Name: Willowbank Motel
Address: 183 Beach Road, Kaikoura, Kaikoura, Kaikoura, 7300, New Zealand
Rating: 6

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Heating

Ticket assistance

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Fridge

Family room

Cable TV

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Rooms

Iron and board

Laundry

Telephone

Iron

Services and amenities

Microwave oven

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Barbecue grill(s)

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the mini-hotel

Room amenities

Kaikoura Beach

Willowbank Motel

Kaikoura

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

I recently had an unfortunate encounter with the Willowbank Motel.

Interaction with Owners: The experience with the hotel owners was far from pleasant. Instead of being welcoming and understanding, I found them to be rude, self-interested, and inflexible. There was a noticeable absence of the 'human touch' that is so essential in the hospitality industry.

Issue: We encountered an issue and as a result, chose not to stay at the hotel. Upon bringing up this issue, we were met with rigidity and indifference from the owners. They refused to offer any form of compensation or refund, choosing instead to retain the full amount of the reservation.

Resolution: Despite our attempts to resolve the situation amicably, we were left feeling unheard and disrespected.

In light of this experience, I find it difficult to recommend the Willowbank Motel to others. The handling of our situation lacked empathy and understanding, leaving a sour taste in our mouths. I believe that trust and respect are fundamental to a successful hospitality experience, and unfortunately, our interaction with the Willowbank Motel fell short in this regard.

Disappointing Experience at the Willowbank Motel

What a wonderful motel. Spotlessly clean with great facilities. We had such a perfect stay. Check in was super efficient - everything received via text. We felt very lucky to have chosen this motel. Thanks, team Willowbank.

A perfect motel.

Great motel with quality furnishings and supplies.
Looking at previous reviews I imagine this motel must have changed hands!
The owner was very welcoming and helpful.
The rooms are comfortable and modernised, for example full electronic door locks with no keys required.
All the supplies were generous including plenty of tea and coffee.
The heat pump was new and efficient.
Overall, a quality experience at a budget price!

Great motel, comfortable and clean

Sean went out of his way to accommodate us before and during our stay at Willowbank Motel in Kaikoura. Appears the motel has been refreshed and modernised from looking at these photos (forgot to take photos to show). Will definitely stay again!

Great accommodation!!

Great place to stay! 
We are generally quite fussy but honestly this place was great! 
Very clean! Very friendly fabulous staff. Our stay had sufficient utensils and flatscreen tv with good channels for the children. 
It was quiet and comfy. Tucked away on the grounds was a lovely wee park, with trees and a picnic bench.  We will stay again. Great value for a family of 5 ...esp on Labour weekend. Thank you Willowbank

Labour day success!

The rooms were simple, perhaps a little dated, however we had everything we needed. It had a small kitchette which was convenient.  It was about one kilometre from town central. We found the staff helpful.

Friendly and helpful

Stayed one night here because we had trouble finding anything else available in town we should have got back into the car and kept driving North.
This place is how one shouldn't run a Motel. Very unclean and in need of some serious upgrading.  Great Location on the main highway but the owners have lost the plot and do not seem to care about their guests. The night we were here all rooms were being used but one would think that nobody who stayed here that night would ever think of staying again. Just don't get how the hospitality industry works i guess. Just clean the place up....do some rehab in the rooms and bathrooms and the Motel might be around for another few years.  The carpet is a disgrace.

" Not very Good "

What you might expect in a third world country. Either I spent the night there, or slept in the car. Shared the 2 bedroom unit with another traveler, we came across this last available motel minutes apart, he was kind enough to share it. It reminded him of a cheap room in Pakistan. We both agreed, it the most overpriced accommodation we’ve both experienced in NZ at $220 per night.

Dated, Overpriced, but literally the last room left in town that night.

We stayed here two nights and it is  the only accommodation I have left still feeling grimy and grubby. The place had a heady aroma of deceased mice whichdid not leave us. The paint work was patchy, the lounge curtain was clinging onto the rail for dear life, there was a hairdryer in the bathroom but the plug was an overseas one. There is no cooling and my request for a fan was declined. There was more... Much more.. but my solemn advice is to not sleep here. Sleep on the street... Sleep in your car... Sleep anywhere but at the Willowbank hotel.

Icky

We stayed in this Motel for one night which we booked online so once we arrived it was too late, the room felt dirty and damp.   Also I felt as though I didn't want to leave any valuables in the room when we weren't there as the sliding door lock was very loose and could easily be opened.   We stayed in many Motels during our 2 week touring holiday in New Zealand and this was the worst, most were very good particularly the one in Christchurch which I have written a review about.

Willowbank Motel

Main amenities of the mini-hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the mini-hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Additional information

Payment