The Spencer Hotel 17 Byron Avenue, Takapuna Beach, Auckland 0622

"do not get excited from the photos. very over priced room with a tiny balcony and old furnitures."

"I stayed over the weekend of 14/7/23 to 16/7/23 for a conference. We arrived at 20.10 and upon entering the lobby from the street, the receptionist looked at us and put up a sign on the desk saying back in 5 minutes. Not a welcoming start! There was no hot water (boiler problem) on the first night and next morning and after that the temperature got to mildy tepid. Cold showers each morning!! Surprisingly, this '4 star hotel' has no dining facilties for guests (not mentioned upon booking). Apparently they are being refurbished, but there was no sign of this. I suspect it's a staff/Covid problem for which the hotel's solution is to 1) offer you a microwaved meal (which reception will bring up) - yes seriously and 2) suggest going along Byron Avenue to a cafe for breakfast/lunch or Takapuna for your evening meal. Unfortunately the cafe doesn't open until 8am - too late for me to be able to get breakfast before the start of the conference. It was cold on the night of the 14th July and we (and the staff member) were unable to get the heating in our room up to a comfortable level. This was solved by a portable heater being brought in!! (4 star service)! The temperature problem was not helped by the window (we were on the 5th level) seals being old and leaky. A constant draught of cold are was being forced into the room by the outside wind. we needed a thick/heavy extra blanket for the bed. I have to say that this Hotel does not deserve it' 4 star rating."

"Nice place to get view of Auckland from Northshore side; Hotel is a bit outdated however it has all the ammenities, kitchen and laundry. Great and friendly services"

"The room is dated, the bathroom is tired. The restaurant is still under renovation, I saw another review from 3 months ago saying the same thing. The balcony door is so drafty you can literally feel the wind passing through it which is probably the worst part of it all."

"Firstly the staff are amazing very friendly and helpful, the location is superb and you’re right in Takapuna. The pool and spa are very nice as well. The rooms are dated, and tired it’s a shame as this used to be classed as one of if not the best hotel on the shore however that is now not the case. The bathrooms have paint flaking away, fans not working the beds feel uncomfortable and and old the TVs very small and just generally feels tired. For the price you pay which is still on the higher end of what’s out there it’s just not great value we didn’t think. We have a special place in our hearts for The Spencer having held our wedding reception there many years ago but time has not been kind and the lack of any real investment in the rooms is now showing. EDIT to reply to review - We had two rooms booked they were Room 410 & 402 we checked in yesterday and checked out this morning, also booked direct via the website so I assume this was hosted via the hotel and not a 3rd party."