Ilam Motel

I was there in mid 2025. It was busy, but close to Westfield mall and other shopping centres, and you get what you pay for. After talking with neighbours, I learned the motel is often used for emergency state housing (WINZ/KaingaOra). People were friendly, and some are doing it rough. It’s on a busy road, so there can be noise from loud music and car exhausts. If that bothers you, I’d suggest a room at the back near the main office. I stayed in the large two bedroom unit. One room had a queen bed and side cabinet; the other had two single beds, plenty of power outlets by the beds, and a wall lamp on the right bed. The worst part for me was the cigarette smell. The lounge and, I’d say, the whole motel smelled of cigarettes, including the furniture and walls. I left the windows open all day while I was out, but came back to the same smoky room. Airing it out didn’t help, which made me think the smell was in the furniture. Owner, please change this, or maybe you already have and people are still smoking in the units. Ban smoking on the premises. The bathroom and toilet were okay. The shower was small, with good temperature and okay pressure. There was a washing detergent dispenser, but it wasn’t filled. The small toilet had toilet roll, and there was also a dirty bathtub, mirror, heater, and power outlet. It had what you needed. The kitchen had a decent sized fridge, microwave, and oven, and a kettle. It wasn’t the worst place, but the smoke smell dragged it down. If the room hadn’t smelled of cigarettes, my rating would have been much higher. From my experience, I’d give it a solid 2.2/5.