voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley
voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley
What is your IHG One Rewards status?
Diamond Ambassador
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
1 King Standard, received 1 King Grand with Valley View (two-category update, highest non-suite category available)
How are the rooms?
Rooms are spread across multiple buildings within the complex and I was in the Max Drayton Wing, which was close to the main building. The upgraded room was large, modern and spotlessly clean, with all the comforts needed for the stay. The balcony overlooking the valley was beautiful and made for some great morning/evening views. The bathroom was older in style but still functional.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
The Good- Nice room, appreciated the upgrade.
- Receptionist had a trainee badge but was very professional and provided one of the most warm and memorable welcomes I've received at an IHG property anywhere. I don't think she had seen too many Diamond members come through and while making small talk during check-in she asked "So.. do you travel a lot?" which I found hilarious!
- All guests received a jar of home-made salt as a welcome gift and as an additional status amenity a bottle of wine and a jar of home-made honey were delivered to my room.
- Housekeeping was good during the stay and very efficient, they made up my room in the short period while I was out at breakfast. Interestingly I came back on the second night to find they had turned down the bed and left chocolates, which hadn't happened on the first night.
- In terms of hotel facilities there is a gym, indoor pool, tennis courts, basketball court, a farm with pigs and chickens and of course, plenty of wide open space to walk around. Plenty of car parking and it's not far from Cessnock.
- Late check-out of 12pm accommodated without any fuss (standard time is 11am) although they did seem a bit hesitant when I first approached the desk, I think they were worried I was going to ask for 2pm or something, which might be difficult on a busy night in such a small hotel.
The Bad- Strangely they didn't have the usual wall mount for the shower amenities installed and the shampoo / shower gel etc were left alongside the sink. There wasn't really anywhere to store them within the shower either so you had to open the door, grab them when you needed and then put them back, which made it difficult to keep the bathroom floor dry. Not sure why they won't just install a wall mount as there was enough room for one.
- F&B experience at the hotel was mixed. Had lunch on arrival at The Conservatory / Epoch Bar which is their all-day option, I had the voco Beef Burger ($29) which was fine but certainly nothing special. They promote their fine dining restaurant Locavore as being open on Friday and Saturday nights only but I was surprised to find it open on a Thursday night and gave it a go. It was nice, but not nice enough to last long if it was in a big city and facing genuine competition. At $90 for two courses and $105 for three courses it was also on the pricier side.
- Breakfast buffet (chosen as my Diamond amenity) was extensive but my overall feelings on it are mixed. There was a sign saying you could order eggs / omelettes but it was hard to track anyone down. Likewise they said barista coffees were included but there was no-one around to take the order so guests were using the coffee machine instead. Obviously with no-one around plates tended to stack up too. I got the feeling they were deliberately trying to minimise these orders.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Paid AUD $308/night. Overall a pretty good stay and nothing that would stop me from returning, although certainly a few little areas for improvement.
Detailed review with pictures