Rutherford Hotel Nelson

4.0 star property

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Reception
Exterior
Triple Studio | Living area | 42-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels, TV
Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds | 1 bedroom, minibar, laptop workspace, iron/ironing board
Seasonal outdoor pool, open 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM, pool umbrellas

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Bar
  • Gym
  • Room service
  • Breakfast available

Explore the area

Map
Trafalgar Square, Nelson, 7010
  • Christ Church Cathedral
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Trafalgar Park
    ‪13 min walk‬
  • Nelson Hospital
    ‪20 min walk‬
  • Nelson (NSN)
    ‪9 min drive‬

Room options

Triple Studio

  • 463 sq ft
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 2 Twin Beds

Quadruple Suite

  • 398 sq ft
  • Sleeps 5
  • 1 King Bed and 3 Twin Beds

Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds

  • 291 sq ft
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Premium Double Room, 1 King Bed

  • 291 sq ft
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds, Accessible

  • 291 sq ft
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Executive Apartment, Multiple Beds

  • 1238 sq ft
  • Sleeps 6
  • 1 King Bed, 1 Queen Bed and 2 Twin Beds

Deluxe Suite, 1 King Bed

  • 614 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

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About this property

Rutherford Hotel Nelson

4-star hotel in Nelson City Centre
A restaurant, a fitness center, and a bar/lounge are available at this hotel. WiFi in public areas is free. Additionally, a sauna, a 24-hour business center, and a conference center are onsite.
Rutherford Hotel Nelson offers 113 accommodations with minibars and coffee/tea makers. A pillow menu is available. 42-inch flat-screen televisions come with cable channels. Bathrooms include bathrobes, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.

Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wired and wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include phones along with free local calls (restrictions may apply). Housekeeping is provided daily.

Recreational amenities at the hotel include a sauna, a fitness center, and a seasonal outdoor pool.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

In addition to a seasonal outdoor pool, Rutherford Hotel Nelson provides a sauna and a fitness center. Dining options at the hotel include a restaurant and a coffee shop/cafe. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. A computer station is located on site and wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.

Business-related amenities at this 4-star property consist of a 24-hour business center and 6 meeting rooms. Event facilities measuring 6297 square feet (585 square meters) include a conference center. This eco-certified hotel also offers multilingual staff, gift shops/newsstands, and tour/ticket assistance. Onsite parking is available (surcharge), along with a car charging station.

Rutherford Hotel Nelson has designated areas for smoking.

Full breakfasts are available for a surcharge on weekdays between 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM and on weekends between 5:00 AM and 10:30 AM.
Oceano - This restaurant specializes in seafood and serves breakfast and dinner.
Atom Cafe - This café serves breakfast and lunch. Open select days.
Port O' Call - This bar serves dinner and light fare. Open daily.
24-hour room service is available.

Awards and affiliations

Eco-Certified Property
This property participates in Qualmark Sustainable Tourism Business Award, a program that measures the property's impact on one or more of the following: environment, community, cultural-heritage, the local economy.

Languages

Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi and wired internet
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi and wired internet

Parking and transportation

  • Electric car charging station on site
  • Height restrictions apply for onsite parking
  • Secured, uncovered self parking on site (NZD 10 per night)
  • Secured, uncovered valet parking on site (NZD 10 per night; includes in/out privileges)
  • RV/bus/truck parking (surcharge) on site
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking available

Food and drink

  • Full breakfast available for a fee 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM on weekdays and 5:00 AM to 10:30 AM on weekends; NZD 34.50 for adults and NZD 17.50 for children
  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • A restaurant

Restaurants on site

  • Atom Cafe
  • Oceano
  • Port O' Call

Things to do

  • Bicycle tours
  • Gym
  • Sauna
  • Seasonal outdoor pool

Family friendly

  • Fenced pool
  • In-room babysitting (surcharge)
  • In-room crib
  • Laundry facilities
  • Seasonal outdoor pool

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk
  • Water dispenser

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Dry cleaning/laundry service
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Multilingual staff
  • Tour and ticket assistance
  • Wedding services

Business services

  • 24-hour business center
  • 6 meeting rooms
  • Computer station
  • Conference center (6,297 square feet of space)

Outdoors

  • In a nature reserve
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • 3 accessible parking spaces
  • Elevator (39 inch wide door)
  • Handrails in stairways (35 inches high)
  • Stair-free path to entrance
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible bathroom vanity (28 inches high)
  • Wheelchair-accessible business center
  • Wheelchair-accessible concierge desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible gym
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible path to elevator
  • Wheelchair-accessible public washroom
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk (39 inches high)
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant

More

  • At least 80% lighting from LEDs
  • Ballroom
  • Designated smoking areas (fines apply)
  • Eco-friendly cleaning products used
  • Local artist showcase
  • Locally-owned and organized tours and activities
  • Vegan dining options
  • Vegetarian breakfast available
  • Vegetarian dining options

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Free crib
  • Pillow menu

Bathroom

  • Bathrobes
  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste (on request)
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 42-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels

