Room Service: Museum Hotel De Wheels, Wellington, New Zealand

If the Hotel de Wheels was any closer to Te Papa, New Zealand's new national museum, you'd be camping out in the grey marble foyer of the futuristic waterfront building.

f the Hotel de Wheels was any closer to Te Papa, New Zealand's new national museum, you'd be camping out in the grey marble foyer of the futuristic waterfront building.

In fact, the hotel used to occupy the very site on which the museum now stands. Facing demolition to make way for the construction of Te Papa, it was saved when a group of Wellington investors came up with the idea of moving it 120m down the street.

Several schemes were proposed, including sliding the building along on a film of water and rolling it over masses of ball-bearings. In the end, old-fashioned railway technology won the day. In 1993, the five-storey, 3,500-ton structure was lifted on to railway tracks and rolled to its new location. The move took just two days and the hotel reopened a few months later.

The recently refurbished boutique hotel looks rather like an art gallery itself, with its matt-black stucco façade. The foyer, by contrast, is warm and homely, stuffed with leather sofas and rugs. Near the front door, diagrams and a model demonstrate how the singular engineering feat was performed.

Many of the rooms look out over Te Papa, which has become Wellington's biggest tourist attraction since opening four years ago. The museum's collection includes ancient Maori treasures and contemporary artworks, and there are interactive exhibitions dealing with New Zealand's history, landscape and wildlife.

Location, location, location

Museum Hotel de Wheels, 90 Cable Street, Wellington (00 644 385 2809, www.museumhotel.co.nz). As well as being a hop, skip and a jump from the museum, the hotel is centrally located for the shops, restaurants and attractions of New Zealand's capital city.

Transport: the hotel operates a shuttle bus to and from Wellington Airport. If you prefer to take a taxi, the 20-minute journey costs about £6.50. The hotel is close to the railway station, which is also the drop-off point for long-distance buses. If driving, follow signs for Te Papa.

Are you lying comfortably?

The arty theme is continued in the elevators, which have striking upholstered walls, and in the corridors, where there are more paintings and antiques. The rooms are classy and comfortable, with elegant furniture, warm colours and minimalist bathrooms. Most have balconies and there are three choices of view: the city, Wellington's harbour, or another of its landmarks, Mount Victoria.

Freebies: selection of signature toiletries, cafetières in rooms. Free fruit, coffee, biscotti and internet access in reception.

Keeping in touch: all rooms have television and telephones with modem connection.

The bottom line

The pricing structure shows the hotel aims primarily at the business market. Standard rooms cost between NZ$196 (£70) and NZ$255 (£91) during the week, but fall sharply to NZ$124 (£44) to NZ$142 (£50) at weekends. Rates vary according to the view. They do exclude breakfast. If you want to splash out on an executive suite, with king-size bed, the rate is NZ$360 (£128) during the week, NZ$195 (£70) at weekends.

I'm not paying that: double rooms with en suite bathrooms and fine views cost NZ$74 (£24) at the Wellington Youth Hostel (292 Wakefield St, 00 644 901 7280), which is only a whisker further away from Te Papa.