Tower Lodge Motel

James gave us a wonderful welcome. The room was laid out really well and super clean, with an electric blanket to warm the bed and all the cable channels in HD. Highly recommend.

The units were very tidy and had all the amenities we needed. The name makes sense since it's directly across from the water tower, and it's also handy to queens park. We did find two broken screws sticking up through the carpet in front of the couch, like walking on stones whenever we passed. When we left, they were very helpful and gave us useful suggestions for stops on the next part of our trip.

The owners made our trip wonderful, and everything we wanted to do, including restaurants, was within walking or taxi distance. Any questions or concerns were talked through quickly. The motel owner was so kind and made travelling much easier. If I'm ever back in Invercargill, I'll stay here again.

This was our second stay, and it will definitely be our last. From reading the motel's reviews, it seemed that when someone posted a negative one, the owners replied by explaining why the reviewer was wrong and pointing to their many good reviews. So I expect they'll do that here too. We booked two rooms directly on 5 May, then immediately emailed to correct the date. The next day, we got a nice reply saying both units were booked for Tuesday 6 January. On 23 May we asked to extend the stay to two nights. That same day, they confirmed we'd be in on the 5th and out on the 7th. All sorted, or so we thought. When we arrived on 5 January, I assume the owner, Val, was behind the counter. The welcome wasn't cheerful, but that happens. I said we had two units for two nights, and she told us there was only one. After some back and forth, she said the front unit would be ready in a few minutes. She asked me to move my car from in front of unit one, which I did, then told me to put it back there. The booking emails had clearly confirmed two rooms, so it seemed the system wasn't working properly. The next night, Val called my cellphone asking when my sister-in-law would arrive. I said she was already there in unit one, covered by our two-night booking. Val had a go at me, saying it was just as well she'd turned a group away that day, then hung up. I called back to say the booking mix-up wasn't my fault and hanging up was rude. She talked over me and tried to justify herself, so I hung up too. That was the rudest interaction we've had in Southland. I expected justifications in response, and sure enough they came. James, I feel sorry for you, since Val seems to always be right. Check the emails with the dates and two names, and the photo I added, which shows you knew there were two units. The replies make your facts look different. Val and James, let's deal with facts, not what I consider lies. You said I contacted you about a booking in the wrong month, singular, but the email trail shows two rooms, two names, and your reply confirming you'd updated both. All the emails are together in the same thread. I wasn't giving Val attitude on the first call, I just said we were already there in both rooms. She got an attitude on the second call, after blaming me and hanging up. I'm the guest, and I hadn't done anything wrong. The emails and photos show that what you called facts was false. I think this exchange will help people see that you lie to make the story suit you. If you do book, I'd suggest not going direct like we did, since they don't seem able to keep track of simple emails. Hanging up on guests and posting what I believe are lies as facts in a public forum looks tacky and desperate. We're moving on, won't be back, and the review and photos of the emails will stay. If you'd apologized for the mistake and for hanging up, I'd have deleted the review. Val, I'd think about retiring if you need to lie to feel better. As the owner of two Airbnbs that rate in the top 1% worldwide, perhaps hospitality isn't your thing anymore.