Silver Fern Lodge

I stayed in room 207. The man at reception was helpful and polite. I was not impressed with the room. It is very in need of a refurbish. The room had a weird stale smell, lots of badly repaired damage and walls, kitchen bench & cupboards not clean. Electric plug hanging out of wall and downlights damaged & not fixed. Everything very worn out looking and dreary. I had no cutlery, plates, tea towel and no milk for a cup of tea. Jug and teabags were supplied. Very average motel that is not worthy of the name Silver Fern. More of a back packer style hostel than motel. The hallways were dated, damaged and had pictures half hanging off the wall. The communal kitchen and bathroom on the same level made it noisy from the echo of children screaming, people yelling and a dog barking (it seemed there was a dog in someone's room). Luckily I had ear plugs. Some net curtains over the ranchslider would be good for privacy from the road - there was a heavy curtain though which blocked all light. Good for sleeping but not during the day. The bed was really firm which was great. Parking is excellent. I was supposed to stay a second night, but got a refund through booking.com with approval from reception. Would I stay there again.......no.

I recently stayed at this hotel for one night. Upon arrival, everything went smoothly — check-in was quick, and on-site parking was available, which was convenient. The room was clean and well-prepared, with fresh towels, extra blankets, and basic toiletries provided. However, the bed was not particularly comfortable. Our original plan was to check out by 10 a.m the next morning, the standard checkout time. Unfortunately, around 8 a.m., the power to our room suddenly went out. This meant the heat pump, kettle, TV, and power outlets all stopped working. It was an extremely cold morning, with temperatures hovering between -1°C and 0°C, so losing heating made the room very uncomfortable very quickly. We tried contacting the front desk, but no staff were available. We also attempted to call the hotel’s main contact number several times, but no one answered, and we never received a call back. With no heat and no assistance, we had no choice but to check out early at 8:30 a.m., cutting our stay short. I’ve attached a screenshot showing the temperature that morning and what the conditions outside looked like. While the first half of our stay was pleasant, the second half was quite disappointing and uncomfortable. A real let down after a promising start.

Nick has the best customer service mind, definitely an asset to the business. we did the late check-in and he was very helpful and accommodating. Really impressed and appreciated. Place was nice, clean and very affordable, for the price you paid (lowest rates in town) Being realistic, it is good!

Actually loved our stay here. The guy at reception was lovely and friendly, and was more than happy to help me with any request or query I had. Rooms were tidy and smelt nice. Heat pumps heated the rooms well, bed was super comfy, and shower was really nice and powerful. Super gorgeous and friendly cat that visited us each day too. Would definitely stay here again.

Bed and room appeared clean. Until I looked under bed and hadn't been vacuumed. Was old food or something under it. Looked out window of our room upstairs and there was rubbish from renovations all outside and weeds almost knee high. Passage/hall ways needed vacuuming as bits all over the carpet. Customer service lacking. No welcome or small talk.

HIGHLY DISAPPOINTING AND RUDE BEHAVIOR I had a very unpleasant experience when I called Silver Fern Hotel in Taupo to enquire about a booking. The man who answered the phone—an Indian guy—was shockingly rude, arrogant, and completely unprofessional. He spoke with so much attitude and even used inappropriate language during the conversation. I was simply trying to ask a few questions about availability, but his tone and behavior were completely unacceptable. Customer service like this is a huge red flag—especially when it comes to hospitality. I will not be considering this place for my stay, and I would strongly advise others to think twice before booking.

Don't waste your money. This is actually a hostel. Everything is dirty! No soaps in bathroom. Nobody at reception. Woken up at 6.30am by loud men. Rooms cold. No mirror in room, TV broken, furniture old and on its last legs. Walls paper thin, you can hear the next rooms conversations. 3pm check-in. Do not recommend at all

I had requested an early check-in, which was approved by management. However, when I arrived, the reception STAFF were extremely RUDE told me the room was not ready, and refused to discuss it — simply offering a refund and suggesting I find another place to stay. I had to wait 1.5 hours to check in, and after a long day of travel, I was too exhausted to look for alternative accommodation. The room was also very disappointing — it smelled strongly of smoke, as if someone had just smoked inside. It didn’t feel like a motel at all, more like a long-term apartment. Very unprofessional experience overall. I would not recommend this place.