Pullman Rotorua

A lovely property in a great location, I’d stay again for sure. What was clear is that the staff training hasn’t yet matched the level of the property (with the exception of the chef at breakfast, who was exceptional!). Totally understandable given all that the sector has experienced of late, but at premium prices there’s a reasonable expectation of premium service, and there’s work to be done to get there. Everyone I met was lovely, and when the training level catches up, this will be one of NZ’s best mainstream stays. I’m really grateful for the stay, and offer these thoughts only to help shape improvement as the industry recovers: 1. Attentiveness. I queued for 10 mins at check in. Only one desk was open, and the member of staff was serving another guest - no worries. Only when he came over did I realise that the young man who’d been chatting at the bar was staff, and able to check me in. I felt if he’d noticed me, I could’ve avoided the wait. Likewise in the restaurant at dinner, on three occasions I had to get the attention of a waiter and ask for my water glass to be refilled, while the waiters chatted at the bar. Every one was delightful, but young and not as focussed as I’d expect in a property at this standard (or price). 2. Word tracks & responses. I asked at check-in if there was in-room dining / room service available that night as I needed to work. The response was honest, but I’ve never had someone say ‘aww ummm, maybe? The kitchen closes at 9 I reckon’ to me in a premium property. I figured it was just experience and training, but didn’t feel as polished as I’d usually expect in a similar place. 3. In room amenities. The suite was huge - a really nice space. It would’ve been even better with a bottle of water in the room, maybe something in the fridge, and some sort of bath product along with the shower gel and shampoo etc). Beautifully appointed, but a couple of tiny details would take it to the next level…my only other comment would be that the light switches are in odd places behind cupboards and so on, but that’s not a major at all. Huge shout out to the chef on Thursday morning…as engaging and caring as I’ve met anywhere in the world. He went to great trouble to make breakfast special, and prepared a first class omelette too. A real highlight of the stay. Team I enjoyed my stay, and I look forward to coming back. The property and the team deserve to thrive, and I hope that the borders reopening make that a reality soon…it must’ve been bloody hard. Raising the bar on customer experience to match the prices - of the rooms and the meals - will absolutely set the business up to be a smash hit.

I very much appreciated the room upgrade, but the layout of the Suite is very odd, and not that practical. The positioning of the open bathroom, shower and toilet is very odd, indeed … being in close proximity to the living area, and the sofa. It is not possible to enjoy the sofa, and watch the TV at the same time.

We stayed for two nights. Had to ask to have my room made up. When “done” there was several pieces of rubbish on the floor, and no milk or coffee top up. Had to ask them to finish job. Also had to for a different pillow, as the quality of pillow was cheap. I had to ask three times over four hours.

The stay started poorly with the receptionist explaining that to use the car park which was situated next to the hotel, we had to enter into a valet parking agreement of $45 a day. Although we parked the hire car and paid for the parking, the use of a valet was not necessary as it took less than a minute to walk from the hotel to the car park.

From check in (Alex) to check out our whole Pullman experience was awesome. The room was so spacious, so clean and tidy. The room from our room (lake) was stunning especially on those chilly mornings. Location is perfect, walking distance to the lake, shops and eats street. The restaurant is good, breakfast is well thought about, covers everything and has chefs on tap to cook your eggs however you want. Cocktails list is basic but always consistent. Wine list is awesome. Dinner was amazing too - the place had a buzz about it on Friday and Saturday which was nice to see post Covid. Service was on point - could not fault it.