We stayed here twice during our trip. On the first visit we really had the chance to see the commitment of the staff towards the safety of guests staying, In the night we experienced 3-4 tremors of eathquakes the strongest being around 5 on Richter scale. You'll will agree with children such an experience can be really bad. But the way the Staff of the hotel comforted us, it was relly worth the admiration. We came back to this Hotel after a week back just because the children were so happy the way they were taken care of during such a time, they wanted to thank the staff. The hotel is centrally located at stone throw distance from the Cathedral Square. In the middle of an somewhat old city is an Hotel with Modern amenities. If I am in Christchurch, I will stay nowhere else but Novotel Cathedral Square.

I actually stayed in May 2011 as I had a fixture in the High Court in Christchurch. Sadly the hotel is in the central city zone which is now cordoned off after the earthquake in February 2011. I hope that it will be reopened although quite what the future holds for Christchurch generally is not clear at the moment.

Anyway, with regard to the hotel...

I stayed just one night. It could not be more central, being right in Cathedral Square. I had a view of the cathedral from my room. It is built on top of the historic Warner's Pub, which is a heritage building. I recall drinking there in the 1980s.

Everything was clean, modern and efficient. I was able to walk from the hotel to the High Court in a few minutes.

The hotel was well-priced too, especially for such a prime location. I would thoroughly recommend it.

We left the Novotel on 31st December 2010 - just before a major quake. The hotel was brilliantly placed for family sight seeing, and although very busy getting ready for a major New Year's Eve event, the staff were very friendly. We were able to get a 50% reduction by advanced booking, which meant that the hotel was very much good value for money - probably I would have gone somewhere smaller and cheaper if it was full price. Although the room was rather bland and corporate (as you would expect from a big chain) I couldn't fault the cleanliness or comfort.

Stayed there for two nights just weeks before the earthquake. Actually had a wonderful view of the cathedral and a lot of the city from our room, which was located one floor beneath the topmost.

What really sets this otherwise good but not remarkable hotel apart is its central location right on cathedral square and the great views from the higher floors. The staff was helpful and friendly, the little gym well appointed and the room more than adequate.