My husband and I stayed one night at the Copthorne in Queenstown and due to the circumstances, I'm sure our experience wasn't usual. Our room faced a busy side street and was quite noisy. The room was clean. The bathroom was okay, too. There was no safety bolt for the door and the knob only had a bush-button lock. Not a very safe feeling.
We had been staying across the street at the sister hotel, The Millenium. We needed one more night in Queenstown after returning from an overnight cruise at Doubtful Sound, but the Millenium was booked, so they found us a room at the Copthorne. Our room was probably one reserved for last minute stays. We had to walk through the bar area to get to it!
Though we didn't see inside other rooms, we could see that some had beautiful views of the mountains and lake; some had a patio with lounge furniture. There was an attractive lobby, underground parking garage; and the bar area had a nice view and comfortable seating. The staff was pleasant and helpful. Breakfast buffet was fine; continental also offered.
I would stay here again, but only if I had choice of a more suitable room, and one that offered better security.

The Copthorne Hotel & Resort, Queenstown is - IMO - a very pleasant place to stay. It’s situated on the edge of town, slightly uphill on a quiet residential street. Queenstown centre is about 5 minutes’ picturesque walk away.

We stayed at this hotel for one night in early October.

The sprawling, low rise complex backs onto the lake. Our standard lake-view room was a good size, well furnished and in good repair, even though it felt a bit dated. The bed was comfortable and the ensuite bathroom was well maintained and clean. There was a fantastic view from the large windows, which looked out over the lake with the Remarkables in the background.

The hotel itself is clean, well decorated and in good repair although, again, the design is fairly dated, this somehow lends it a pleasant, small town, frontier-esque charm. The corridors leading to the rooms are a bit warren-like, though.

The reception staff are pleasant enough and the concierge is very zealous, particularly about the Dart River jet boat. The manager presented us with a small gift of spa goodies(?) as we were on our Honeymoon (sort of).

We didn’t eat at the hotel so can’t comment on the food or the restaurant, nor did we use any of the sports facilities.

All in all, the above average room, fantastic lakeside views and quiet but not-too-out-of-the-way location combined with the relatively cheap rate make this excellent value for money and a good base for exploring QT. Recommended - I would stay here again

Overall, I liked this hotel because it had such beautiful views of the lake and the mountains. While the hotel isn't precisely on the lakefront, it's close enough to give a very pleasant outlook. I found the rooms, though, to be pokey and musty and ready for a renovation. There was a large tour group next door to us during our stay whose members felt compelled to wake at 5:30 am and stand outside the doors of their rooms talking loudly to each other until they finally left at 6:30 or so. Every morning. Grrr. Front desk staff, however, were very helpful when we brought the situation to their attention. Also, to get to the town centre requires a 10 - 15 minute walk up quite a steep hill, which was an issue as we had some members of our group who aren't as mobile as they used to be.:) So, overall, I suppose I'd stay here again, but I'd certainly ask to be situated as far from any tour groups as possible.

I was disappointed with this hotel for a few reasons.

1) The rooms seem a little outdated. They still use-fashoned room keys, which is a security concern. (Most hotels today use plastic key cards with security codes.) There are no safes in the rooms either. And the in-room TVs only carry a few channels.

2) There are no restaurants near this hotel, other than the hotel's own restaurant. All the good restaurants are located in town, a ten-minute walk down the hill. The service at the hotel's restaurant (and the adjacent lounge) was not great. On the day we arrived, we ordered drinks from the lounge and were later told there was no one available to prepare the drinks. (Apparently, the hotel is understaffed.) Eventually, someone, who looked like a manager, showed up and made the drinks herself. The food wasn't that great either. And our waitress at dinner seemed inexperienced.

3) This hotel does not have a fitness center. Guests are permitted to use the fitness room at the hotel across the street. I went to visit that room and it was in pretty bad shape. I didn't use it.

4) Finally, there's the location. The name of the hotel is misleading. It claims to be a lakefront hotel, but it's not exactly on the lakefront. Sure we could see part of the lake if we stood on the balcony and looked to the left, but most of the view is of the back area of the hotel. Also, the hotel is located at the top of a steep hill, about ten minutes from town. Not a big problem walking down, but can be a chore walking back up.

On the plus side, the hotel's lounge has a nice view and a large-screen TV, on which we were able to watch the Australian Open tennis matches.

My recommendation: stay at one of the hotels in town, in the center of the activity.