New Zealand isn’t just a country of spectacular natural beauty, despite its world-renowned mountain ranges, incredible glaciers, and grassy plains so breathtaking that Peter Jackson picked it as the landscape of Middle Earth. It’s also home to the equally cinematic Cordis Auckland hotel, which is the subject of this review and claims the title of Auckland’s largest hotel, as well as boasting one of the largest private collections of contemporary art in New Zealand.
If you’ve got a trip planned to the “The Land Of The Long White Cloud,” Auckland is well worth your time to visit as the home of several first-class restaurants and bars, wineries, and a number of natural spectacles you won’t find anywhere else. Be it a day trip to New Zealand’s youngest volcano on Rangitoto Island, a tour to the significant Māori site on Mt Eden/Maungawhau, or simply enjoying fish and chips on Muriwai Beach after a day of sightseeing, the city has plenty to offer if you’ve got a couple of nights to enjoy it.
Formerly known as the Langham – and still a part of the Langham Hospitality Group – the site of Cordis Auckland was first constructed as a hotel back in 1980 and was once the location of the historically important Partington’s Mill. In recent years, however, the hotel has been heavily upgraded and renovated with the construction of the Cordis Auckland Pinnacle Tower, which reaches 17 stories into the sky and has revitalised the establishment with new facilities, including the largest hotel club lounge in the country.
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Today, Cordis Auckland offers its guests no less than 640 rooms and suites in the original hotel building, with the addition of 244 premium rooms in the Pinnacle Tower, including the Chairman’s Suite located on the penthouse level that boasts its own discreet entrance for VIPs who enjoy their privacy. In addition to the exclusive Club Lounge, the hotel also contains Eight Restaurant, Our Land Is Alive Bar and some of the largest function and conference spaces in the city.
As a recently invited guest of Cordis Auckland to visit the hotel and review what it has to offer, it’s safe to say I wasn’t disappointed with what I experienced, finding plenty to enjoy for anyone who loves a good meal, an expertly mixed cocktail, or simply being in the thick of a city’s cultural centre.
Before you commit to booking anywhere else, make sure you read on.
Cordis Auckland Review – Table Of Contents
- Location
- Design & Concept
- Room Types & Comfort
- Food & Drink
- Service
- Verdict & Value
- Cordis Auckland Review – Frequently Asked Questions
Location
Established around a pair of large harbours, Auckland is home to a population of around 1.6 million people and while its formidable hills might make you think twice before walking everywhere, the CBD is relatively compact and easy to get around. Located in the southern part of the CBD, Cordis Auckland is only 2km from the wharf at the other end of the city centre, putting it in the very heart of New Zealand’s most populous city and only a few minutes’ drive from most of the best restaurants, bars and other attractions.
From the airport, you should expect a journey of around half an hour from door to door (traffic allowing), as the hotel is conveniently situated just a few blocks from the freeway, and is also close to the new city loop train line that is currently under construction. Just around the corner from Cordis Auckland is Karangahape Road, which for the Aussies playing at home, has a similar youthful energy and eccentric feel to the likes of Surry Hills or Fitzroy, with your pick of intimate dining venues and trendy bars.
If you prefer spending your time with fresh air in your lungs, the Auckland Domain park is less than 15 minutes walk from the hotel and is the home of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, glass-enclosed botanical gardens and the ever-popular Lover’s Walk bush track. These beautifully looked-after gardens might be a little clipped for your taste in nature, in which case the option of several different day-trip hikes might be a better taste of the wilderness. Tapapakanga Regional Park is just a 90-minute drive east of Auckland and serves up coastal farmland and rolling hills, while if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, the Stony Batter to Hooks Bay walk on Waiheke Island can be accessed via a 30-minute ferry from the wharf.
Concept & Design
If you have even the slightest interest in art or design, you’ll really enjoy what the Cordis Auckland has to offer. At the heart of its concept is the celebration of New Zealand from every angle, from the beauty of its natural landscape and the importance of Māori culture and history, to the quality of its produce no matter if you’re eating or drinking.
This can be seen everywhere you look in the hotel, including in the elevator lobbies of each floor that feature an enormous backlit image of a stunning local landscape captured by photographer Jae Hoon Lee. You can also experience the local focus at the Our Land Is Alive Bar, which only stocks locally sourced booze and ingredients and features a large ceiling mural of clouds (in reference to New Zealand’s nickname).
As prevously mentioned, Cordis Auckland also owns one of the largest private collections of contemporary art in New Zealand, with works from international and New Zealand-based artists exhibited throughout the hotel, including a towering cast bronze statue at the entrance that greets guests as they arrive. This bronze sculpture was created by Sanné Mestrom and is one of three of her statues in the hotel, one of which stands at the door of the Club Lounge while the other is in the Chairman’s Suite.
Other artworks you can see as you walk through the hotel include a number of sculptures and hanging installations, wall murals, and paintings, all of which offer a reference to the local culture or landscape as a link that binds the collection. If you needed any more evidence that the owners of Cordis Auckland are passionate about art and its creators, the award-winning British artists, Gilbert and George, call the hotel home whenever they exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
The freshly opened Pinnacle Tower at Cordis Auckland was a labour of love, with much of the construction taking place during the pandemic shutdowns. The new tower was the work of the architecture firm Jasmax, while the interiors were designed by Space Studio, with both creative teams working closely together to develop light-filled environments that are as sleek as they are contemporary.
