Ventura Inn & Suites Auckland Airport
For my last night in New Zealand I searched for a hotel near the airport. Looking at Flyertalk I learnt the Ventura Inn was recommended quite some time. It is a new property and so I booked it (and later on for the two nights before also their hotel in Hamilton).
The hotel is located in a business district a five minutes drive from Auckland airport. The hotel runs a complimentary 24 hours shuttle service to and from the airport.
The hotel is three storeys high (ground floor and two floors) and L shaped; it has 70 rooms and suites. You enter the hotel through a lobby which is two storeys high and therefore very airy, and bigger than the one of the hotel in Hamilton. The check-in is on the left side of the lobby. In peak time there are two agents on duty. On the other side of the lobby, divided by some flowers is the breakfast area where in the morning the complimentary continental breakfast is served.
The pool is located in front of the main entrance. It could be reached either through the lobby or through one of the side entrances. The pool area has a fence around and some plants. But again not really a nice area, laying in front of the hotel so everybody entering the hotel sees you. Perhaps this might become better if the plants are a bit bigger, but I doubt it. I definitively think they should have placed the hotel at another place around the hotel. They also seem to use some chemicals for the pool as my
skin smelled a bit after a quick visit in the pool. The Spa is not really a Spa, it was four manually to power on streamer, but it was nicely heated.
The gym is on the ground floor and really small and only featuring two machines. Not really what I call a gym, but there was no one in it as I passed and therefore it might be not too small.
A conference room is also available on the ground floor.
The hotel has no restaurant, but partners with some restaurants in the area around the hotel, which offers cash back, i.e. you can charge the restaurant bill to your room.
There is W-LAN offered on the ground floor.
Breakfast is included in all room rates and a continental breakfast offered as buffet. It had hot water for tea (tea bags were available) and coffee and orange and apple juice. Toast and pastries were available as well as cereals, yoghurts, pastries.
The floors could be reached by an elevator and two staircases, one of the stairs leads directly to the rear of the parking lot. The parking lot is around the hotel building.
visited on USA + NZ
stays 20 February 2008
Arrival Date: 20 February 2008
Departure Date: 21 February 2008
Room type booked: Standard Studio Room
Rate Plan: Best Available Room
Room Number: 105
Room Rate: 109.00 NZD
Status of Guest Program: n/a
I have booked a Standard Studio Room for my last night. The hotel offered Standard Studio Rooms, Deluxe Studio Room and Two Room Suites with microwave and small kitchen like the one in Hamilton
Check in was fast and very friendly. I was asked for a credit card and got everything explained. It did not take long and up I was on the way to my room.
My room was located on the ground floor facing the parking lot. It had the classical hotel room ground plan. If you enter the room you are standing in a corridor with the entrance to the bathroom. The bathroom consists of toilet, sunk and bath. At this hotel the floor had tiles as well as well as the wall around the bath, the rest of the bathroom was painted with a waterproof bathroom painting. Bathroom amenities (shampoo, conditioner and bath lotion) were provided. Three sorts of towels (small, medium and large)
are stocked in the bathroom, a hairdryer was available.
The room had two beds on the left side with a bedside table between and four reading lamps. There were also central switches for the main lights at the bed. The mattress was a bit too soft for my taste; it is probably the same sort of mattress than in the Ventura Inn in Hamilton. Opposite the bed were a table with two chairs and the working desk with LAN connection and TV on it. Although the TV took some space of the working desk, it was enough space to work on a laptop. At this hotel CNN was available. Plugs
were available on and under the desk. The fridge and tea and coffee facilities were aside the desk and the wardrobe with iron and ironing board was a built in one in the corridor.
The air condition unit was wall mounted above the entrance. It was a different, smaller one than in Hamilton with fewer options to adjust. But it was also possible to open the windows.
The room had one painting on the wand and was painted in a nice beige colour, but another picture, e.g. above the bed would have improved the ambiance of the room a bit.
There were not really scratches on the furniture or stains in the carpet in the bedroom and in the bathroom. It was like in Hamilton no exclusive furniture, but a solid and nice one.
A central switch where on had to put the room key to get power were aside the entrance. Unfortunately this meant the a/c worked only one was in the room.
LAN was available for a reasonable 9.50 NZD for 24 hours. It was 24 hours and if you log in and out you could use up the minutes for three month until the account expires. Good for someone often staying in this hotel, but the one from Hamilton obviously worked not in Auckland.
Check out was again friendly and very fast.
I was very pleased with this hotel. If offered a very good value for money. Downsides are the somehow small pool and Jacuzzi. On the other hand the location was good, close to the airport and with a shuttle service to and from the airport. The Standard room was okay. Internet was reasonable priced. I would have liked to have a better and harder mattress, but I prefer a really hard mattress and the most people prefer a softer one and therefore it might be okay for other people.
Having a continental breakfast included was a nice thing.
I would definitively stay there again and really could recommend the hotel, especially if one has a late arrival or early departure or just want to spend a night near the airport rather than in downtown Auckland.
