136 On Bealey - Motel

The comfortable bed and working TV were about the only good things, unfortunately. We didn’t get the room we’d booked, but the motel was full that night, so we made do. The shower pressure was poor, and if someone showered while the sink was running, the sink only gave cold water. Some dishes and parts of the room weren’t clean. The walls are paper thin, so if noise makes it hard for you to sleep, don’t book here. We heard everything from the next room.

We spent two nights in this old, dated motel, and the towels were old. After a full day of sightseeing on our second day, we came back to find our room wide open, propped with a doorstop. We were worried we could have been robbed. We reported it the next morning and were told housekeeping had left it that way because they were short-staffed. That was a security issue, and the motel hadn’t protected our room or belongings. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

I wouldn’t consider staying here in the future after the way I was treated on the phone. We’d booked months ahead for a much-needed break, but had to cancel after a death in the family. My initial request to cancel and get a refund was ignored. I then called to ask if we could move the booking to a later date and endured seven minutes of abuse. She said it wasn’t her problem, that we hadn’t given enough notice or proof and were just making an excuse. I offered to provide a death certificate, and she hung up. Her screaming and appalling language were absolutely nasty, with no compassion at all.

The customer service was enough to put me off ever booking here again. We’d booked a non-refundable rate, and Agoda let us ask whether the hotel would accept a cancellation. We tried because of health reasons. They declined, which we understood, since it was non-refundable. Later I felt well enough to travel, so we drove to Christchurch and went to the hotel. They said they’d cancelled our booking because we hadn’t told them we were still coming, but they’d never told us they had cancelled it or checked whether we wanted to proceed with the cancellation. The woman on the phone was extremely rude to my husband, and another employee was no help. They said the booking was cancelled and they were full, then offered us another of their hotels down the street. It was filthy, so we declined. After we spent time on the phone with Agoda, the hotel still hadn’t cancelled the booking through Agoda. Agoda refunded us, which was great, but the hotel’s handling of the situation was disgusting.