Halswell Lodge

I was disappointed to discover that the main photo used on Wotif for this lodge motel is not related at all to the actual building except that it is in close vicinity. The staff is friendly but lacked organisational efficiency. I booked this motel to have parking included near our room. One night we couldn’t fit in and had to park on the street but then had to move it before 8am.

There was nobody at reception when we arrived and there was a complicated process to get the key to our room. When I asked which parking space to use I was told there was an extra charge to use the parking, and that if I did not pay my car would be towed away. I declined to provide my credit card details over the phone to an unknown person and told her to send me a bill by email. Totally unsatisfactory.

Great central location. Facilities clean but car park too small.

It was warm once heated and comfortable. It was pretty clean and tidy and the staff were friendly however could have physically greeted us rather than sitting in the back room talking to us through a doorway. Our room had lights without working bulbs. There were dishes provided but no plug to use the sink to wash them. The extra bed in the communal area made seating uncomfortable for watching TV. The $30 fee for 2 nights parking seemed steep and should really be a complimentry service unless people have more than 1 vehicle or something oversized or built into the price rather than an extra. Overall we enjoyed our stay but thought that these areas were constructive ways to perhaps improve guest experience. Besides the parking it was great value for money.

Wifi didn't work. I had to pay separately for parking. We stayed for 2 nights and the room was not made for us the 2nd day.

Even though i paid for parking, there wasn't always one available, especially at night. Couldnt sleep when upstairs tenants were having party and stomping on floor which shakes bottom unit. Only one washing machine between all units which was leaking and draining down the driveway. The only positive part is its affordability and availability at short notice.

Dirty, dingy and not a place were going to be staying again. The price reflected the quality so much. Parking was extra and not advised. We selected pay on arrival and they took the funds from my CC before we arrived. The room had so many flaws. Cracked and peeling paint, marks on the walls, rusting and leaking fridge because it was turned right down for the freezer to melt. Hairs on the toilet and in the shower... We slept and left promptly.

Not being to talk to manager or owner in person was annoying. Cleaning staff were very helpful. Charging for parking was disgraceful.

Not the best place to stay, i would expect parking to be included in the price, we only used it for one night, would not stay there for a week.

Happy with my stay and good value for money with carparking option. I was looking for somewhere inexpensive close to the CBD to stay for a couple of nights after driving down from Auckland to Wellington to take daughter to University. They have car parking on site (an extra $15 per night). Good location near the Wellington CBD. The front part of the lodge is an old building. I wouldn't recommend it for a romantic weekend away. The initial walk upstairs to the room doesn't set the mood. But the room was clean, the beds were comfortable, room was big (twin room for my daughter and me), and the shower was hot and pressure was good. Be aware that reception may be unattended and you may need to phone when you arrive and get your key from a lock box. That's the only reason I marked the staff down - because I didn't really see them. It was perfect for what I wanted though. Good value for money even with the extra carpark charge. I'll happily stay there again when University finishes in November. I would probably choose something a bit more upmarket and expensive if my wife came on the trip though. But great location for University Halls moving.

Worst place my father and I have ever stayed in. Paid for two nights did not return for the second night. Incredibly dirty. The ONLY good comment I can make is the bedding was clean.

Stayed a second night but had to change rooms. First room was amazing! Second room (King regular) was awful. There was water on the chair cushions we found out later which was from the bath upstairs leaking through the floor. Carpet was wet, room was damp and musty, lots of mold in the room and bathroom. Do not stay in this room if you have asthma. Found myself struggling to breathe. Lots of deferred maintenance in this room, pick a different one. Tried to get ahold of reception, no one available. Overall the staff was very helpful the day before, location great. Just choose a different room.

The bed was past its best, no bedside lights. Had to ask for a fan since the windows were locked shut. While using the spa bath, a brown scum residue was present after use (suggests fresh water hasn't been flushed thru the system for a while). No phone in bedroom so had to use my own cellphone to contact reception to request both the fan and a TV remote but had to ring again, 1/2 an hr later due to no response. Receptionist wasn't exactly enthusiastic on at least 3 occasions I went to the front office...general feeling of not really caring about the image of the service they were offering. On a positive note, great location and the room service staff were very friendly. Pity the other aspects of the business let them down. Am unlikely to use it again, sadly.

