Hotel guest's shock discovery Queenstown lake view was a TV feed

Room with a view: Genius or cheeky, one budget Queenstown hotel has come up with a way to make lake views more affordable. Photo / Miriam Moore, Twitter

A recent visitor to Queenstown was surprised to discover her room's 'lake view' was not what it seemed.

Having booked a surprisingly affordable suite at the Mi-Pad Hotel on Henry Street, Miriam Moore was shocked and amused by what she found.

Instead of a sweeping panorama of Wakatipu, she discovered the room had a TV feed of the view from a rooftop camera.

Moore says she and a friend had booked the listing on the promise of a "mountain view, lake view, city view" for their break by the lake.

Her assumption was that this must have referred to the video feed from the television, as the one window looked onto the road at the rear. Having booked online she was lured in by the promise of the view. "Fair play to them," she wrote.

'I just thought it was funny': Moore wasn't too bothered with her virtual room with a view. Photo / Screenshot, Twitter

The hotel's website describes the rooms as modern with "options for scenic Remarkables Mountains or picturesque Lake Wakatipu views" although this was "(availability dependent)."

The hotel confirmed that all rooms have the option to stream live views from cameras on the side of the hotel, to give everyone access to the stunning lake views. The rooftop terrace social space is open to all guests.

While Moore said it was a bit cheeky she didn't mind.

Views of Wakatipu come at a premium for Queenstown accommodation this summer. Photo / Hayley Shen, Unsplash

"It was affordable and we were hardly in the room. We were out enjoying Queenstown."

The high-tech solution to sharing the view comes as the price for lakeside accommodation surges over summer.

This Christmas Queenstown rooms and self-catered baches have increased by almost a third, up 31 per cent on last year according to Bachcare.

With the first Summer of open borders and without covid travel restrictions, those leasing accommodation are expecting there to be a premium on picturesque rooms.

Views of Lake Wakatipu are a sought after commodity.

For the first week of December Airbnb shows an average room rate of $530 per night in Queenstown, versus $300 in Wanaka and Cromwell.

At between $175-$199 per night, the rooftop camera might be a more budget option.