Hilton Lake Taupo

While not a boutique hotel, this Hilton property does exude more architectural charm than most. The section in which our junior suite was located had been recently refreshed to a high standard. New soft and hard furnishings and fixtures made it feel like we were walking into a model apartment. The mountain views out the back were engaging and I am sure the front-facing suites have a glorious vista of Lake Taupo. Front desk service was top-notch, and our welcome note in the room was actually hand-lettered rather than printed using a faux-hand-lettered font. They accommodated a surprisingly early check-in, although I am sure that would not have been possible during the high season. As a result, we were very happy to be able to stow our bags and get briefly settled before heading out to our lake cruise. Breakfast was the usual Hilton affair, with a reasonable selection of fruit, health shots, smoothies, breads, charcuterie, pastries, cereals, antipasti, yogurt, specialty coffee machine, tea station, and hot spread for an up charge.

We stayed at the Hilton Lake Taupo for one night and really enjoyed it. The hotel is very convenient if you’re traveling with a campervan since they offer plenty of parking space. The outdoor pools are a highlight: one is moderately heated (a little too cool for winter evenings), but the hot whirlpool was perfect and very comfortable. The saunas, however, were quite small and nothing special.||Our room was modern, clean, and had lovely views. Dinner at the restaurant was excellent—delicious food and well worth it. Breakfast was included with my Diamond status, but it only covered the continental selection; hot options required an extra fee, which felt a bit unnecessary.||The location is a bit outside the city center, so you’ll need to drive or be prepared for a longer walk if you want to explore Taupo. On the plus side, it’s very close to Wairakei Terraces, which makes for an easy and relaxing outing. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the setting is beautiful.||Overall, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy Taupo, with good facilities, nearby attractions, and wonderful views.

Had an exceptional stay at Hilton Lake Taupo. I had a hiccup with my room on arrival but staff fixed the issue with high professionalism and upgraded the room for the inconvenience. The service was excellent. The breakfast buffet was well stocked with a good selection of food. There is plenty of free parking onsite.

The hotel is well appointed with friendly staff and well kept rooms.||We were there for a short break. ||It was beautiful room with the rain in the background and slow misty nights, outside. ||The restaurant was below expectations however the staff were able to fix the issues. ||While the hotel was 5 star, the service at the bistro was lacking and inexperienced staff certainly didn't help.||Overall still a good holiday destination

MAYBE GO HERE, MAYBE WE GOT UNLUCKY. We arrived and got settled in to a lovely spacious room, but noticed significant cobwebs in the aircon and someone’s tissue on the windowsill with lipstick or similar on it, along with chipped furniture and not even complimentary water in the fridge. Popped down for a drink to the restaurant (which was beautifully appointed) - the staff seemed confused as to why we were there and even more confused when we asked to sit on the veranda - and then managed to take a drink and food order, remembering one item but completely forgetting another which we gave up on. In our room, we had to get room service fix our TV, and we requested extra bedding which arrived after 3 hours (and a second reminder). When the staff were attentive, they were great, but we felt frustrated given that we’d opted for a premium hotel. The pool was fantastic, parking was good but we left early in the morning, not wanting to try our luck with the breakfast.

Check in was smooth and quick but changed room twice to get everything right. Our first room had urine stains on the toilet, which means this room was not properly cleaned up. That was terribly disgusting to find these spots. Also, the smart TV in the first room didn't work. Our second room was find but has no bathtub as requested. Changed to the third room and finally get the okay one with great AC, working TV and cleanness. It was our first time stayed in a 5-star hotel in NZ and was surprised the standard is quite low compared to the other 5 stars in Asia. Has small heated pool accommodating 6 people max. Swimming pool and sauna were fine but steam room didn't work. Service okay and great breakfast. Will consider the other place next time.

This review is an attempt to see IF HILTON cares to read and act at all?! Those who are reading to consider booking: If you just want a nice room on Day 1, then go ahead BUT if you need any type of BASIC SERVICE, think twice. Read other recent reviews too. Hi Hilton GM/ Duty Manager (if any), My husband and I are staying in ROOM 415 NOW. We have been trying to call ALL THE NUMBERS for SERVICE - Housekeeping, Guests, Duty Manager since 3.20pm, now is 4.49pm, NO ONE PICKS UP and the callback doesn't work too! Our room is not made/ clean since this morning, we need towels, coffee, creamer etc Would be really nice to have someone attending to us soon.

