Is parking available at the property?

Parking is available on-site, but it is limited and requires advance reservation. There is a fee of NZD 30 per day for uncovered self-parking.

What type of breakfast is offered and what are the serving hours?

A continental breakfast is available daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee of approximately NZD 30 for adults and children.

What are the check-in and check-out times?

Check-in is from 2:00 PM until midnight, and check-out is by 10:00 AM. Early check-in and late check-out may be available for an additional fee upon request.

What accessibility features are available for guests with disabilities?

The property offers limited wheelchair accessibility, including step-free entrances and accessible facilities in public areas. However, specific details about room accessibility are not provided.

What is the location of the property in relation to key landmarks?

The hotel is centrally located in Christchurch, just steps from The Arts Centre and Hagley Park. It is approximately 0.4 miles from Riverside Market and Cashel Mall, and about 10.3 km from Christchurch International Airport.

What are the policies for guests staying with children?

Children are allowed at the property, and kids can stay for free up to a certain age, although the specific age limit is not provided.

The Observatory Hotel Christchurch - Luxurious Stay

Average nightly price at The Observatory Hotel Christchurch by month, last 12 months (USD)
Month	Average price
January	$256
February	$387
March	$260
April	$222
May	$158
June	$126
July	$134
August	$139
September	$158
October	$188
November	$244
December	$217

What guests think

The Observatory Hotel Christchurch impresses many guests with its beautifully restored historic setting in the Arts Centre and a central, walkable location near the Botanic Gardens, while friendly staff and characterful lounges contribute to a relaxed boutique atmosphere.

Rooms are stylish and comfortable, though several reviews note some can be small, have limited storage, or be less desirable if in basement or near doors or street noise. Facilities are limited: attractive common areas and a small gym, but paid parking and no full on-site restaurant. Breakfast feedback is mixed, and a few guests mentioned clumsy check-in or uneven service. Expect a unique, centrally located boutique stay with charm over extensive amenities.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Common areas and lounges are a highlight, with lobby coffee and tea and artful spaces; there is a small gym. Several reviews note limited on site amenities, no full restaurant, and paid or expensive parking.

Related guest reviews

6

Kate

Jun 27, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Beware. I booked and prepaid for a Prestige Skylight Room but was given a small, standard room on arrival. Something seemed off but I was too tired from traveling. The next morning, I asked and after some deliberation, they said I was given the wrong room but they could not move me because the right room wasn't available. They told me they would refund NZ$400 to my credit card, and reassured me of this when I checked out. They never did. I reached out after getting home and they didn't respond. The smallness of the room ended up mattering because I was in it for 2 days fighting off an illness. It was not great. They have no dinner on site but thankfully they have a "snacks" room service for lunch which saved me. The vegan pie arrived frozen in the middle but the other things I tried in those 2 days -- pizza, corn fritters, falafel fried -- were pretty good. The breakfast was nice. They gave me some macarons as an apology for the room snafu and comped my ~NZ$50 in room service, but the lack of communication and broken trust leave a very sour taste. Overall, while the facility is nice, the service was amateur and untrustworthy. I won't stay again.

10

Gina

Jan 5, 2023

·

Stayed 19,358 nights

Lovely hotel with stunning architecture. Room was beautifully decorated. Bathroom was spacious and functional. Public rooms were comfortable. I really liked the books. Gym was small but adequate.

8

Roger

Feb 11, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great central location, but the hotel has very limited facilities in the property itself.

8

Robert

Feb 7, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice hotel with limited amenities. Room felt very small.

10

Heike

Oct 21, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

What a charming place to stay! Appreciated all the little amenities—coffee and hot chocolate in the room, the robes, and the cappuccino maker and cookies in the lobby. The art everywhere was a bonus— can recommend visiting the free gallery upstairs and wandering through the art galleries on the surrounding campus. The location couldn’t be better; you can easily walk to the botanical gardens , to Riverside Market (get a Paris Brest pastry when there), to the museums (the Quake Center is a must see), and to a multitude of restaurant and shops. On top of all this, the hotel staff were uniformly welcoming and helpful.

10

Elsbeth

Dec 16, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Incredible stay in Christchurch in the most beautifully designed hotel in a great location. The rooms were so comfortable and the staff was so friendly and helpful. The lounge area with coffee and tea machines was a lovely luxury to have. Hope to return to this beautiful hotel.

