The Park Hotel Ruapehu

We recently stayed here for a short trip and overall had a good experience. On arrival, the staff were friendly, professional, and made check-in a breeze. Our room was clean and had everything we needed for the trip, though it was a little smaller than expected. The location is great. The town itself isn’t very big, so everything is within walking distance. The hotel’s restaurant was a highlight. It’s clean, welcoming, and serves great food. During our stay, breakfast was offered as a buffet due to the number of guests, and it didn’t disappoint. In the evening, we enjoyed a few drinks and a delicious pizza by the cozy fireplace. Service was friendly and quick, which made it a lovely experience. That being said, there were a few downsides. Like mentioned earlier the room are smaller than expected and this has been mentioned in other reviews as well so keep that in mind. We wanted to relax in the TV room one evening, but the remote didn’t work and DVDs were scattered everywhere, some without cases. The rooms could use some maintenance, our bathroom sliding door’s bottom guide was loose, causing it to jam, and the toilet paper holder was barely attached. The bedside table drawers also didn’t close properly unless slammed. The property is older, which means quite a bit of creaking at night. Sound travels easily from the unit above, and footsteps were particularly loud. Overall, the warm service, great location, and restaurant made it an enjoyable stay, but a few maintenance fixes would make a big difference.

Stayed two nights recently for a day ski trip. Absolutely easy stay, full breakfast was awesome. Staff are helpful and friendly. The Spa is super size and hot so excellent after a days adventures. Bar and dinner was good. The building are well maintained and like the courtyard with rooms around the outside worked well. Good parking with wide car parks.

We stayed at The Park Hotel in Tongariro National Park for a planned two-night family trip with our two young children (aged 2 and 4). When we booked the room via Expedia, there was no clear mention that children needed separate beds or that they were not allowed to share a room with parents. The photos and description gave us the impression that the room size would be suitable. We stayed the first night without issue. However, the next morning, a short female staff member (who was particularly unfriendly) told us we must book a second full-price room for the children or leave. Her tone was very cold and unaccommodating, with absolutely no room for discussion. We were given no other option and were forced to cancel our second night. No refund was provided for the night we didn’t stay. We understand that hotels may have occupancy rules, but the way this situation was handled—after already spending a night there—was unacceptable. There was no flexibility, no understanding, and no communication at check-in. This hotel is not family-friendly, and we would not recommend it to anyone travelling with children. Very disappointing experience.

We stayed for one evening arriving very late and leaving quite early the next day. The room is bare bones but honestly the beds were comfortable. Walls are thin but once everyone was asleep we didn’t hear a thing. The reception staff were friendly and helpful, allowed us to use the restrooms and refill waters after our tongaririo hike even after we had checked out!

Stayed here as part of a very large group. It’s the only place I’ve stayed with a group of that size that has had such consistently great service and fantastic plentiful food. Perfect location, rooms are really spacious (double bed upstairs, living area and bathroom downstairs), can’t wait to come back again.

The hotel was easy to find and had ample parking space. Since there were three of us, we booked a loft-style room, but it turned out to be quite small—especially the bathroom, which felt cramped. On the positive side, the on-site restaurant served some really nice food.

We had a twin bed room with a double bed in the loft. The space in the loft was good, plus a refreshing window (although traffic is on the highway all night, so bring earplugs). The bed was SUPER comfortable, especially after completing the Alpine Crossing.||The downstairs was dark and cramped. The wardrobe/bathroom and kitchen area is one little corner. The bathroom is clean but tiny; not a lot of hooks or places to hang towels from the bathroom.||The restaurant was convenient and had good food—had a delicious and filling salmon filet; my partner had a delicious spaghetti Bolognese. A little pricey, but there are not a lot of choices in the village. Can get very busy with your groups, so check for best times to eat.||The staff was very helpful and friendly and the rooms were really clean.

The staff at The Park Hotel Ruapehu were fantastic—friendly, helpful, and welcoming! The food was also a highlight; delicious and well-prepared. After a long day of hiking, the spa was a real treat—super clean and a great way to relax.||Unfortunately, the rooms really let the experience down. The insulation is poor, and it was nearly impossible to sleep if someone in the next room used their bathroom. The fan connected to their bathroom light was extremely loud and ran constantly, which made getting a good night's rest difficult. If you're looking for a quiet place to sleep before or after a big hike, this may not be the best option. My understanding is that 8 rooms have these loud fans. When booking make sure you do not book one of these. ||Great hospitality and amenities, but the noise issue was a major drawback.

Clean hotel with decent dinner. Breakfast buffet is a little bland. We visited the area with no reservations and the Chateau in the national park was fully booked, so we were able to get walk-in reservations at this place. We stayed on the second floor in a duplex unit with three beds. The bathroom was small. The dinner was yummy. We had an exceptional salad, lamb and salmon. The buffet breakfast they serve is on the expensive side and not that great. They have a coffee shop where you canprder decent hot chocolates and flat whites.

Tiny rooms, bathroom has not one shelf, breakfast buffet excruciatingly bad with INSTANT COFFEE for the love of god almighty, what is WRONG WITH THEM and $$$ to boot. Hosts are friendly but it costs $35 R/T be shuttled to the National Park which is what you came here for.

The friendly staff at this hotel raises my review to 4 stars. We arrived super late on the day of our reservation, and the front desk was semi-closed(?). However, someone popped by promptly to check us in. We still had to get our keys by the front door since we were checking in past a certain time. We also had an additional guest to add to our room last minute, and we were given a bigger room without any issues. The front desk also showed us info for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and gave us a few helpful tips. Depending on the package you book, you will be provided a shuttle to drop you off at the beginning of the hike and pick you up at the end. Our shuttle was an hour late dropping us off so we had a late start to the day. They'll also pack you a lunch and snacks for your journey, and you can buy water separately from the front desk. The room we were in was small - it did have a loft area. However, the bathroom was TINY. This hotel does have a restaurant, but there's also another restaurant not too far away - within walking distance. Breakfast was included in our package that I had booked. Overall, it's a great deal! I'm not sure if there's better in the area? Again, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. You definitely get a good value for the price.

I mean it's a hotel room and has a bathroom and clean sheets so there is that. Otherwise would generally not recommend, as this place was a mess from the beginning. Booked a crossing package that included breakfast and shuttle service. Except breakfast starts at 6:15 and my shuttle was at 5:45 so I got two slices of cold bread and some cereal the night before instead. Girl told me to meet the shuttle at the bus stop 10 min away. At 5:45 am get a call from the shuttle driver saying he's leaving without me because he was at the hotel to pick me up. No apology for the miscommunication. It's pouring rain as I leave for the train station so I ask for a ride since they advertise free shuttle service. Am told they forgot to get the van a new registration so can't do. Great. Furthermore hot tubs are disgusting lukewarm cesspools of murky looking water. No functional jets. Attached restaurant is mediocre at best. Found cheaper and better beer and food down the road at Schnapps. Overall it's a small town without much to do if you're carless, but the other lodging options can't be this bad I'd bet.

The feel of the lodge is nice. There's a hot tub in the middle of the premise surrounded by a fence. The rooms were ok, but a little cramp, especially the tiny bathroom. It was cold in our room even when we turned the heater on. no tv in the room either. Do not eat the buffet breakfast here, it was not good at all. Total waste of money. The nighttime food service, however, was delicious because a chef actually makes the food. We had the grilled chicken salad, a Moroccan chicken burger & the pizza, all of which were delicious. The dining area is nice since there's a cozy fireplace in the middle. Good place to just sit and read.