MARSDEN VIADUCT HOTEL (same building as Sofitel Viaduct Harbour)

Reviews

1. Jean B ★☆☆☆☆

   My husband and I booked this hotel for a night away to relax and use the pool and facilities. The photos online are completely misleading. We were told when we arrived by a staff member that the pool was under maintenance, I phoned the Sofitel next door to check to see if we could still use the facilities and they said they were at capacity so couldn't allow Marsden Guests to use it. This was very disappointing and misleading as was not what was advertised online. We had the same issues as other guests having to wait to be allowed in and out of the carpark. After arriving we changed rooms as the room we originally booked had obviously not been cleaned; big stains on the carpet, bedside tables hadn't been wiped, hair in the bathroom, marks on the walls. We were given an upgrade but the second room was not much better; constant running water in toilet, hair in the bath, air conditioning not working, fingerprints from previous guests on cabinetry, dusty louvres and we were bitten at night from the bedding! Made for an extremely uncomfortable and disappointing stay. This hotel seriously needs to review their cleaning and maintenance and relook their advertising as it is extremely misleading and I would hate for another couple to have the same experience.

   almost 5 months ago
2. Isabelle P ★☆☆☆☆

   Don’t bother staying at the Marsden Viaduct. No air conditioning in rooms so wouldn’t be comfortable to stay in during summer. The biggest issue was having housekeeping open my door without any announcement while I was getting changed. Asked her to leave and she continued to stand there not knowing what to do. Informed reception, just apologised with no follow up. It was a deeply embarrassing situation, and unsettling not knowing if my door could be opened again. From someone who has worked several years in housekeeping, this was disappointing to experience and staff clearly need better training if they don’t know which rooms are occupied let alone know how to knock or announce themselves.

   almost 5 months ago
3. Laurel Conroy ★★★☆☆

   I’m not one to dwell on the negatives, so I’ll start with the positives before getting into the issues we experienced. Positives: Fantastic location, a very comfortable bedroom, reliable internet for Zoom meetings, a nicely decorated suite, quiet surroundings, and mostly friendly staff — especially the cleaning team, who were lovely. Negatives: Although this hotel sits within the Sofitel building, there’s no reception on the ground floor. You end up waiting awkwardly in the Sofitel lobby until someone comes down, and the Sofitel staff aren’t especially helpful in pointing you in the right direction. To their credit, despite our late arrival, the Marsden staff came down quickly once called. The Marsden reception upstairs is a stark contrast to the grand Sofitel lobby. The staff weren’t rude, but they did seem a bit underappreciated, and it showed in the overall atmosphere. The listing states daily housekeeping, but we stayed three nights without anyone coming through. Not a huge problem for us, but worth noting. The room was tidy enough, though there was a dead lizard when we arrived (and left). Those expecting a spotless luxury hotel may be disappointed. The TV and iron also didn’t work properly. The biggest issue came when my partner, who made the booking, was out working. Reception knocked on the door and told me I should have checked out, asking me to leave despite having two nights left on the booking. I explained this, and the receptionist returned with an angry manager on speakerphone. Thankfully, my partner had forwarded the booking to me or I likely would’ve been forced out. No apology was offered by either the manager or reception, though the cleaners who passed by were very kind. To make matters worse, they’d deactivated the room key afterwards. As only one key card is issued, I nearly got stuck downstairs without my phone — I was only saved because the concierge happened to be there. Later, when we asked about a late checkout due to torrential rain while waiting for the ferry, we were told there would be an hourly fee. Not unusual, but after everything that had happened it felt a bit rough, to the point where I found myself scanning all the QR codes in the room just to avoid any surprise charges. Overall, it’s not the worst place to stay, but considering they market themselves as a luxury option — and the prices reflect that — I wouldn’t recommend Marsden. If you go in with realistic expectations and can overlook the check-in and check-out experience, you can enjoy a “Sofitel-adjacent” stay at a lower price.

   almost 6 months ago

1. Brent Henderson ★☆☆☆☆

   Not usually one to leave negative reviews, but people should be aware of a few issues. The hotel really needs to rethink its check-in process, it feels more like a backpackers’ setup, which is odd when you’re standing in a beautiful Sofitel foyer. Everyone waits around in groups while one staff member tries to manage the lifts and escort guests to level 3 for check-in. It’s a debacle. My room also had no functioning air-con. I was told it “works but you can’t make it colder or hotter.” A free-standing fan on the floor was doing its best to move around the hot air. I mentioned this at checkout and the response was pretty dismissive. Not sure if this is a Marsden systems issue or something else, but overall it was a poor experience. A real shame, because the location is stunning and it has the potential to be a great place to stay.... but at the moment, it’s not.

   almost 6 months ago
2. Emma Stewart ★☆☆☆☆

   The room was tidy and bed was comfy… only had a couple issues. I booked a room with a deck and patio and all that was given to us was a slither of deck, very disappointed with that. Secondly we could not find the reception of the hotel. After walking around the block with heavy luggage a few times we finally had to call and ask. They then came and got us and went up an elevator into the Sofitel building. Some signs or a heads up about where we had to go would’ve been nice. EDIT** Marsden viaduct replied with “a standing balcony was booked” it was absolutely not. All it said was balcony and patio included. Anyone would assumed it would be at least full sized. Next time write the description better because I have proof it did not say “standing balcony”

   almost 2 years ago
3. D M ★★★☆☆

   Very average experience for the price. Had a guy staying in room below us. He was on the narrow balcony most nights talking on mobile phone while chain smoking. Could hear him, even with sliding door close and smell cigarette smoke. Informed reception desk of this and they said no one was staying in this room (which is right next to the reception office). Had kids running up and down corridor. Fridge was broken and promised to be fix (they didn't during our 6 night stay). Cleaning services below par. One day they didn't turn up. Another day, asked them how long it would take to clean room, they said 5mins!! Not sure how thorough a clean they can do in 5mins. Toilet paper not always restocked. It's a shame as location is great, but the staff service lets the place down.

   almost 2 years ago

1. Jessica ★☆☆☆☆

   Good location, but no hotel amenities. Seems like while they are renovating the Sofitel, some of the old rooms have been rented out to Marsden Viaduct. When we arrived our room reeked of cigarette smoke, despite being a non-smoking room. We asked the reception about this and they brought in some spray to "kill the bacteria." With cigarette smoke you cannot simply spray over it, the smoke gets in the linen and the carpet and curtains. With both of us having lung issues, it isn't enough to simply run the shower and spray some strong chemicals (that frankly smelt almost as bad as the cigarette smoke). We had to be very persistent in our complaints to get the staff to change our room - they didn't seem to take our concerns seriously. To their credit, we were eventually moved to a suite that was larger and more expensive than the original room. However the whole experience left a bad taste in our mouths, and we ended up checking out early and going to a different hotel. Wifi didn't work, TV didn't work, dust and grime in the corners of the rooms, no exhaust fan in bathroom. Hotel not worth the price you pay - we went to a much nicer hotel for the same price.

   almost 2 years ago
2. Ali Pottinger ★★☆☆☆

   We booked an accessible room, unfortunately Marsden accessible rooms are not really accessible. Our room was filled with furniture making it difficult to wheel around. The toilet was too high to get a commode over. The bed was comfortable, and able to get a hoist underneath. The location was great.

   almost 2 years ago
3. Amy Benton ★★★★☆

   Clean, spacious, comfortable and well-presented room. Check-in was a little clunky with the repair work in the lobby and we couldn't get through to reception as the email instructed us to. Once we were in we had a great stay and thought it was good value for money.

   almost 3 years ago

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