Crowne Plaza AUCKLAND by IHG

Every time I visit Auckland, I stay at the Crowne Plaza. Its biggest advantage is the excellent location; the airport shuttle drops you off right there. You've got both Red Supermarket and Green Supermarket nearby, perfect for buying oysters and prawns. Sky Tower is just a short walk away, and Queen Street is right around the corner. A little further takes you to the waterfront, and there's beautiful scenery everywhere. The hotel is large with many rooms, and the panoramic elevators are particularly impressive. The downside is that the rooms are quite old, especially the bathrooms, making showering a bit uncomfortable. What's worse, upon check-in, I was given a room near a fan unit, which rumbled all night. An engineer came the next day but said it couldn't be fixed, so I had to change rooms. The hotel offered no apology or compensation for that terrible night. This truly feels like a case of a big hotel taking advantage of its guests.

The room was spacious and the location was excellent, right in the bustling downtown area with plenty of dining options nearby, and the prices were reasonable.