My Recent Experience at a Hotel in Auckland
I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels, some forgettable, some fabulous, but nothing prepared me for my recent experience at a Hotel in Auckland. What started as a promising stay turned into a lesson in hospitality, accountability, and the importance of listening to your guests.
First Impressions: A Promising Start
This hotel is pitched as a luxury hotel and when you enter, it certainly looks the part. On the way to the room it was a bit of a rabbit warren reminding me of the travel lodge days. Upon entering the room, it was spacious and comfortable. During my stay, I was expecting the highlight to be the balcony spa pool for the $400 per night price tag and unfortunately it was cold. It was too late to do anything and upon checkout I alerted the front desk about this to which the staff member giggled and moved on. I made this a part of my review and was contacted by the GM who offered a free room (not the $400 per night kind, but all good).
The TV Troubles Begin
However, the charm quickly faded when we discovered that the TV in our room wasn't plugged in, and couldn’t be plugged in without assistance. We called the front desk, and a staff member came to help about an hour later. Once plugged in, the TV displayed a pixelated, unwatchable screen. This wasn't just a one-off issue as I found out later trawling through guest reviews. Other guests have reported similar problems with the TVs at SOHO Hotel Auckland. To their credit, the staff that assisted with the TV offered us a complimentary breakfast as compensation for the inconvenience.
I updated my review to reflect the fact that management took the time to respond to my review. But wait! A few days later, they sent me a request for $500 for the damaged TV. A lot of to-ing and fro-ing occurred and finally I stood my ground and advised that there's no way we would lie about all this. Then all of a sudden the GM dropped the issue.
I want to be clear: we did not damage the TV. Any implication otherwise is unfounded. We reported the issue honestly and expected it to be handled professionally.
A Lesson Learned
This experience has changed how I view hotel stays. I’ve learned to check amenities upon arrival and to speak up when things aren't right. More importantly, I've learned that a hotel's true quality is revealed not just in its decor or amenities, but in how it responds to its guests' concerns.
Deb
