Michael B.
Yelp
While visiting New Zealand and participating in the World Masters Games, I stayed at the Hilton Auckland for 12 wonderful nights. The corner room we reserved provided exceptional views of Auckland Harbor over to Rangitoto Island as well as the downtown skyline. While a short walk down the pier to Quay Street, the hotel is in the heart of the city yet secluded enough to be quiet and away from street noise.
The room was exceptionally clean and appeared as if it had been recently upgraded (e.g., new carpet, linens) and daily service kept it that way. The towels were soft which is indicative of a high end hotel keeping on top of their laundry service too.
The corner room not only provided fantastic views of the morning sunrise, but of all activity in the harbor. During relaxing moments on the deck, we witnesses air shows, pontoon boats landing and taking off, countless ferries and on two occasions the arrival (and subsequent departure) of two cruise liners who dock adjacent to the hotel. Thankfully the Hilton staff provides ample warning of their arrival so to allow you the ability to close curtains and windows as needed so not to be disturbed or caught in any compromising situations.
The staff was very attentive and friendly with greetings (often by name) arriving and departing each day. Overall the hotel was safe, quiet, clean, and with all the modern amenities. Even the hotel wifi seemed strong enough to run several devices without experiencing any connection issues or service delays during the 12 days even during peak usage times.
The only reasons for not providing 5 stars to the Hilton Auckland are as follows:
1) My reservation was made for my arrival on 4/20 5 days ahead of my girlfriend's arrival. Upon my check in I reminded them of that fact so that her key would be at the front desk in the event I was not at the hotel upon her actual arrival. However, when she arrived, the front deck claimed no record of her stay. Fortunately, I was there and awake (at 6AM Auckland time) to run downstairs and greet her and straighten out the potentially awkward issue.
2) The main hotel restaurant, Fish, is available for meals throughout the day. The breakfast is not worth the $39 per day buffet ($29 with HH discount) with so many other options available locally to check out.
3) Another thing to look out for, the cabs/taxis. They will rob you blind so I suggest using a private car service as we did to and from the airport or Uber for daily excursions. For example, a 1 way Uber ride from the front of the hotel to Lloyd Elsmore Park which is about 20km away cost on average $30 on Uber while the cab arranged by the hotel concierge was $80. So using the service twice daily for the WMG proved to be the way to go.
For your journey to the Auckland area, I highly recommend the Hilton Auckland. It is close walking distance to most restaurants with easy access to ferries and other transportation for tourist excursions. Clean and modern, it is everything you would expect from a Hilton.