Let KAYAK do the searching
Based on KAYAK hotel searches, the most popular destination is Queenstown (86% of total searches to Southern Alps). The next most popular destinations are Wanaka (7%) and Te Anau (6%). Searches for hotels in Aoraki / Mount Cook (1%) are also popular.
KAYAK users have found double rooms in Southern Alps for as cheap as $99 (Arthur's Pass) in the last 3 days. The average price is $328.