Fox Glacier Hotels with Bars

Fox Glacier is a tiny town with barely a handful of eateries and a lot of tired and old accommodation so aesthetically, Distinction FG stands out. the rooms are a good size and the overall look is like a 3.5 star motel with basic furniture and decor. The included breakfast is pedestrian: hot food selection, condiments and toast, Cornflakes and Vitabrits with milk and bottled juices. throughout NZ, a lot of the customer service roles seem to be filled by travellers on 1-year working holiday visas so who you get and their level of service and ability is all very patchy. The current crew at Distinction FG seem competent and eager but when we checked in, the front desk was unattended at 3pm. We could hear someone out the back swearing and yelling but no one came forward. then we noticed a small sign mentioning that if the desk is unattended, ring the bell. So we did. and we were met with someone who whipped around the corner to look, without making eye contact with us, yell, ”Where the f*&k is she??!!!??” We assumed ”she” was the person who was supposed to be manning the desk. then a young girl appeared from behind us to check us in. Needless to say, her boss/owner disappeared and left the girl to do the menial check-in task. Of course this may have been a one-off incident and and there may be some explanation but I not sure if it's ever appropriate to use that kind of language when guests are standing in front of you, let alone within ear shot.

The hotel is very good. The room was very satisfying, the heating was adequate, and it didn't feel cold in winter. There are also Chinese staff at the front desk. There are restaurants and bars, but they didn't go. The location is very good, next door is the seasons and shops of the two tourist companies, the intercity bus station is also there, very close. The only bad thing is that the room is too poorly soundproofed.

Our stay at this hotel had a few issues. The rooms are clean and looked nice at first glance but we found the rooms noisy from internal and external noise. There is nowhere to hang clothes, no closet or rail. The shutter blinds let a lot of light through early in the morning. The bathroom was clean but the shower temperature was erratic and the shower head kept falling down. Food and drink in the restaurant is good but the service is a bit chaotic. We prepaid for our breakfast but in the morning we were told we weren't on the list for breakfast so had to go to reception twice to resolve that issue. Not a great start to the day. The evening dining service involves queuing at one place to ask for a table and then place your order for food. You then need to queue again at the bar to order drinks. Overall, for the price we paid for the room I don't feel we got value for money.