My wife and I stayed overnight a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed our stay. Room was great and staff excellent. Breakfast is a must try and can’t wait to go back for another wee break. Thank you 🙏

I thoroughly enjoyed this hotel and amenities. I was upgraded as a diamond member and welcomed when I arrived. The staff were all very friendly and helpful answering all of my questions. My room was spacious and very comfortable. I loved the heated towel rack and and heated floor in the bathroom. The heated swimming pool was refreshing. The hot tub was very relaxing. They also had a sauna and steam room for your enjoyment. I ate dinner at the restaurant and breakfast two mornings. Everything was delicious. I highly recommend staying at this hotel when in Lake Taupo.

A review for their restaurant only: The staff is friendly and welcoming as you'd expect from Hilton. It has a beautiful scenery perfect for a sunset on Lake Taupo. The quality of their dishes is excellent as expected, but even as a light eater I found their portions to be too small. I enjoy this location as it's on a hill secluded from the rest of the town, with the spa resort next door. It's definitely a family-oriented area.

Wow this was an amazing hotel! A bit far from town but the drive is beautiful along the shore so we didn't mind it very much. There were different prices for hotel rooms and when we arrived we realized that it was all about the view. If you paid a lot more you get a gorgeous view of Lake Taupo. Most people in those rooms ate dinner on their balconies during sunset, definitely a good choice. We didn't want to spend too much on our hotel room so we were on the first floor on the other side of the hotel with no view since we were on the first floor. But we didn't mind since we basically just used our hotel for a place to sleep and were out and about sightseeing during the day. There was a pool that was heated so that attracted a ton of kids. We went one night to the jacuzzi and it was empty for awhile before a big group of kids showed up. It was strange how the pool or jacuzzi had no lighting so it was very dark. We also looked everywhere for the jacuzzi jets but either they didn't have them or we couldn't find them. The room and bathroom were very spacious. It seemed like all the rooms came with either a balcony if they were on the top floors and a patio with a big table and chairs if they were on the first floor. We ended up enjoying breakfast outside one morning because it was so nice out. There are also bikes that you can check out for free. Not a lot of people rent them because it's not the easiest street to bike around on. Plus they are mountain bikes so you have to be ready for some serious biking. Beach cruisers would have been nice but that's ok. Would highly recommend this hotel. It also had a hot springs located 5 minutes away that you could walk to and they offer a discount. We wanted a more natural hot springs so we didn't use this facility because it is basically just a big pool. Safe travels!

Great Hotel! Very helpful concierge. Comfortable firm bed. Big bathroom with heated towel rack and a nice bathtub. Outdoor dining space and also a small table inside if you have takeaway food. Awesome Steam room and sauna! Heated pool. Complimentary Parking is the gravel lot in front that isn't watched by the hotel or have any lights but still fine and not too far to walk. Weird that our room was behind like 3 doors but that was for extra fire safety.

This has been the best hotel experience I've had. The staff were exceptional from check in to leaving. We're gold members and we received a room upgrade and continental breakfast. We weren't able to get breakfast because we kept leaving early in the morning (for hikes etc) but they gave us breakfast to go. AMAZING. They didn't offer it the first morning because he people at the desk didn't know we were gold members but as we checked out Herbert helped us and was very very awesome! Our room was so amazing and we were so tired from our hike we ordered room service.

