New hotels in Rotorua

Rotorua is New Zealand's geothermal heartland, built on Lake Rotorua amid bubbling mud pools, geysers and some of the country's most accessible Māori cultural experiences. We track two hotels here: Pullman Rotorua, the city's first five-star hotel, open since 2020, and Noho Lakeside Hotel, a proposed 197-room lakefront project still seeking investors and an operator. Central Rotorua, around Arawa Street and the lakefront, is the practical base for both the geothermal parks and the lake itself.

What to do

A weekend in Rotorua

Start at Te Puia, five minutes from the city centre, where the Pohutu Geyser erupts up to 20 times a day and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has carvers and weavers working in view of visitors. Whakarewarewa: The Living Māori Village, next door, lets visitors see how the local community has lived alongside the geothermal landscape for generations, including a hāngī meal cooked in underground steam. Closer to the centre, Kuirau Park is a free public geothermal reserve with steaming craters right in town, the Government Gardens border the lakefront with their Tudor-style bathhouse, and the Polynesian Spa draws on the same thermal water for its pools. Pullman Rotorua, on Arawa Street, is a short walk from Lake Rotorua and all of these.

A full week

With more time, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland and its Champagne Pool, and Waimangu Volcanic Valley, the youngest geothermal ecosystem in the world and home to the Frying Pan Lake hot spring, are both worth a half-day each south of the city, and a detour to the Blue Lake and Green Lake (Rotomahana's twin lakes, distinctly different colours despite sitting side by side) rounds out a day of volcanic scenery. The Redwoods Forest has mountain-biking trails and a canopy-level treewalk and zipline through towering Californian redwoods, the Skyline Rotorua gondola and luge track give sweeping views over the lake from Mount Ngongotahā, and Rotorua's thermal pools, from lakeside hot pools to hot waterfalls, are worth an evening soak.

Where to stay

Arawa Street & central Rotorua

Pullman Rotorua, open since January 2020, converted a 1987 office and retail tower on Arawa Street into the city's first five-star hotel, on land with documented significance to Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa, steps from Lake Rotorua and the geothermal attractions that anchor the city's tourism economy. The 130-room property is Accor's second Pullman-flagged hotel in New Zealand, positioned for high-end domestic and international travelers, couples, families and business delegates alike.

The Lake Rotorua waterfront

Noho Lakeside Hotel, proposed for a near-11,000-square-metre site next to Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa, would add a 197-room, five-star hotel built around a tikanga Māori design framework informed by completed cultural assessments that prioritised cultural narrative, lake views and integration with the neighbouring hot springs: landowner Pukeroa Lakefront Holdings is currently seeking investor, developer and operator interest via an information memorandum, with no construction timeline confirmed.

Which hotel for your trip

Travelers wanting Rotorua's only five-star stay today

Pullman Rotorua remains the city's sole five-star hotel among those we track, positioned for couples, families and business delegates alike, a short walk from the lake and the geothermal parks.

Travelers watching Rotorua's proposed lakefront project

Noho Lakeside Hotel's tikanga Māori design framework and lakefront site next to Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa make it worth following, though it remains at the investor-search stage with no confirmed opening date.

Culture & geothermal-focused travelers

Pullman Rotorua's Arawa Street address is a short walk or drive from Te Puia, Whakarewarewa: The Living Māori Village and Kuirau Park, making it the practical base for a trip built around Rotorua's cultural and geothermal attractions rather than the lake alone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the only five-star hotel currently open in Rotorua?

Pullman Rotorua, which opened in January 2020 as the city's first five-star hotel, on Arawa Street.

What building did Pullman Rotorua convert?

A 1987 office and retail tower on Arawa Street, bought by local developers John and Anthony Chow in 2015 and rebuilt into a hotel over roughly five years, with lift modernisation and façade retention completed in 2020.

What is Noho Lakeside Hotel?

A proposed 197-room, five-star hotel next to Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa on Lake Rotorua's waterfront, still seeking investors and an operator with no confirmed construction timeline.

Is Rotorua good for geothermal and Māori cultural experiences?

Yes (Te Puia, Whakarewarewa) The Living Māori Village, Waimangu Volcanic Valley and Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland are all within a short drive of central Rotorua.

Is Pullman Rotorua close to Lake Rotorua?

Yes: it sits on Arawa Street in central Rotorua, steps from the lake and the geothermal attractions that draw the city's tourism economy.

Does Rotorua have geothermal attractions right in town?

Yes: Kuirau Park, a free public reserve with steaming craters and mud pools, sits inside central Rotorua, within walking distance of Pullman Rotorua.

Is Rotorua a good base for the Blue and Green Lakes?

Yes: Rotomahana's Blue Lake and Green Lake are a short drive south of the city, often combined with a visit to Wai-O-Tapu or Waimangu.

Does Rotorua smell of sulphur?

Yes, in patches near the geothermal fields and Kuirau Park: a well-known side effect of the volcanic activity that also powers the city's hot pools and thermal spas.