only to find old bloodstains on the inner side of the bedspread near the foot area. When I checked in, I had inspected the bed, but since I didn't find any issues on the upper part, I let my guard down. Later, my child was playing on the bed and pulled the entire duvet out, which is how I discovered it. I believe that such obvious stains should have been seen by those responsible for washing the linens and making the beds, yet they weren't replaced or disposed of. Instead, they were cleverly hidden at the foot of the bed. As a guest, this is truly unacceptable, especially bloodstains. Overall, I was quite satisfied with this hotel (apart from the bed stains). I would consider choosing it again next time, but I will thoroughly inspect the bedding from top to bottom.

This was a last-minute hotel change, and the stay was fantastic. The hotel is a ten-minute walk to the harbor and a five-minute walk to Sky Tower. The airport shuttle and intercity buses are very convenient for getting to and from the hotel. The room was a bit small but had everything you needed. The breakfast selection wasn't huge, but it was included in the room rate and quite tasty. I especially loved the self-serve waffles at breakfast.