Reavers Lodge

The loft room was supposed to sleep four, but it was tiny, with steep stairs and not enough headroom upstairs for our shortest person, who is 160cm tall. There was debris in a corner, and the floors in the loft didn't look clean. Getting to the toilet with the bathroom door shut was a squeeze. The shower pressure was poor, and the water was barely above body temperature. We were only two in the room but planned to use the sofa bed. There was no linen for it. After trying reception for over an hour with no answer or return call, we walked back down three flights of stairs to ask. Luckily we had a New Zealand SIM. There's no elevator to help with luggage. Staff seemed confused but said they'd arrange the linen, and it did arrive, along with an offer to make up the bed, which was nice. When we went to make dinner, we found very little crockery, and what was there had been put away dirty and greasy. We were meant to stay two nights, but left and found somewhere else for the second. It feels aimed at 18 to 25-year-olds, which is fine, but they should market themselves that way. I can't recommend this place.

The room was clean and the bed was quite comfortable. Having a TV and kitchenette added to a positive stay, and although the bathroom was a bit small, it didn't affect our comfort. We were pleasantly surprised and think this lodge deserves a better rating. I'd happily recommend it to anyone visiting Queenstown on a budget. Four stars from us.

The after-hours number didn't help when loud music was playing at 1am. The person who answered asked more about my room than about the noise, and nothing was done. With thin walls, we could hear people talking, doors slamming and hallway noise all night. A good night's sleep was impossible, and management seemed to make no effort to control the noise or maintain standards. My wife and I travel a lot and aren't especially fussy, but this was unacceptable. The room was filthy, with stained carpets, dust and grime on the surfaces, and a bathroom that looked as if it hadn't been properly cleaned in ages. The property was in terrible shape too. Things were broken, worn out or badly patched, as though basic maintenance had been ignored for years. For what they charge, that condition felt insulting. The place came across as neglected and poorly run, and honestly a bit disgusting. It felt more like an abandoned motel room than somewhere meant to host paying guests. Stay somewhere else. They should be embarrassed to charge for rooms in this condition.

We didn't stay a single night in Room 7 because the conditions felt uninhabitable, and we've requested a full refund. The lodge has a great vantage point of Queenstown, but the property and service were unacceptable. Given the high nightly rate, there's no excuse for the lack of upkeep. Management could use its revenue to address pests, repair the place and keep it clean. We're still waiting for a response to our refund request, and can't recommend the lodge unless there's a total deep clean and full overhaul of maintenance. At check-in, our first key didn't work. When we returned to reception, staff were skeptical and insisted on coming upstairs to verify it. They found it was the wrong key, then we had to wait while they retrieved a working one. Once inside, we found bugs in the shower, on the bathroom floor and even on the bed, along with a heavy, strange smell. The walls were remarkably thin. Even from the second level near the outside of the property, we could hear guests on the opposite side of the complex. There was also noticeable rubbish and litter scattered around the grounds.