Review: SkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

By
Ziggy
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a close up of a towel
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Auckland is one of those cities where you’ll find it pretty hard to use most of the well known hotel loyalty currencies as, aside from a Hilton and a Crowne Plaza, there aren’t any other centrally located hotels that are part of one of one of the large international chains.

It’s because of this that I found myself booking the SkyCity Grand Hotel for a two-night stay I had in Auckland.

I booked the hotel for NZ$329 ($227 US)/night through Booking.com and I chose the SkyCity Grand as it had the best combination of price and location for the dates I was visiting.

a map of a citySkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The SkyCity Grand is conveniently located a 10 minute walk from the harbour and the airport bus pick up/drop off point and it’s only a 20 minute walk to the Auckland Domain.

The area the hotel is situated in offers numerous bars and cafes and, as a place to base yourself while you’re in the city, it’s in a very good spot.

The hotel sits as part of a casino complex and, although the area outside the hotel looks pedestrianized, cars and taxis are allowed to drive up to the very front.

a building with cars parked in front of itSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The reception area is just inside the main doors of the property…..

a hallway with a counter and pictures on the wallSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

…..and, with no one else in the lobby area when I arrived, check-in was swift.

The lift lobbies on each floor are located next to large windows overlooking Auckland so, despite the dark wood décor, you don’t walk out on to a dark floor.

a room with chairs and a windowSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The hallways are well lit and bright so there’s a good feeling of space as you walk to your room:

a long hallway with lights onSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

SkyCity Grand Hotel King Room

The rooms at the SkyCity Grand are set out like just about every other standard hotel room I’ve stayed at with a short hallway leading to the sleeping area and a bathroom off the hallway:

a hallway with a table and chairSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The room I had been given was a good size with a king-bed dominating the sleeping area….

a room with a bed and a chairSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a bed in a roomSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a bed with white sheets and a black tableSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

….and a chaise long (of sorts) sitting by the window next to a side table:

a couch and table in a roomSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

Still by the window but opposite to the chaise longue was a desk…..

a desk with a lamp and a phone on itSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

….with two new Zealand-style power outlets:

a telephone on a deskSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The wall opposite the bed was home to a large flat-screen TV…..

a tv on the wallSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

….while the corner where the hallway meets the sleeping are is where the room’s coffee machine was to be found……

a shelf with glasses and coffee cups on itSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a coffee maker and tea cups on a counterSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

…together with a kettle, cups & saucers, tea, coffee and UHT milk.

a container with different types of condimentsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

Under the shelf holding the coffee maker was a drawer with snacks, un-chilled drinks and some non-complimentary toiletries…..

a drawer with a variety of food itemsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

…and under this was the room’s chilled mini-bar (overpriced as always):

a mini fridge with bottles of alcoholSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

This was one of the more useful hotel mini-bars as, not only was is a good size, but it also didn’t charge you the second you removed something from within it – that meant it could be used to store goods purchased outside of the hotel.

Just as with the power outlets on the desk, the outlets by the bed were of the New Zealand variety…..

a wall with switches and plugsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a wall with a light switch and a seatSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

…but, importantly, both sides of the bed had two power outlets each.

The bedside tables were pretty cool as you can choose to have them compact…..

a round table next to a wood paneled wallSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

….or, if for some reason a guest needs more table room or if they want to use the bottom shelf as a drawer, they can be extended:

a table with a shelfSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The room had just one closet…but at least it was of a reasonable size…..

a white robe on a swingerSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

….but, while the in-room safe was perfectly ok, more drawers would definitely be welcome:

a black safe with a combination lock and a shelfSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

My room was on the top floor of the property but, because this part of Auckland is where all the high-rise buildings are, that still didn’t get me a great view.

Here’s the view looking straight out of the room:

a tall buildings with windowsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

Here’s the view looking to the right:

a large white building with many windowsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

And here’s the view looking to the left….you can just catch a glimpse of the water if you look hard enough:

a city with many tall buildingsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The bathroom was spacious and, considering the space, it was surprising not to find a bath.

a bathroom with a sink and showerSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a sink with a towel on the counterSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a bathroom with a toilet and a shelf with towelsSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

Not an issue for me as I prefer showers but it’s something to note if you’re someone who would enjoy a bath after a day wandering around Auckland.

Speaking of showers….

a shower with a glass doorSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a shower head in a bathroomSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

…this one was very good. Good pressure and no long wait for the hot water to turn up.

The complimentary toiletries provided were a local brand which I didn’t recognise but seemed perfectly ok.

a group of small bottles of soap and a towel on a round wooden surfaceSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

The Gym, Pool & Outdoor Deck

The hotel provides an outdoor deck (for smokers), a gym, an indoor pool and sauna on the 7th floor and, as I’m sure you all know how to interpret picture, I’ll let them do the talking here:

a sign on a wallSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a patio with chairs and tablesSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a room with exercise equipmentSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a group of treadmills in a gymSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a group of exercise machines in a gymSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a gym with weights and exercise equipmentSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a swimming pool with a ladderSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

a swimming pool inside a buildingSkyCity Grand Hotel Auckland

Overall the gym seemed spacious and well equipped, the pool was more one for relaxing in than doing any serious swimming while the outdoor deck is probably fine if you just want a quick cigarette but, with so many nice outdoor spots nearby, this is not where I’d choose to wile away a few hours.

Other Things You May Want To Know

Here a letter I was given when I checked in which gives more details about the property (click to enlarge):

a close-up of a paperIn short:

• Breakfast (not included in my rate) is served in the hotel restaurant on level 3 between 06:30 and 10:30 Mon- Fri) and 06:30 and 11:00 (Sat & Sun).
• The hotel runs a shuttle bus too/from the airport at a cost of NZ$35 ($24 US) for the first rider in your party and NZ$15 ($10 US) for each additional person in your party – the SkyBus I caught from a little further up the street cost NZ$17 ($12) per person.
• Valet Parking costs NZ$40 ($28) per car per night
• Self Parking costs NZ$25 ($17) per exit
• Wi-Fi is free for all guests throughout the hotel and I found it to be pretty good.
• A spa is available for hotel guests on the 1st floor.

Thoughts

Negatives:

• I’ve stayed at better hotels for the $227/night (US) that this property cost me…but then this appears to be more a factor of how much hotels in Auckland seem to cost rather than the hotel overcharging.
• I didn’t have a car on this trip but at the rates charged here I would definitely look to rent a car only when I actually needed it or I’d park elsewhere.
• The lack of a bath may put some guests off

Positives:

• Good location
• Friendly staff
• Good sized room
• Good gym facilities

Bottom Line

I was happy with my choice of property for my 2-night stay as it served my purposes well.

Auckland isn’t really a city that needs a lot of days to explore so as somewhere to base yourself for a couple of days the SkyCity Grand Hotel is a good choice.

Naturally I suggest checking to see if you can save some cash by using points at the Hilton or Crowne Plaza nearby but, if you have to spend cash, SkyCity is perfectly ok.

If I was staying longer (to explore the areas outside of Auckland) I’d probably look to book a cheaper place (like an aparthotel) – if I’m not going to be in the room all that much I don’t see a lot of point in spending a lot of cash.

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