The BrightStar conference is being held at the Rydges Auckland. I haven’t stayed here before, but whenever I have the choice, I will stay again. They have paid attention to the “little” things that mean a lot to a corporate traveler:

• The power plug outlets are in intuitive locations. The one for the iron is on the headboard of the bed; no crawling around the floor to find something hidden away.
• The chair at the desk actually features a height adjustment option. That means a lot.
• There is no gym or pool onsite, but the hotel negotiated access with the Auckland Tepid Baths. It’s about a 7 minute walk away, and they have a 25 meter lap pool. I did indulge in a 60 length – 1.5 km – swim last night before dinner, and it was fantastic.

Highly recommended.

And my room even had a nice view – albeit sandwiched between some high buildings …