Naomi was awesome! She is the prime example of how phenomenal hotel managers should be!! From beginning to end she acknowledged and greeted us with a warm friendly smile and enthusiasm and was very helpful. She is very detailed oriented and even helped us with confirming our tour bookings we had made prior to arriving in NZ. She goes above and beyond and I am beyond grateful for her hospitality during our stay at Hilton Lake Taupo. The facility is beautiful and the rooms were clean and breakfast was extensive and awesome with gluten free muffins and options from sausages, bacon, array of deli meats and cheeses, smoothies and yogurts and cereals etc. The breakfast buffet here is definitely worth it!! Location wise it's about 1-3 miles for those of us still on the imperial system from the center of things. My sister and I walked it back to the hotel because it's about 15 nzd into town and were spending more money on taxis more than anything. They do have bicycles for hire at the hotel but they were all taken ( four total I think). The only negative I would say other than it being slightly a ways from downtown is that we had an encounter with two baby/adolescent sized roaches. We Were in room 518 I believe. I was getting something out of my suitcase in the morning when I happened to close it and on the outside was a small roach. I got my sister to kill it. However, on the way out of our room on the way to breakfast we saw another roach climbing the wall in the hallway. It was still there when we got back from breakfast. In all fairness, we didn't mention it when we checked out. I think because we were tired and in a rush to catch our taxi to the bus station and the reception area was packed when we checked out. Ps we understand that it's an older building and with the weather it can cause bugs to come inside. But heads up you might want to fumigate that building section or the bushes near the patios near the room. Otherwise we had a great stay! Also if you're a Hilton member you get turn down service with bottled water and chocolates!!

The Hilton at Lake Taupo is a beautiful hotel with great amenities. The original hotel was built over 100 years ago and was called The Terraces. The old building has been completely refurbished and expanded to include a restaurant adjacent to the main building. The newest addition is a wing composed of beautiful condos, complete with a full kitchen, living room, and bath. The condos have a full set of appliances, washer/ dryer and HD flat screen TV's in the living and bedroom. The condos are very secure, with key-activated elevators for every four units and double entry locked exterior doors. The views of the lake and snow topped mountains in the National Park are amazing. There is a lap pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room, fitness center and tennis courts. The hotel is not located in the heart of town, but it's only a few minutes drive to get to the shops and restaurants. The service was excellent and the restaurant serves a good breakfast buffet. My only complaint is that they only provide a continental breakfast to diamond honors members and not the hot foot. Also, there's no executive floor or similar benefit. Overall though, the hotel earns five stars from me due to the high quality room, views and amenities.

This is a solid four star hotel. It's not a five star type of place. But it's very close with the friendly and helpful staff to push them even closer. We stayed here in the off season and were upgraded to a one bedroom apartment on the third floor with a view of the lake and mountains. A decent but not spectacular view. However, the apartment was great! Well decorated, super clean, comfortable bed. What even shocked me was when I noticed the Bosch brand appliances! Washing machine, dishwasher, stove, etc... They didn't install inexpensive junk. They sprang for fairly nice quality equipment and it shows when you use them. The evening we checked in and the next morning, Umesh assisted us. He was very friendly, polite, and wanted to make sure we enjoyed our stay. His professionalism is appreciated!

Overall, nothing stood out from this hotel as much as it seemed per the website and reviews. We had booked a friends room for their honeymoon, and they did not deliver the card/champagne until we asked 3 times, and after that they got the name on the honeymoon card wrong! On that note, we also had dinner at the restaurant and requested a desert to be brought out... but they left a tray of 2 truffles on our table for before dinner when we walked to our table... it was rather odd. Aside from that experience, it overall was satisfactory. Our room was spacious and clean, they even came in to turn our sheets over! We had a great deck with a table, where we sat out and had wine and champagne. There were little to no views of the lake, unless you were on one of the top rooms. The pool/spa area was very beautiful and relaxing. Location wise, it is a win/lose situation depending on what you are looking for. By any means, you cannot walk into town, unless you are preparing for 45 min-1 hour each way. However, if you want to be out of the hustle and bustle of the Taupo Town scene, then the location is perfect. Overall, we had no problems with the room or amenities, the service was lazy and the views were overrated.

Very nice hotel with a clean, pretty room. We ate dinner (take out) on our deck and watched the sun go down so it was a beautiful stay.

Beautiful accommodations with wonderful views of Lake Taupō! Naomi, the manager, exemplifies the utmost in customer service! She is extremely pleasant and meticulous when dealing with bookings. We truly appreciate her gracious hospitality! She showed us the true spirit of Kiwi!!

One of Hilton's better hotels that I've stayed in (I'm usually an Intercontinental person). The customer service was really good ESPECIALLY Lizanne at breakfast. Their cornbread pancakes were sooooo good. We had a one bedroom suite with a kitchen, a washer/dryer in the room, and a balcony view across towards the (somewhat distant view-wise) lake. Since Taupo is driving distance to almost all of central/Eastern NZ North Island attractions this is an ideal place to stay. They also have a nice (though small) heated pool & jacuzzi that are open late. Would definitely stay here again.

