Had the opportunity to stay at the HIE Queenstown (herein abbreviated as HIEQ) for 5 days last month. And yes, there is a bathroom controversy, but I'm going to tell you all about the rest of my stay before I get to the controversial bits.
They were kind enough to give us a corner room with a view of both the lake and the mountain that the gondola goes up, which was pretty spectacular.
Lake Wakatipu
The mountain that the gondola goes up (I don't know the name).
Unfortunately, HIE has shut down the breakfast buffet systemwide. The HIEQ is getting around this by putting out a limited service of muffins, hot croissants or frittatas, and fruit for people to grab. I appreciate the effort here, and it's set up in a way where you can grab your stuff without touching other people's items, but I do wish there was a more robust selection.
The HIEQ has a "living room concept" for the hotel. The lobby is enormous, with ceilings at least three stories high, two giant fireplaces, lots of couches and tables and places to sit. There's also lots of power points throughout the lobby, including two rows of tables with power points in the middle that are clearly meant to be used as desks during the day. However, they clearly never tested these with Apple devices.
Your power point must be this tall to ride this ride.
That was a bit of a blip, but otherwise the living room concept was enjoyable. I spent a fair amount of time there. I don't know how the concept is going to shake out globally over the next couple of years, though. A gigantic space where people can mingle during a pandemic? Hmm.
The room had spectacular views, a couple of comfortable seats and a great bed. It also had a design decision that I absolutely LOATHE...the glass wall around the bathroom. The HIE BNE had this too, and I HATE it. I am wondering if this is an HIE in Oceania decision or something they're doing across the chain. (The new German HIEs in Freiburg and Frankfurt did not when I stayed there in November/December...but I see that the Freiburg one isn't even an HIE anymore! That was fast!)
Okay, I know it makes the bathroom seem more spacious. BUT. If you are sharing a room with someone, you are going to have a level of intimacy you may have never previously experienced. My partner and I have been together for 13 years, but there are certain things I would prefer to remain private. And I couldn't. Because even though the glass is frosted, you can see shadows and you can hear EVERYTHING. I thought this concept for a bathroom was cute when I experienced it at an EasyHotel, but that is an ultra-low-budget place where I had to pay £3 if I wanted a remote for the TV. I honestly believe this is the biggest design mistake IHG has made, and I'm going to be very carefully checking any other HIEs for this before I stay in the future.
The location is good, the beds are comfortable, the staff is fantastic, and I love the lobby concept. But can someone please put real walls around the bathroom?