Terms & Conditions

Last reviewed 1 June 2026 · Version 5.1

1. Who these terms are with

These terms are between you and White Heath Estate Limited (NZBN 9429048612703), a company registered in New Zealand, trading as White Heath at 41 Royal Terrace, Dunedin 9016, Otago. In these terms, "the hotel", "we" and "us" mean that company; "you" means the person making a booking or using this website.

2. This website

The information on this site is published in good faith and kept as accurate as we can make it. Rates, menus, opening hours and package contents change; the ones that bind us are the ones confirmed to you in writing when you book. The enquiry form does not take payment and does not confirm a reservation — it starts a conversation, and a booking exists once we have confirmed it and taken a deposit.

This website does not offer gambling. No game on this site can be played, no wager can be placed, and no account can be funded. Gaming at White Heath happens in one room, on the premises, and only for people aged 20 or over who show identification at the door.

3. Bookings, deposits and payment

• A booking is confirmed when we send you a written confirmation and have taken a deposit of one night's accommodation.
• Rates are quoted per room per night in New Zealand dollars and include GST. Breakfast is included only where the confirmation says so.
• The balance is payable on departure. We accept the major cards and EFTPOS; a card is held at check-in as security against incidentals.
• The person who makes the booking is responsible for the account unless a separate billing arrangement has been agreed in writing beforehand.

4. Cancellation

More than 14 days before arrival

Free cancellation. The deposit is refunded in full.

7 to 14 days before arrival

The deposit is retained.

Inside 7 days, or no arrival

50% of the total booking value is charged. For packages, 50% of the package price.

Changing dates

One free change to any booking, up to 7 days before arrival, subject to availability. A second change is treated as a cancellation and a new booking.

Groups of five rooms or more

Separate terms apply and are set out in the group contract.

Where we have to cancel — a fault in the building, a fire, an event outside our control — we will refund everything you have paid and help you find a room elsewhere. We are not liable beyond that refund.

5. Arrival, departure and the house

• Check-in from 2.00pm; check-out by 11.00am. Luggage is held free before and after.
• Late checkout to 2.00pm is NZ$60 where the room allows it, and is free with any package of three nights or more.
• Children of any age are welcome in the suites and apartments, and over the age of twelve in the Belt and Harbour rooms.
• One dog per room in the rear wing at NZ$45 a night, declared at booking. Dogs are not permitted in the dining room, the spa or the Signal Room. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere and are not charged.
• The whole building is smoke-free and vape-free, including the rooms and the balconies. Smoking is permitted on the terrace off the Signal Room light well and in the garden. A room found to have been smoked in is charged NZ$350 for cleaning.
• You are responsible for damage caused by you or your party beyond fair wear and tear, charged at the cost of repair.
• We may ask a guest to leave, without refund, for behaviour that puts other guests or our staff at risk.

6. Packages and house credit

• Package rates are per room for the stay described and include GST. Packages cannot be combined with each other or with any other offer.
• Where a package includes house credit, that credit is applied to your hotel account. It may be spent in the Signal Room or on food and drink, at your choice, and it can be moved to your dining account at check-in simply by asking.
• House credit is not a gambling bonus. It has no cash value, cannot be withdrawn, cannot be transferred to another person, and expires when you check out. Nothing in any package requires you to gamble.
• Credit may only be used in the Signal Room by a guest aged 20 or over who has shown photo identification at the door.
• Elements of a package that depend on a third party or on the weather — the peninsula day, the albatross colony — will be moved to another day of your stay where possible, and refunded in full if they cannot run.

7. The Signal Room

• Entry is restricted to persons aged 20 years or over. Photo identification is required, every time, for everyone.
• The gaming lounge is operated under the Gambling Act 2003 and regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs. The rules of each game are displayed at the table and are available from the duty host on request.
• We do not extend credit for gambling, cash personal cheques, or permit staff to lend money to guests.
• Management may refuse entry, ask a person to leave, or issue an exclusion order, and may do so without giving a reason. Our Host Responsibility policy forms part of these terms.
• Photography and filming are not permitted on the gaming floor.
• Disputes about a game are settled by the duty manager at the time, on the floor, before play continues.

8. Events and private rooms

Event bookings are governed by a separate written contract covering the deposit schedule, minimum spend where one applies, final numbers, and cancellation. Final numbers are confirmed five working days before the event and charged whether or not those guests attend. Nothing supplied by a third party you have engaged — a band, a florist, a photographer — is our responsibility.

9. Liability

Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986 where you are dealing with us as a consumer. Where those Acts do not apply, our liability is limited to the amount you have paid for the booking in question. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Valuables should be left in the room safe; we are not liable for items left elsewhere in the building.

10. Complaints

Tell reception at the time if we can fix it. If you would rather write, the general manager is at 41 Royal Terrace, Dunedin 9016, or [email protected]. We reply within ten working days.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by New Zealand law, and the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction. If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.