An additional challenge that Jasmax faced was the constraints provided by the original Langham building, which the Pinnacle Tower was required to integrate directly into. As a result, the first nine levels of the Pinnacle Tower have the same ceiling heights as the original hotel and the floors from ten to seventeen all feature taller ceilings in the corridors and rooms, which serve to emphasise the stunning views across Auckland’s waterfront.
Room Types & Comfort
All counted, Cordis Auckland has an impressive 640 rooms across the hotel, with a range of different suite offerings depending on your needs. One of the real pleasures of enjoying a recently opened hotel is just how modern the fit-outs are, with the furnishings and appliances of Cordis Auckland curated with a tasteful modern minimalism that makes you feel right at home.
The rooms start with the Standard Rooms, of which there are four different types available that range from 28 to 42 square meters in size and have the specific option to stay in the Pinnacle Tower if having a view is something you’d enjoy. There are also a quartet of Family Room options (32 to 42 square meters), palatially sized Junior Suites that span 54-square-meters and the Club Rooms in the Pinnacle Tower where I enjoyed my time.
The Club Room is the perfect room to enjoy a weekend or longer in Auckland, either by yourself or with a significant other, thanks to its enormous bed, bath and rain shower. While none of those elements is any different from an equivalent room in another hotel, where Cordis Auckland really stood out was the attention to detail that Space Studio had gone to with the interior design. With elements such as blown glass objects, rustic ceramic vases and colourful abstract art on the walls, there’s a lot to love in every corner of the room.
For the most important VIP clients – think literal royalty, world leaders, musicians and celebrities – Cordis Auckland has the Chairman’s Suite in the penthouse of the Pinnacle Tower, which is easily one of the best suites in New Zealand. With a floor plan that covers 252.6-square-meters, the enormous apartment features a 10-seat dining table, full kitchen, private bar, office, walk-in dressing room, and large living room, all before you get to the bedroom.
The master bedroom delivers the best views that Cordis Auckland has to offer and connects to the enormous marble-clad bathroom, which boasts a double rain shower and free-standing bath that is closer to the size of a jacuzzi. Finally, you’re also able to enjoy the Chairman Suite’s views from a large balcony, which arrives with heaters and a fireplace. For a night in the Chairman’s Suite, expect to pay around NZ$3,800.
Food & Drink
The dining and drinking offerings at Cordis Auckland are primarily the Eight Restaurant and Our Land Is Alive Bar, both of which are located on the ground level of the hotel. As mentioned, Our Land Is Alive Bar is focused specifically on its locally sourced menu, from the wine, beer and spirits to the garnishes in the cocktails, everything is grown and produced in New Zealand.
Eight Restaurant also has its own theme, described as an “interactive dining experience” as the home of eight different international kitchens each offering its own cuisine. Presented in a buffet style, you’ll have the option of flavours from India, Japan, China, Italy, and America, as well as a wide range of desserts and salads.
If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill in the afternoon, high tea at the Chandelier Lounge is a relaxing way to sip on a cup of premium tea and enjoy some fluffy scones. Regardless of the time of day, there’s always somewhere to grab a bite to eat without needing to leave the confines of the hotel.
Service
As you’d expect from a member of the Langham Hospitality Group, the service you can expect to experience at Cordis Auckland is warm and friendly, with consistent attention to detail to meet any specific needs you might have. From the reception desk staff and the concierge, to the knowledgeable staff at Our Land Is Alive Bar and the accommodating chefs in Eight Restaurant, everyone I encountered working in the hotel was professional and courteous.
The other area of the hotel where I was impressed by the service was the Chuan Spa, where I enjoyed a thoroughly revitalising massage treatment and left feeling like I was on a cloud. Located near the heated outdoor lap pool and the decent-sized gym, the spa offers everything from massage and facials to Chinese acupressure treatments and hot stone therapy. Even if this isn’t an activity you’d normally indulge in during a hotel stay, I can’t recommend it enough.
Verdict & Value
Altogether, I spent three nights at Cordis Auckland and while I’ve no doubt attention was given to ensure the media group I was in enjoyed our stay, I can gladly report that the experience was a fantastic one. The consistency of the overall experience and the service we enjoyed spoke to the uniformity afforded by being a part of a larger hotel group, but there remained a distinct feeling that came from Cordis Auckland and its unwavering efforts to celebrate New Zealand and what it has to offer visitors.
In terms of pricing, Standard Rooms begin at around NZ$285 for a Monday night stay, while booking on Friday will cost you closer to NZ$415 for the night. The Executive Pinnacle Club Room that I stayed in starts at NZ$695 and can reach NZ$800 during a busy week. As you might imagine, it isn’t the most affordable room in Auckland, but it’s certainly not the most expensive either, offering comparably good value when you consider the room sizes, facilities, and the options you’ve got for a meal or drink.
So if you’ve always been curious to explore New Zealand a little more, take the time to experience the north island properly by spending a few nights at Cordis Auckland and venturing out from there. No matter if you’re there for the natural wonder or the world-class wineries, you’ll have an enjoyable stay regardless.
Cordis Auckland Review – Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a room at Cordis Auckland?
Entry-level rooms at Cordis Auckland start from around NZ$285 per night while the highest-level penthouse suite will set you back approximately NZ$3,800 per night.
What is the restaurant at Cordis Auckland like?
Cordis Auckland’s signature dining venue, Eight Restaurant, offers guests a selection of cuisine from no less than eight different international kitchens. If you’re after a well-made drink, Our Land Is Alive Bar is the perfect place to enjoy a locally sourced beer, wine or cocktail.
Where is Cordis Auckland?
Cordis Auckland is located less than 1km from the heart of the CBD, 15 minutes drive to the ferry wharf and close to 30 minutes drive from the International Airport.