Food and drink

  • 24-hour room service
  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Electric kettle
  • Meal delivery service
  • Minibar
  • Restaurant dining guides

More

  • Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
  • Energy-saving switches in guestrooms
  • Free local calls
  • Heating (climate-controlled)
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Laptop workspace
  • Phone
  • Recycling

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: midnight
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
At check-in, guests must provide a record of full COVID-19 vaccination

Renovations and closures

The following facilities will be closed during October, May, June, July, August, and September:
  • Swimming pool
The property will be renovating from June 10 2024 to December 31 2025 (completion date subject to change). The following areas are affected:
  • Dining venue(s)
  • Exterior
  • Fitness facilities
  • Front desk
  • Guestrooms
  • Lobby
  • Meeting facilities
  • Parking area
Renovation work will only be conducted during business hours on weekdays. Every effort will be made to minimize noise and disturbance.

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 13 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Free cribs are available on request at the property

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for full breakfast: approximately NZD 34.50 for adults and NZD 17.50 for children
  • Uncovered self parking fee: NZD 10.00 per night
  • Uncovered valet parking fee: NZD 10 per night (in/out privileges)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
Cashless transactions are available
This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products

We should mention

The seasonal pool will be open from October 01 to March 31
Pool access available from 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM
Parking height restrictions apply

National rating

Rating provided by Qualmark®, source of official star ratings for accommodation in New Zealand.

Property is also known as

Rutherford Hotel Heritage Hotel
Rutherford Hotel Nelson Heritage Hotel
Rutherford Nelson
Rutherford Nelson Heritage
Rutherford Hotel Nelson
Rutherford Hotel
Nelson Rutherford Hotel
Rutherford Hotel Nelson Hotel
Rutherford Hotel Nelson Nelson
Rutherford Hotel Nelson Hotel Nelson

Rutherford Hotel Nelson Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 288 out of 565 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 211 out of 565 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 55 out of 565 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 565 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 565 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Helen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Solid option in Nelson, helpful staff
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

2/10 Terrible

Matthew

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Janelle

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location and friendly and helpful staff. Some of the building is old and needing a revamp - which I think they are in the process of.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Beautiful hotel

Rutherford Hotel was better than our expectations. Beautiful foyer, great staff and great staff. Our room was on the 8th floor with a lovely view. Would highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

SUSAN

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great Manager and staff

The Customer Service was great. The staff knew what they were doing and were very helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel. Ok town.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Spacious room in excellent location

Well appointed comfortable room close to the heart of Nelson. There's limited free on street parking for guests, but cheap alternative paid parking is also available nearby.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
So easy to get to, right in town. Fantastic staff. Just a bit dated.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Good location and comfortable room

Great location and friendly staff. The room was very comfortable and had good facilities.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ingrid

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to stay
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Timi Te

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Norikazu, CAMAS

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room was clean and nice. Room furniture and bathroom show sign of aging. AC worked really well. I can see this was such a nice hotel in 40-50 years ago. Supermarket was walking distance.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean and tidy room. Very helpful staff
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

6/10 Okay

Sandra

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Unfortunately my bathtub was dirty. I should have communicated to staff but found out just before going to bed. Otherwise a beautiful hotel and top grade workmanship throughout. Corner room with lovely view of park, cathedral like church and skyline of exotic New Zealand trees. Would not stay again though as nothing worse than a dirty tub!!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Ric

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice stylish hotel
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Joan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Shelley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Had a lovely short stay My only dislike was the shower spraying water all over the floor of the bathroom, difficult to avoid. Otherwise was spotlessly clean and comfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Stephen

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Felicia

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Debbie

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and comfy room
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

6/10 Okay

Laurie, New York

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Walkable to restaurants Cons: we had to park on street, hotel was being renovated and the elevator didn’t work one day. Also, the bathroom not designed well. Couldn’t get the soap or shampoo out of their containers, the sink faucet barely cleared the sink rim, there was no shower grab bar and I slipped getting out of the too tall bathtub and hit my head, the door of the shower opened inward so there was very little room to maneuver. Poorly designed and dangerous.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

2/10 Terrible

Ciarrah

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything about this property felt like a scam. “Parking available” was BS. you get unsecured street parking (if you’re lucky to find a spot) or you can pay to park in a lot that’s still far from the hotel doors. The walls of the building were crumbling and the whole place was in piss poor condition. There was a stain on our carpet and we had to ask a manager to change the sheets in our room because it smelled like someone peed in it. Such a waste of so much money.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Keith

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location, old style elegance to the hotel, great amenities (pool, sauna, gym). Note tour buses sta y here.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2025

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service

You get what you pay for

You get what you pay for in this place. Cheap-ish* accomodation for: smelly rooms, stained carpet, blue tape over bathtub shampoo, etc holder, dirty putty around the windowsills, cheap beds (not very comfortable). HOWEVER! They do have good customer service, location is excellent (very central) and room was a good size too. Overall, worth what I paid for.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Troy

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great central place to stay in Nelson. Quality facilities.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2025