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Located in the picturesque Franz Josef Glacier village on the West Coast of the South Island, Glacier Gateway Motel is the perfect place to base yourself for all your Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and Westland National Park holiday activities. Glacier Gateway Motel has put together a helpful list of frequently asked questions to assist with your holiday accommodation...

Where is Glacier Gateway Motel located?
The motel and large grounds are situated on State Highway No 6 (the main road) 500m south of the Franz Josef village. This is an easy 5 minute stroll into town, or a short drive. The complex is located in a peaceful bush setting on the edge of Westland National Park and the Waiho River. The ideal location - far enough away from township to be peaceful and close enough to be practical!

How far is Franz Josef from other South Island destinations?

• 25 minutes from Fox Glacier
• 2 hours from Haast or Hokitika
• 2.5 hours from Greymouth
• 4 hours from Wanaka
• 5 hours from Christchurch or Queenstown
• 6 hours from Nelson

How far is Glacier Gateway Motel from Franz Josef glacier?
The motel is situated on the edge of Westland National Park, which is right beside the glacier access road. From here you drive 4.8kms to the Glacier car park, and then it is a 20 minute return walk to the Sentinel Rock viewing platform, or 1 ½ hours return to the base of the glacier itself. We are the closest accommodation to Franz Josef Glacier.

How many people can stay in each room?
Our studio units can sleep 1-3 people and for larger groups we have 1 and 2 bedroom units.

Do you offer a breakfast service?
A daily continental breakfast is available at an additional cost.

How can I check motel accommodation availability?
You will need to contact our reservation team via our Request a Quote online form. We will contact you within 24 hours to advise of availability and rates.

Do you have wheelchair friendly rooms available?
Yes, we have a studio unit with disable access available.

Is Glacier Gateway Motel child friendly accommodation?
Most definitely, we are proud to be a family orientated accommodation provider. We even have an on-site playground area for children and plenty of open space for them to stretch their legs! We also have cots and highchairs available for our ‘little’ guests.

Does your accommodation have views of Franz Josef Glacier?
Many of the studio and 1 bedroom units boast glacier views, however you will need to request a room with a glacier view when you Make a Booking.

What is your check in and check out times?
Check in is available from 1.00pm and check out is by 10.00am.

Do you have non-smoking rooms available?
All units are non-smoking; smoking is permitted outside only.

Can you book or advise about top activities and attractions in the region?
We are proud to offer our guests a free tour booking service. There is no extra charge to book all your flights and/or tours through our office. Westland National Park area, including Franz Josef, offers a plethora of visitor activities and attractions that we can advise you about and book for you.

What transportation options are available in and out of Franz Josef?
You can choose to self-drive, take a tour coach, shuttle bus or enjoy the convenient rail and air connections available at Greymouth or Hokitika.

Do you offer a discount for longer stays?
Yes, we offer a competitive rate for people staying 3 nights or more.

Are pets allowed?
Unfortunately we do not provide accommodation for pets.

We were planning on only staying 1 night in Franz Josef is this long enough?
Franz Josef offers so much for visitors that to really appreciate the best of the area we recommend a minimum stay of at least 2 nights. This will give you plenty of time to take a walk or hike on Franz Josef Glacier, especially if weather doesn’t permit on a certain day, along with the huge selection of other activities, including quad bike tours, horse riding, lagoon or lake kayaking, lake tours, White Heron tours, Hukawai Ice Centre, 4WD rides, golf, sky diving, ice climbing, lake walks, fishing and much, much more!

Is it safe to use my credit card online?
Yes. We treat the security of our guest’s information very seriously. To ensure your security, all credit card transactions are secured by SSL, which encrypts the credit card number so as to make it unavailable to any other party.

What is your booking payment policy?
Your credit card is required for booking confirmation and cancellation policy guarantee only.

What is your cancellation policy?
Due to the popularity of our motel and location we do have a strict 24 hour cancellation policy - all rooms will be charged for if cancelled within 24 hours of due date of arrival. We will also charge in cases of no show, as we have held a room for you, which could have been sold to someone else. Therefore it is extremely important that you provide us with the correct information regarding your date of stay, we cannot take responsibility for errors made on your booking forms.