Quest on Johnston

The place was dirty from the entrance onward, especially the elevators, and the furniture was cheap. Reception shuts at 6, which makes no sense to me. They also made me give my full card details over the phone while I was standing on the street. The room seemed like someone had tried to cover up a smoke smell, and the parking situation was a complete mess. This is the worst place I’ve stayed in New Zealand. I hated it and would tell everyone to stay elsewhere.

We were very disappointed. The room had no windows, felt musty, and was much smaller than the online pictures suggested. The bathroom was tiny, and its sticky floor made it hard even to wash our daughter. Worse, my partner found underwear that wasn’t ours when sitting on the sofa, which left us seriously concerned about cleanliness and hygiene. For a four-star price, this felt like a one-star stay. We wanted to leave straight away, but couldn’t get a refund.

I stayed for one night on 1st November 2025 while stopping over on a road trip to the South Island. I left early for the ferry and accidentally took the room key with me on my carabiner. I called reception to explain. The receptionist said they’d charged me $450 for it, but would refund that if I brought the key back the following week. She checked this with her supervisor, and my wife heard the conversation on speakerphone. I trusted Quest as a national brand, so thought that was settled. When I returned with the key a week later, reception took it but said there’d be no refund, because they’d tried to contact me through Agoda. I’d booked through booking.com and showed them I had no email, text, or call from them. I asked for a manager. Supervisor Alam said they’d raise it with the manager. The supervisor and manager knew that the receptionist and supervisor had promised me a refund if I returned the key. But the manager, Manjit, said her staff had made a mistake and tried to contact me. Manjit refused a full refund, then offered $100 of the $450. I accepted that as a settlement, but was very disappointed in how it was handled. I’ve worked in hospitality, and when a receptionist and supervisor verbally promise a refund, management should honor it and stand by the staff. Instead there was a lot of blame placed on the staff and on me as a customer, with claims that staff made a mistake and I couldn’t be contacted. They apparently couldn’t reach me, yet had my credit card details. I believe I was owed a full refund, and $450 for a key was extortionate. I’d supported Quest during my travels in NZ, but this left my wife and me with a bad impression, when we’d meant to enjoy travelling this beautiful country. I hope this reaches upper management and that I get my money back. Otherwise, I’ll avoid Quest Johnston and all Quest establishments. I’ll accept either the appropriate refund or accommodation credit.

The room was clean and comfortable, with good facilities, a comfy bed, and a good shower. It’s a little north of the main Cuba Street Mall, but an easy walk along the waterfront or through some interesting streets.