The room looked like it wasn’t even cleaned before we stayed. Dust everywhere in the bathroom. The bath was broken and the water was shut off on the second night of our stay which meant we couldn’t shower or brush our teeth before checking out. The staff was friendly though

The queen spa unit was rather small and not very pleasurable to stay. Lots of noise, doors opening and closing, everything echoed even the noise outside. 3 lights only one worked. Cleanliness was not at all up to par. Spa bath small and discoloration. Dust everywhere. I would look to stay only if i was kicked out of home and had no option.

When entering the building all I could smell was cigarette smoke, my wife said it smelt of fart. Everything in the room was sticky, the shower curtain was mouldy, and the walls were damaged. Outside was the sound of people smoking, fighting and coughing up lung. We were there 10 minutes before we booked a new hotel. We couldn’t stay it didn’t feel safe.

Mould in bathroom paint falling off walls smell was poor food stains on bench. Was a lot wrong for price

Ripped carpet with nails sticking out that I stepped on, bathroom sink clogged, spa bath obviously not used in a while and chunky bits came out of pumps. Very basic and not clean at all... Not even a power point near bed... Will never stay there again

DON'T BOOK HERE, SERIOUSLY. It is the most dirty, poorly run accommodation I have ever stayed in. No one at reception, then when someone came it was the cleaner. (who was nice) We arrived at 4pm & our rooms were still not cleaned. The carpet felt sticky/dirty (so we wore socks), the smell - ohhhhh, the shower had mold growing in places, blinds pullers were broken, walls dirty, spider webs, TV didn't work, Wifi not existent. I don't think the place had a decent clean for ever. Needing tidying around the garden as well & a good water spraying to spruce the place up. OWNERS HAVE SOME PRIDE IN THE PLACE, I WOULD NEVER STAY HERE AGAIN.

Upon arrival we discovered the reception isn't manned and there is no one on site at all. We had to phone to check in and was then told it was an extra $15 for parking and they also required a $100 deposit even though we had already booked and paid online. None of this was mentioned when I made the booking online. After we finally got sorted and had the key for the room, it was immediate disappointment. I wasn't expecting anything grand for $80 a night but I do expect clean. The room was nothing like the pictures used online. Upon entering we noticed a lot of fruit flies, the walls were dirty, the curtains had something on them, possibly food, and the toilet hadn't been cleaned properly.There was no working light in the bathroom, the mini fridge has been left open/seals were broken and the ice box had frozen over, so the carpet underneath the fridge was wet. We were left 2 bath towels and a bath mat, no hand towels or wash cloths. There were no soap bars or bottle of shampoo/condition, the soap dispenser in the shower was empty. A jug and coffee/tea/sugar was provided, however the coffee mugs were dirty and there was one dessert spoon, no other utensils. The bed spread had a big stain right in the middle, the sheets and pillow slips were clean thankfully. The bed was on a base with wheels and kept moving away from the wall, underneath the bed was disgusting with dirty socks, rubbish and dust. Unsure of regulations but there was also no smoke detector in the room itself.

A freezer in my room was leaking. The noises of shutting doors were so loud. Other guests were opening and closing doors over and over again during the night, so I couldn’t sleep well. Services were not great but enough.

Close to ferry terminal. Old and rickety beds and furniture.

Problem with WiFi signal.

Room did not look like image - dark and pokey and absolutely no ventilation in building or room which had jammed windows. 2 thin pillows on bed. Wifi not reliable- rang duty manager twice- no one in reception from around 6 pm so no one to help as we wanted to change to a bigger room. (probably owner) who passed the buck. Poor security as outer corridors open and accessible to the public all night. Yucky hair behind loo, no hand soap- we did not use the shower as it looked yuck. Would rather stay in a clean safe youth hostel.

Wifi didn't work. I had to pay separately for parking. We stayed for 2 nights and the room was not made for us the 2nd day.

Could hear doors banging, showers turning on and toilets flushing all night. Bed was ok but room was very tired and not inviting at all. Location and carpark were convenient

It was extremely noisy from other people. Very difficult to sleep. It was very hot, even though it wasn't outside. Could have done with a fan.

The rooms are ok but noise is a problem, loud snoring from the other rooms. rooms are not sound proof. electric jug needs replacing. rooms are not heated even but small heaters provided

Conviently located for St Janes theatre but security totally lacking. Although a dead lock on front door off the street, no key or swipe card provided. Same with smoke door on ground floor so anyone can walk in off the street and have access to rooms. It looked like the door to my room had an attempt at crowbar entry! No checkin staff available. There was a compressor/pump that "kicked in" regularly throughout the night. Very noisy. Drafty room with just a sheet and light duvet on the bed. I slept in my clothes to keep warm.

