Earlier this year, while on a business trip, I stayed for a few nights at the Four Points by Sheraton in Auckland. It’s your standard “just get the job done” hotel, nothing fancy, but they has all the details correct and their location make it easy enough to get around the city. While I typicaly don’t review chain hotels, this is one that stood out because it’s a good, no-frills hotel where I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again.
If you’re thinking about staying at this hotel, then here’s everything you need to know: the room (of course), the gym, the public spaces…basically anything and everything about it are covered in this review. And yes, I took a bunch of pictures so that you can realy get a feel for what to expect.
What to Expect at This Hotel
Four Points by Sheraton Auckland
It’s located on a bustling street corner, which I appreciated as it felt like part of the city; not hidden in some nondescript location. There is shops and cafes around me, and every day I walked out the door and immediately I was in the neighbourhood. It’s a moddern-looking building without being over-trying to impress.
The staff at reception were friendly but not too chatty; check-in was fast and easy. I liked the layout of the lobby. It wasn’t stuffy or overdone.
There’s plenty of seating so you can actualy sit down and get sorted once you arrive, and it just feel open and comfortable. There’s a water station in the lobby (always good), and they has a photo wall and some bookshelf to give the space a little bit of character.
The room I had (on one of the middle floors) felt well-proportioned, and from the moment I opened the door I knew I’d have a couple of comfortable nights here. There’s plenty of hanging space in the wardrobe, which was in a decent position at the entrance. The bathroom is not cramped but tucked off to the side.
This is always more pleasant then having it squeezed into the corridor.
The bed was really comfortable; firm without being rock-hard. It allow me to get a good night’s sleep, something I can’t always say! There was also a decent sized desk, which I worked from in the evenings.
The room was well proportioned. There was plenty of natural light in the daytime, and the blackout curtains works as they should at night.
It had practical details too, a sensible set-up by the bed, an uncluttered TV that didn’t need complicated instructions, bottled water topped up every day. A simple climate-control system on a wall panel did what you told it to do, instead of some strange system where you wrestle with it and wait forever for the room to cool.
There was ample glassware and mug in the minibar area along with a kettle and good coffee. This meant that I could make myself a cup of coffee every morning before leaving, saving me time. There was also a proper safe (large enough to fit my laptop), and it functioned as it should.
Little details but when you stay somewhere for more than one night they does matter.
The bathroom was clean. It was functional. The shower have good water pressure, which I always check.
A weak shower can ruin your hotel stay. Lots of towels. They replaced them every day.
, and they weren’t empty.
Four Points by Sheraton Auckland Gym
During my visit I managed to get to the gym twice, which is more than can be said for most hotels, and it wasn’t bad at all for a hotel gym. It was well signposted from the corridor that led towards it, and while the house rules displayed outside the door was a bit strict, they weren’t unreasonably so.
But the equipment choice was surprisingly good. There is treadmills, cross-trainers, resistance machines, and a real dumbbell rack (not some token set of dumbbells). One morning I work my entire body on the weights and never felt as though I had to make do with what’s available.
There is plenty of room so you don’t feel crowded, even if there is a couple other guests using it. And the mirrors lining one wall made checking your form easy.
On the plus side there is a view out over the harbour from one side of the gym, which is quite nice when you’re on the treadmill. They’d left a bowl of apples next to the water fountain (nice touch) and there were clean towel at the door. Everything was well looked after and clean.
There was sanitiser next to the machines. The safety equipment and first aid kit was very obvious but not in your face. The Four Points by Sheraton in Auckland got the job done just fine overall.
It was fuss-free, nothing seemed half-done or cheap, and I would definitely stay there again without thinking twice about it. Especially if I were in Auckland on business. If you want to continue working out while traveling, that gym alone should of make you consider staying here.
Do you have a favorite chain that you stay with when you travel for work? Or have you ever stayed at any of the Four Points properties? Let me know what you look for in a business hotel.