My wife and I stayed at Hilton Lake Taupo for the first stop on our honeymoon. As participants in the 2014 Ironman New Zealand, we had a busy and tiring week ahead, and we hoped the hotel would be the easiest thing to deal with during our stay. We are happy to report that our expectations were met as we had a wonderful experience at the hotel. Arrival - After a long haul over from California, we were thrilled to have finally arrived in Taupo. Taupo is a relatively small town so getting around is not a big problem. While the Hilton is located on a hill just on the outskirts of the town center, it is quite easy to find and only a couple minutes drive (or bike ride) down to town. We arrived in the evening, so the reception area was empty when we walked in, and the staff were immediately attentive. Our reservation was quickly found, and within minutes we had our keys. The very nice receptionist also took the time to acquaint us with the area map, make last minute dinner reservations for us, offered a few other activities suggestions, and arranged for a porter to help us with our significant haul of luggage and equipment. She also took the time to explain the special Ironman specific offerings from the hotel. When we reached our room, we were greeted with a wonderful hand written note from the hotel manager welcoming us and congratulating us on our marriage. The note was accompanied by a bottle of champagne. Quite a nice touch. The Room - We were assigned a fantastic King room on the 3rd floor of the new building, facing town and the lake. The view from the sizable balcony was spectacular. Yes, these rooms do indeed also face the parking lot as other reviewers have pointed out, however the massive scenery of the lake and surrounding mountains made it rare that we were distracted by the parking lot. The balcony featured a full four seat patio table, and the balcony door is entirely glass with both large doors sliding completely open to let in the view and the breeze. Note that the balcony extended the length of the building and did not have dividers from room to room. Each room had its own patio table, but it was possible for anyone to walk by other rooms (goes to privacy). The room itself was very sizable, with ample room for our bike case, five bags, and us. We were swimming in space, which was a great surprise and very nice to have with all of our race equipment for the week. In addition to the plush King bed (standard Hilton duvet, sheets, and pillows), the room also featured a small table, two chairs, a large tv desk (no storage), in room safe, large closet, and wet bar area. The bathroom featured dual vanities, several drawers, ample counter space, towel warmer, soaking tub, and fully enclosed glass shower (all quite modern). The air conditioning was very strong, and the guest can set the desired temp on the electronic thermostat. The Facilities - The hotel is split into two buildings: the historical and the new. As we were in the new building we did not have much exposure to the historical side, except for the one dinner in the restaurant (one of the highest rated in Taupo. Menu was good, but didn't exactly blow us away). Within the new building, the tower is broken up into 4 sections, each with independent elevator lobbies. It should be noted that these elevator lobbies are quite small and narrow, so they can feel a bit cramped. Also so strange fire door arrangements which can be a pain when trying to get your bags in (we had to go through the lobby door and two different fire doors just to get to our room door. Wifi is available in the rooms, but you will pay the expected fee unless you are an upper tier Hhonors member. Free wifi is available in all of the public spaces. The pool and hot tub were quite nice, and the gym was spacious with standard cardio machines. The facilities also include a steam room and sauna. Protected garage parking comes with a fee, but free parking in the lower gravel lot or any available space out in front. The Service - all great. All requests were attentively addressed, and the staff provided excellent suggestions. Even late night munchies requests after the Ironman race were provided with a smile. Departure - Quite easy to check out, and the porter support was again much appreciated. Suggested Improvements - As the hotel is the official hotel sponsor of the Ironman race, we were hoping for a bit more support and can offer the following suggestions for coming years: (1) expand shuttle service to include more availability on race morning and extend until the completion of the race (some of us finished well after 6:00 PM...close to midnight, and we would have appreciated not having to drive ourselves back up to the hotel (2) offer expanded late night food options on race night, again as a any athletes finish quite late and would appreciate more than the limited late night room service options). Overall, great stay, and we would certainly consider Hilton Lake Taupo again.

The staff were very accommodating - we were upgraded upon arrival. Heidi was particularly helpful in letting ilia know the best use of our short time in the area. I would strongly recommend a stay at this Hilton.