Rutherford Hotel Nelson

4.0 star property

Photo gallery for Rutherford Hotel Nelson

Breakfast and dinner served, seafood
Reception
Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds
Exterior
Seasonal outdoor pool, open 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM, pool umbrellas

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning
  • Gym
  • Breakfast available

Explore the area

View map
Trafalgar Square, Nelson, 7010
  • Place, Christ Church Cathedral
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Nelson Market
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Place, Trafalgar Park
    ‪13 min walk‬
  • Airport, Nelson (NSN)
    ‪11 min drive‬

Room options

Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(36 reviews)
  • 27 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Single Bed

Premium Double Room, 1 King Bed

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(12 reviews)
  • 27 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Premium Double or Twin Room, Multiple Beds, Accessible

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 27 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Single Bed

Triple Studio

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 43 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 2 Single Beds

Quadruple Suite

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • 37 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 5
  • 1 King Bed and 3 Single Beds

Deluxe Suite, 1 King Bed

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 57 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Executive Apartment, Multiple Beds

  • 115 sq m
  • 3 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 6
  • 1 King Bed, 1 Queen Bed and 2 Single Beds

Similar properties

About the area

Nelson

With a stay at Rutherford Hotel Nelson, you'll be centrally located in Nelson, steps from Christ Church Cathedral and within a 5-minute walk of Nelson Provincial Museum. .This hotel is 0.3 mi (0.5 km) from Nelson Market and 0.8 mi (1.4 km) from Trafalgar Park.

What's nearby

  • Christ Church Cathedral - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Nelson Provincial Museum - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Nelson Market - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Queens Gardens - 10 min walk - 0.9 km
  • Trafalgar Park - 13 min walk - 1.2 km

Getting around

  • Nelson (NSN) - 12 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Tern Coffee House - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Coupland's Bakeries - ‬6 min walk
  • ‪The Vic Mac's Brew Bar - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪ChokDee - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Pita Pit Nelson - ‬4 min walk

About this property

Rutherford Hotel Nelson

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.

Make yourself at home in one of the 113 guestrooms featuring minibars and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wired and wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming provides entertainment. Bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include coffee/tea makers and irons/ironing boards, as well as phones with free local calls.
Be sure to enjoy recreational amenities, including a sauna, a fitness center, and a seasonal outdoor pool. Additional features at this hotel include complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and gift shops/newsstands.
Grab dinner at Oceano, a restaurant that specializes in seafood. Dining is also available at the coffee shop/cafe, and 24-hour room service is provided. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. Full breakfasts are served on weekdays from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM and on weekends from 5:00 AM to 10:30 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include complimentary wired internet access, a 24-hour business center, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Planning an event in Nelson? This hotel has 6297 square feet (585 square meters) of space consisting of a conference center and 6 meeting rooms. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
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.

Property amenities

Internet

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

Parking and transport

  • Electric car charging station on site
  • Height restrictions apply for on-site parking
  • Secured, uncovered parking on site (NZD 10 per night)
  • Secured, uncovered valet parking on site (NZD 10 per night; includes in/out privileges)
  • RV/bus/lorry parking (surcharge) on site
  • Limited on-site valet and self parking
  • 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 rentals
  • Bicycle tours
  • Gym
  • Sauna
  • Seasonal outdoor pool

Family friendly

  • Fenced pool
  • In-room babysitting
  • In-room cot
  • 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 centre
  • 6 meeting rooms
  • Computer station
  • Conference centre (6,297 square foot 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
  • Handrails in stairways (90 centimetre high)
  • Lift (100 centimetre wide door)
  • Stair-free path to entrance
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible bathroom vanity (70 centimetre high)
  • Wheelchair-accessible business centre
  • Wheelchair-accessible concierge desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible gym
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible path to lift
  • Wheelchair-accessible public bathroom
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk (100 centimetre high)
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant

More

  • At least 80% lighting from LEDs
  • Ballroom
  • Comprehensive food waste policy
  • Comprehensive recycling policy
  • Designated smoking areas (fines apply)
  • Eco-friendly cleaning products used
  • Local artist showcase
  • Locally-owned and organised tours and activities
  • Vegan dining options
  • Vegetarian breakfast available
  • Vegetarian dining options
  • Water dispenser usage encouraged

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Free cot
  • Pillow menu

Bathroom

  • Dressing gowns
  • 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
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Renovations and closures

The following facilities will be closed during October, May, June, July, August, and September:
  • Swimming pool

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

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
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

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. 330 out of 630 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 229 out of 630 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 59 out of 630 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 630 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 630 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Gemma

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Hotel is in a great location for exploring Nelson, we parked on the street outside the hotel which was free and was always able to find a space Rooms are quite dated but were clean and comfortable and a good size. We were really disappointed to find the pool closed for maintenance whilst we stayed as this was one of the reasons we chose the hotel. The coffee shop in the hotel was disappointing but there are lots of better options within walking distance.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Raewyn

Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2026

6/10 Okay

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Bedside table had broken leg so couldn’t balance anything on the top.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Anne

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Did not have breakfast Clean room Staff lovely Air conditioning good TV terrible could not get most of the channels When phoned downstairs they said they thought they were upgrading some of the TV - not at all helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Viv

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Leo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Gregory, West Sacramento

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice hotel and room. Friendly & helpful staff. Location is within a 5 minute walk to several restaurants and stores, 5-10 minute walk to large grocery store, and 10-15 minute walk to main bus depot. Overall, a very good stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Dinah

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No we don’t take breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

8/10 Good

Karthika

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The stay was good but the parking was not convenient. Free parking got filled easily and additional parking was at a cost. For the expensive price we pay for the room, the parking should be free as the normal hotels provide.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Donna

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Clean rooms
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Stephen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Nice stay as always. Rooms have had a slight makeover since my last stay. Beds are very uncomfortable and could do with a change.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Mr T

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Staff were very helpful and friendly. Nice big room. Great to have a bath and shower. Good for restaurants, cathedral and central Nelson, thsnkyou
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Janet

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Welcome check in, car parking on site, spacious room, clean, well equipped, quiet.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

8/10 Good

Mr David L

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Graeme

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Room was large, clean and comfortable. Great view and was quiet. Air con worked great, but also could open windows if needed. Lovely pool area for an inner city hotel. Also great location as close to everything
Looking towards water
Looking toward cathedral
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Maurice

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable bed / good service
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Shane

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Herbert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Merill

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Lovely customer service from everyone on the front desk. The room was lovely and very clean really comfortable and we hsd a great time in zznNelson. We will he back and will def stay at the Rutherford Hotel sgain
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

6/10 Okay

Izania

Business traveller
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great staff, food was ok but rooms are tired
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Kevin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had to watch for taking a extra charge
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good Central Nelson option
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly team easy location
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025