If you are after a cheep very basic room, you will be fine, it’s really a 2 star hotel in my opinion. Very dated and worn, but the bed was comfortable.

I like the walkable location. Nice and close to everything. A difficult to get a response from staff

No front desk attendant the whole two days, no service outside of a single cleaner who knew very little to be able to assist. Room was not ready at nearly 3pm when arrived. Place is run down, dirty, facilities next to unusual events, shared kitchen filthy with nothing useable, tv not able to use due to no signal for both days. Booking indicated parking available only to find out a threat of the vehicle being towed if we did not pay an additional $15 per night for parking space. Entire place is more like a poor hostel than a motel and would not recommend anyone be taken in by the total lack of care for customer service this place offers.

It was very old and no one at reception i did not see any staff for my 1 night stay if it was not for a kind man who was staying there I would not have been able to get in to room it should be made more clear you need lockbox number to get in. On plus side it did have lovely clean white sheets and towels.

Very confused check in process - despite arriving before 4pm there was no one there,. Our key was hidden in a separate compartment at the back of the box, which we didn't find til after 7pm. Very unsatisfactory. The lodge itself is lovely with pleasant rooms and is in a great location, but it's evident it's being run down. Lots of broken things in room (toilet cistern, beside lights, extract fan), unable to access the wifi. Such a pity that what was a lovely hotel is being run into the ground.

While the room looked very clean, the window was cracked and none of the wall lights worked. Also the en-suite was exceptionally small. But main problem was lack of any staff at all on the premises, so any queries had to be by phone to some other location, even though a sign in the footer said the desk was manned to 9pm.

Worst motel I have ever paid to stay in. So filthy I got them to mop bathroom/kitchen before we could move in. Staff don’t speak any english so you have to call a number then that person translates for them. So rundown! DON’T STAY HERE! If I could give minus stars I would! Again, DON’T STAY HERE!

Would give zero stars if I could. Weird check in experience. Room was filthy, no toilet paper or soap, door to the balcony didn’t close which was noisy and unsafe. I ended up leaving after a couple of hours as there was no way I was staying the night. Avoid at all costs.

The check-in took ine hour as the room wasn't ready when I arrived, well after the indicated check-in time

After hours checking in was easy.

Remote reception i didnt like NEVER seen that before

It was suitable for a cheap overnight stay and location is great

Place was okay as we were in transit overnight. supermarket nearby was well stocked and could be walking to. Close to Te Papa. Seemed to be a mix of different buildings and some motels. Tea and coffee facilities in room , simple room but the shower was tops, water good flow and hot,

Comfortable stay for the price. Good central location.

Right in the city and parking was available

You get what you pay for with this one. Great location .

Great location

Parking was good. shops and restaurants were near by walking distance.

Conviently located for St Janes theatre but security totally lacking. Although a dead lock on front door off the street, no key or swipe card provided. Same with smoke door on ground floor so anyone can walk in off the street and have access to rooms. It looked like the door to my room had an attempt at crowbar entry! No checkin staff available. There was a compressor/pump that "kicked in" regularly throughout the night. Very noisy. Drafty room with just a sheet and light duvet on the bed. I slept in my clothes to keep warm.

Happy with my stay and good value for money with carparking option. I was looking for somewhere inexpensive close to the CBD to stay for a couple of nights after driving down from Auckland to Wellington to take daughter to University. They have car parking on site (an extra $15 per night). Good location near the Wellington CBD. The front part of the lodge is an old building. I wouldn't recommend it for a romantic weekend away. The initial walk upstairs to the room doesn't set the mood. But the room was clean, the beds were comfortable, room was big (twin room for my daughter and me), and the shower was hot and pressure was good. Be aware that reception may be unattended and you may need to phone when you arrive and get your key from a lock box. That's the only reason I marked the staff down - because I didn't really see them. It was perfect for what I wanted though. Good value for money even with the extra carpark charge. I'll happily stay there again when University finishes in November. I would probably choose something a bit more upmarket and expensive if my wife came on the trip though. But great location for University Halls moving.

Very central - 10 mins walk from Te Papa and Cuba Street.Delue Cafe Great little coffee shop 2 mins walk away. Hotel was cheap but not very cheerful. Bed was comfy though.

Comfortable clean bed. Good shower. Tv not connected. Office not staffed throughout weekend or Monday morning. No breakfast available as promised. Generaloy very old and tired a d certainly not as advertised