8

Jenny

Jan 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Fina och unika rum med myclet bekväm säng. Tillräckligt med plats för väskor i rummet vi bokat. Fint att välkomnas med bärhjälp och på rummet fanns morgonrock, kakor, kaffe/te och bra produkter i badrummet. Frukosten levde inte upp till förväntningarna och rekommenderas inte. Den var mycket enkel och finns inget kök utan de värmer bara på mat. Något lyhört från gatan och gården så rekommenderar rum högre upp. Dyr parkering, borde ingå!

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8

Roger

Feb 4, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean hotel in a central location. But no real facilities for a hotel of this 'supposed' standard.

10

Gisela

Jan 22, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent stay, great location, fantastic staff, cleanliness and comfort. Could not have been a better stay - in the gym, the only place we found there could have been a bit more attention - however, this could have been the remnants of the early morning's use...

10

Robert

Aug 14, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great stay, well restored historic building. Was surprised to learn parking cost extra that said paid parking was very convenient

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Cleanliness

Reviews consistently describe the property and rooms as very clean and well kept. A few mention an occasional issue, such as a bathroom drain smell.

Related guest reviews

8

Colin

Feb 26, 2026

·

Stayed 3 nights

Clean rooom

6

Cornelia

Feb 7, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Für ein Hotel dieser Preisklasse hätte ich eine kostenlose Flasche Wasser erwartet - die kostet aber in der Minibar 6 NZ. Das Frühstück ist sehr übersichtlich, ohne Ei, wenig Aufschnitt, kein Honig, wenig Obstauswahl - insgesamt absolut verbesserungsbedürftig! Im Badezimmer war ein abstoßender Gerich nach Abfluss.

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10

Kokui

Nov 24, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Beautiful and clean property and rooms, excellent service, prime location that is walking distance to central restaurants and shopping. We really enjoyed our stay.

10

Josephine

Jul 25, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beautiful room and buildings with a history. Nice room and facilities, very clean and neat. Rhys was very helpful and gave some tips about what we could do at the weekend in Chistchurch, thanks Rhys.

10

elizabeth

Feb 15, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

The Observatory Hotel Christchurch is an extremely comfortable, cozy, and clean hotel. I enjoyed my stay immensely.

10

Rosa

Nov 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This hotel was a highlight, absolutely beautiful, interesting, central, super clean, loved it. The rooms and staff were amazing and certainly made a Christchurch stay worth it.

10

JAMES

Jan 16, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The Observatory Hotel is a beautiful and unique hotel in a great location. It is within walking distance of shopping, nice restaurants, and the botanical garden. The service was excellent and the room was clean and comfortable.

10

Liz

Oct 22, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

I really enjoyed staying at the observatory. The architecture was truly beautiful and the accommodations were very good. I especially love the cappuccino at check in and check out and the fully renovated beautiful bathroom.

10

Kanenori

Oct 28, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

館内はとても綺麗で、待合ロビーもお茶菓子や読書を楽しめます。スタッフも親切で、安心して過ごすことができました。

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10

Greg

Jul 30, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Outstanding property in a beautiful restored building. Fantastic front of house service as well

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are stylish and comfortable with quality beds and well appointed bathrooms. Some guests found certain rooms small, with limited storage or accessibility layouts, and basement or street adjacent rooms or door noise less desirable.

Related guest reviews

8

Jill

Feb 20, 2025

·

The building is gorgeous from the outside and the entry is very classic and historic. The room itself is rather small.

10

John

Feb 25, 2025

·

Stayed 8 nights

Absolutely amazing. The most beautiful hotel. The staff were a 10+. We would definitely stay there again. Wonderful central location. We weren’t able to secure a suite, although we booked several months in advance. The only criticism would be the lack of storage space. A tiny closet/wardrobe and little to no drawer space. But we made it work. We peeked in a suite and the one we saw had a bigger closet/wardrobe. So hopefully next time we can get one of those. But that aside we couldn’t have found a better place to stay.

10

Beatriz

Dec 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Building and location are excellent . Reception staff was brilliant and night manager too. Breakfast was a bit mean and many items were finished by the time we got there at 8am. Rooms are comfy, bright and clean, ver comfortable indeed

2

Van

Oct 25, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Assigned room in basement. Window was at ground level. Shame on Expedia for listing this property.

10

George Robert

Dec 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The underground room was not so excellent.

10

Gail

Dec 1, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Luxury hotel. Great room with large bathroom. Staff very friendly. Close to many dining options.

