Arena Motel

Terrible communication. Rude and uncompromising. Charged $1411.50 on my visa on Mar 25 without being told. Cancellation made Jan 12th. Disputed. No effort to solve. Never been there and never likely to. Other bad reviews give me solace. Knowing I 100% cancelled disappoints treatment I got. Made to feel low and dishonest.

The room was a great size. How ever two windows had broken latches, one wouldnt even shut and the door safety chain was broken. The bed needs relacing as you can see the groves where people lie. How ever the staff were very friendly and helpful

Convenient location but a bit hard to get to by foot (on other side of RailRoad tracks). Service was excellent and amenities were very good.

Wasn’t too sure about this place given the recent reviews. It’s great for an overnighter before the Tranz-alpine train. OK, the room was tired, but it was quiet and clean, the shuttle was bang on time, the air-con was good, and there was a good pub a short walk away for beer and dinner. Don’t book it for a 2 week honeymoon, but it’s just the ticket for the station and train journeys, and handy too for the botanic gardens

The room was tired looking - mouldy curtains, curtains not hung properly, ranchslider tracks very dirty as well. Shower curtain not big enough and bathroom covered in water after a shower.

Clean but looking tired. Milk not in fridge but promised later, however it never arrived. Only one wine glass, almost no dish washing detergent. One light globe not working. Office rarely attended. Chose the motel as it offered to drop off and pick up for TranzAlpine train. The details of our train journeys were recorded, however the driver never arrived to take us to the station and no one was there to pick us up on our return. Very disappointing and could not recommend if you need a lift to or from the station.

It’s near the train station with an exceptional free transfer service with an exceptionally helpful driver. This is about the only really positive thing I can say about this Motel. For some bizarre reason, before we arrived, I was offered an upgrade to a larger bedroom which I opted for, even though I had advised the motel on initial booking that my wife was disabled. This upgraded room was up a flight of stairs and was so ‘dated’ that it sadly looked like it had had no attention for at least 30-years. The decor was dreadful, the room dreary and upsetting and totally cramped. The small double bed was relatively comfortable as was the single bed. I noted there were (what appeared to be) Access rooms on the ground floor. Therefore, I take it that the company would prefer to take money and greatly inconvenience guests rather than think positively. I know not all disabilities are visible; however, a couple in the Access room were on our train and the room would have been much better suited for my physical mobility disabled wife. It was undoubtedly the worst accommodation by far amongst the 12 different hotels/motels we stay on our trip.

Everything about this motel was terrible. We had organised a complimentary shuttle from the railway station on our arrival at Christchurch railway station. This did not turn up. So things did not get off to a good start. We originally booked for 4 nights but due to our whale watch trip being canceled due to bad weather we had to rearrange the date for the whale watch trip. This meant leaving a day early to return to Kaikoura. I informed them that we would be leaving a day early and was told that the I needed to give them 48 hours notice of a cancellation. I pointed out that I was cancelling the 4th night so it was in fact 72 hours notice. I was more or less told 'tough luck'. There was never anyone in the office if you needed anything and our room was not serviced for the three days that we stayed there. The place was generally grubby. When you could find the staff they were rude and unhelpful. I was told that the matter would be referred on to the owner's and that I would be getting a response the following week. I did not receive any feedback. It took me a week to contact anyone by telephone as I constantly got a message saying that the phone could be answered at this particular time and to leave a message. I left messages but got no answers. When they finally answered I was once again told 'tough luck'. Finally, I would say that the Motel was overpriced and I would not recommend that anyone stay there.

Room very clean, bed comfortable, shower good. Not far from Railway Station. Transfer to Railway Station very good