The hotel sits in Christchurch Arts Centre and just across the road from Botanic Gardens. I don’t think you can find any other better situated hotel in Christchurch. The building used to be a part of the Canterbury University and of course the Observatory, so unique and interesting. The Lounge is beautiful and comfortable, perfect for relaxing after a long city walk.

It was a bit noisy outside my room when there was some kind of function or gathering in one of those surrounding bars and restaurants. Nevertheless, it was quiet after 11pm.

The location of the hotel is excellent, near to local restaurants and the botanical gardens on the doorstep. It is a short walk to the jump on and off tram which takes you around the city and stops at all the local points of interest. The hotel is a beautiful old building, previously Christchurch University, which has been renovated very tastefully. The rooms are a good size, clean and comfortable. There are tea and coffee facilities in the room but also in a communal lounge where tea , coffee and biscuits are available and a glass of wine if you wish (the wine is not free). We found the staff very helpful and informative.

The view from our room was over a carpark, but we think the rooms on the other side of the corridor looked over a lovely quadrangle. If booking again I'd ask for a room on that side of the hotel.

I travel a lot for work and I stay in a lot of different hotels and apartments all around the world. The Observatory Hotel is by far the best hotel, the best team of staff and the best experience I have ever had in 15 plus years travelling globally for my career. Of course it goes without saying that the hotel is beautiful and the exterior and interior decoration are both outstanding, but what takes the hotel to the next level are the people - the atmosphere that the staff have created is exceptional and it makes you feel instantly welcome and cared for as soon as you step through the door. It is the staff that boost the experience and enhance it to being a world class experience.

You are staying in a landmark building when you stay here, as it was previously a university. We loved staying in one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and the location was perfect - central but super quiet and right across the road from the gorgeous botanic gardens. It even boasts a cinema and a grand hall! The staff were outstanding, the lounge area was wonderful to sink into their couches with a book and the free coffee on offer, and the rooms had brilliantly high ceilings and were ultra modern and spotlessly clean.

We were kept awake by a noise that sounded like an energy generator at the back of the building. We had thought it was air conditioning in the room and the staff did check it out when we reported it after the first night but it was on the 2nd night we realised it was external. I am guessing that rooms on the opposite, courtyard side to us (we were in room 106) would not have been impacted but a light sleeper might be impacted.

The Observatory is a beautiful place to stay. We stayed here twice during our trip to New Zealand. We had a single night stay that was almost perfect; with a room on a high floor, very quiet. We changed our location and plans for our last three nights in NZ because of bad weather in Queenstown, and headed back to Christchurch because we liked it so much and one night was not enough. The Observatory had one room left, but it was a basement room. We had a LOT of noise outside our basement window for hours our first night, a Saturday night. This is a GREAT location for exploring Christchurch on foot. We enjoyed walking everywhere. We only used our car to go to the gondola. The lounge is a nice place to hang out if you need a respite from sightseeing, with complementary coffee and tea available all day. The beds were comfortable. The bathroom is spacious, clean, beautiful, but no counter space at all. They do have a small shelf that you can use to place some of your toiletries if needed.

Noise outside our basement room on a Saturday night for hours. Very noisy that night, hard to sleep. On a weird note, they have a lot of color in this hotel. We enjoyed all the colors and furnishings in the lounge. Both rooms we stayed in, however, were painted pink. I loved the mix of colors in the room furnishings, but will say the pink walls were a turn off for both me and my husband. I thought both rooms would have been more inviting with a neutral color or maybe blue or green if you really want color? Obviously we came back a second time, despite the pink room on our first stay. But we were hoping for a room that was a different color!

we werent sure what it would be like, but it was fab, room was new and clean and super quiet, bed extremely comfortable, was a unique and very enjoyable stay , staff very friendly and helpful, I liked that someome there 24 hours even though we didnt need it and car parking was good too o:)

thought the room was a little small when it was described as an apartment but apart from that you couldnt fault anything

The Observatory is a boutique hotel in Christchurch's Arts Centre. The building is historic and has been beautifully converted into a hotel. It was warm, comfortable, beautifully decorated and a great location.

I have one tiny complaint. I hate UHT milk and it is both practically impossible to make a decent cup of coffee with it and environmentally unfriendly. Motels do it so why can't small glass bottles of milk, that can be reused and refilled from larger containers be used? It could even be offered to you on arrival if they didn't want to supply them in every room.

We had a fab two night stay, after a month on the road it felt like a treat to be here. Rooms are tasteful, clean and the property is very unique. Amenities were high quality. Staff was friendly and polite, though on occasion it seems that only one staff was on duty and we had to queue up.

We asked to change rooms as we were facing a parking lot central aircon area, which the staff kindly was able to help with. It is obvious a courtyard view is much better, so if you can get it do try. We had some noise from the floor above but i guess for such an old building, soundproofing might be an issue. We also couldnt understand why the shower had to be so exceptionally convoluted. It comes with instructions! Having said all that we did have a restful sleep!

The location is great…5 minutes walk from the city centre & restaurants. Building & surrounding buildings are beautiful. It was clean.

The room was very small with very little usable bench space & one dining chair pulled up to a bed side table presumably to double as a desk!! Breakfast was very disappointing..basically toast & cereal. I’d give that a miss next time & go out for breakfast! Limited available parking compounded by the fact that the staff parked in it. And the heating in the corridors was stifling & unnecessary. It was 21 degrees both days we stayed.

We stayed for two nights in this historic building from 1917. The interior design was amazing and unexpected. The color combination was trendy but not abrupt. The furniture and color scheme gave the old building a vibrant life. Since the hotel is located in the art center, getting up early in the morning and strolling in the empty art center has a special quiet beauty. The gallery next to it and Frances Nation cafe are both worth experiencing. If you drive by yourself, it is recommended to reserve a parking space.