I didn’t want to stay in this budget airport hotel, but I loved it

The hotel

Holiday Inn Auckland Airport, Auckland, NZ

The refreshed Holiday Inn and its bar.

Check-in

Firstly, a disclaimer: I didn’t choose to spend a night here. I’m staying because my Air New Zealand flight from Auckland back to Sydney was cancelled. I tried railing against it. After the airline’s service desk tells me I’m heading to the Holiday Inn, I ask if any other hotel option is available. There isn’t, but the employee helpfully adds that if I return to the desk the next day, I can pick up a meal voucher to use before my flight. Chur, bro.

The 251-room hotel is an eight-minute drive from the airport but, thanks to the Yellow Bus’s circuitous airport-hotel drop-off route, we take about 30 minutes to reach it. The low-rise property is in an industrial part of the culturally rich suburb of Mangere. While waiting to check in, I can’t help but notice the funky refresh (the hotel unveiled a $NZ3 million ($2.72million), Pasifika-themed renovation of its public spaces in 2018). Things are looking up. Still, when the family ahead of me in the queue announces they’re checking in for eight nights, my eyebrows shoot up.

The look

The design team tasked with the refresh described the hotel as “50 shades of brown” before its much-needed glow-up. Cue colourful, geometric custom carpets that reference Maori and Pacific weaving, a bold terrazzo-and-timber reception desk, new framing of a giant fish tank, room dividers cleverly created from nautical ropes, woven light shades, plenty of greenery and cosy lobby waiting areas partitioned with brise soleil walls. Kid-friendly touches include a Donkey Kong arcade game.

The room

The hotel’s palm-fringed pool.

My ground-floor room is fine but not particularly memorable. Its best feature is the direct access it provides to the palm-fringed (unheated) pool and lush sub-tropical gardens that include pohutukawa (the New Zealand Christmas tree). I angle my phone to snap a pic of me against the palm fronds: it looks like I’m in the Cook Islands or Hawaii.

Food + drink

After faffing in my room for half an hour, I head to the dinner buffet at Vapor restaurant (my stay includes a meal credit) just before 9pm. Lingering was a big mistake. A tray of crumbs hints at the delicious chicken gobbled up by others; I must settle for broccoli and cauliflower soup, fish and salads. By the time I’ve finished (and pondered whether I could have spent the credit on a room-service steak instead), the neighbouring Rumpus bar (with its line-up of craft beers) is also closed, with a sign wishing me a “brewtiful day”. Happily, the breakfast spread includes cooked-to-order egg dishes, miso soup, hash browns, bacon and tropical fruit.

The hotel’s Vapor Restaurant.

Out + about

The location might feel too industrial for sightseeing but if you slide into your sneakers or jandals and pound the pavement, you’ll find the Watercare Coastal Walkway and its native birds within striking distance. The walkway connects to Ambury Regional Park, Puketutu Island and the sacred archaeological site of Otuataua Stonefields where Maori farmers once used warm volcanic stones in the soil to extend the growing season for taro and kumara. Closer to the airport is Butterfly Creek – a zoo that includes a butterfly house, animal encounters and “unicorns and dragons”.

The verdict

Get over your Holiday Inn preconceptions – this airport hotel is fun and funky, with surprising tropical-resort vibes.

The essentials

Rooms from $NZ199 ($180) a night (two are accessible). 2 Ascot Road, Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand. See aucklandairport.holidayinn.com

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Highlight

This airport hotel’s thoughtful Pasifika-themed glow-up means it’s far from cookie-cutter.

Lowlight

Don’t leave that visit to the dinner buffet too late, or you’ll be left with literal crumbs.

The writer stayed as a guest of Air New Zealand.