Price: Prices start from $200/night (internal hotel rooms) $300 for the room reviewed here (studio executive).
Perfect for: A business stay, aself-catering holiday, or anytime you need a comfy home away from home in the capital. While you’d never know it now, the hotel has a really interesting history - built in 1922 as a Ford vehicle assembly plant, it was then repurposed into the nine-storey accommodation it is today.
Check-in experience: Friendly staff make this super-easy. All done very efficiently at the front desk in the lovely airy lobby.
Rooms: The Studio Executive we stayed in had a king and a single bed, both with their own TVs. Rooms have a light, modern feel in largely grey and white tones with the odd pop of blue. This room has a small balcony with outdoor seating and a kitchen equipped with everything you need to whip up basic meals. There are two hobs, a microwave, a Nespresso machine, cutlery, crockery, basic food prep tools, pots and pans. And you can have your meal at the small round table with two comfy chairs. Everything is new, modern, clean and comfortable.
Rooms have a light, modern feel in largely grey and white tones with the odd pop of blue. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
Bathrooms: Sleek modern white tiles are accented by a light wood vanity. The large round backlit mirror and big shower adds a bit of glam. The shower itself is sizeable with both regular and rain shower heads. There’s a hairdryer and all the expected toiletries.
Sleek modern white tiles are accented by a light wood vanity in the bathroom. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
Food and drink: Oak & Vine is the restaurant on Level 1. Breakfast is buffet-style with cooked options, charcuterie and cheese, fruit, yoghurt, assorted breads, crumpets, bagels and mini pastries. The dining room is modern and airy in neutral tones with feature lighting. The dinner menu is creative and interesting but also caters to those just looking for a burger or a steak. Highlights were the Ora King Salmon “Popsicle” with pea puree, ginger pearls, pickled red onion, lemon mascarpone, soy gel, Ora king salmon caviar and spring herbs; the Compressed Pork and Scallops with coconut yoghurt, beetroot puree and saffron-apple puree splash, pork crackling, dehydrated apple crisp and kaffir lime dust and the Purple Cauliflower Pannacotta with saffron-cashew cream, rosemary & black sesame sable, agrodolce, candied chilli gel, and macadamia crumble. It’s open to the public as well as guests. Room service is available if you don’t fancy eating at the restaurant.
Highlights from dinner at Oak & Vine restaurant include the Ora King Salmon ‘Popsicle’. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
Facilities: Oaks Wellington has a gym, restaurant and conference spaces.
In the neighbourhood: Right in the heart of Courtenay Place there are cocktail bars, clubs and theatres all around. It’s the fun and lively part of town for sure, but remarkably none of the noise seems to permeate the rooms at night. Te Papa is only a seven-minute walk away and if you’re around on a Sunday, the popular Harbourside Markets are only five minutes from the hotel. Buses go from right outside so nothing is too far away and there are plenty of eating options very close by.
Family-friendly: Oaks Wellington has two-bedroom Hotel Rooms which can accommodate up to four (One King and two singles or two Kings) Self-catering studios are great for families not wanting to eat out every night.
Oaks Wellington features a kitchen equipped with everything you need to whip up basic meals. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
Accessibility: There are seven accessible rooms throughout the building and accessible public bathrooms. Each room has a large open-plan bathroom with seating access within the shower, and no glass or steps. There is lowered shelving for access to amenities (power switches are lowered too) and emergency notification lighting for fire alarms. These rooms are all open-plan for ease of movement.
Sustainability: The hotel works with a company called Beyond Skin Deep which picks up their used soap bars and plastic containers for recycling and reuse. They have reusable cups for sale in the restaurant and are in the process of assessing how they can reduce their energy usage by managing unoccupied rooms.