8

Robert

Feb 7, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice hotel with limited amenities. Room felt very small.

10

Grace

Jul 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We had a lovely stay at this gorgeous hotel - the bed was a cloud, we slept so well. The setting is lovely.

8

Cheryl

Jan 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Beautiful building close to the centre of Christchurch. Everything in walking distance. Nicely appointed room, only downside for us was the room and bathroom were set up for people with disabilities so everything was low level.

8

Troy

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good amenities and room, and checkin staff. However, there was an access door somewhere that kept slamming while people kept passing through meaning that sleep was not possible until 11.30.

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly, welcoming, and helpful. A few guests reported clumsy check in or poor follow up that dented trust.

Related guest reviews

10

Olivia

Nov 20, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff were very kind and helpful and had very good attention to detail. The room was lovely and well stocked with everything you would need.

2

Aditya

Oct 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location. Good property. Terrible service. Stay far away.

6

Kate

Jun 27, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Beware. I booked and prepaid for a Prestige Skylight Room but was given a small, standard room on arrival. Something seemed off but I was too tired from traveling. The next morning, I asked and after some deliberation, they said I was given the wrong room but they could not move me because the right room wasn't available. They told me they would refund NZ$400 to my credit card, and reassured me of this when I checked out. They never did. I reached out after getting home and they didn't respond. The smallness of the room ended up mattering because I was in it for 2 days fighting off an illness. It was not great. They have no dinner on site but thankfully they have a "snacks" room service for lunch which saved me. The vegan pie arrived frozen in the middle but the other things I tried in those 2 days -- pizza, corn fritters, falafel fried -- were pretty good. The breakfast was nice. They gave me some macarons as an apology for the room snafu and comped my ~NZ$50 in room service, but the lack of communication and broken trust leave a very sour taste. Overall, while the facility is nice, the service was amateur and untrustworthy. I won't stay again.

10

Scott

May 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Fantastic staff,location and design

10

Ivan

Nov 23, 2023

·

Beautiful hotel, next to the botanical gardens and minutes from city center. Friendly and professional staff

10

Gillian

Feb 6, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hospitality was top notch! The hotel itself was just beautiful and in such a gorgeous, historic, and charming building. But the staff really made the whole experience.

10

Marc

Jul 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This is an excellent hotel with luxurious amenities within easy walking distance to dining, culture, and all that Christchurch has to offer. The staff is first rate, good communicators and thoughtful.

10

JAMES

Jan 16, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The Observatory Hotel is a beautiful and unique hotel in a great location. It is within walking distance of shopping, nice restaurants, and the botanical garden. The service was excellent and the room was clean and comfortable.

10

DAVID

Feb 24, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel was great, cool concept. Great location, friendly staff.

10

Craig

Oct 31, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff are very friendly and helpful. Building has a lot of character. Very comfortable bed.

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Location

Central, walkable location in the Arts Centre, steps from the Botanic Gardens, museums, and dining. Ideal for exploring Christchurch on foot.

Related guest reviews

10

David

Jan 30, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel was very luxurious & amazing, it was also a great location with a short walk to the city centre.

10

Rachael

Jun 28, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Warm, cosy and luxurious. And very very convenient location.

10

Jodi

Mar 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Fantastic hotel in a great location

10

Daniel

Mar 21, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Wonderful boutique hotel on the old University of Canterbury campus. There’s more than a bit of Oxbridge about the buildings, which have all the charm you could ask for. The receptionists were helpful and kind. The nearby dining (and wine-tasting) options were excellent. Best of all, the hotel is across the street for the amazing botanical garden and Harley Park. We’ll be back!

10

alastair

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location, next to a great space for exploring. Lovely interiors and staff. Relaxed calm atmosphere. We only stayed over one night and wished we’d stayed longer.

10

Tamara

May 19, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

A beautiful hotel in a great location. A great coffee shop right in the former university complex, art, music, and across from the botanical gardens.

10

Karen

Jul 10, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Coffee, restaurants, tram, and park right at your doorstep.

10

MR.P.F.COE

Jan 16, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Superior accommodation situated in the University buildings in a central location.

10

Nancy

Mar 10, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

We were only able to stay for 2 nights (wish it could have been longer), but the Observatory Hotel was perfect! The hotel is beautifully decorated and has lots of charm, character and history. The staff was very welcoming and helpful. It's in a fantastic location - close to gardens, museums and good restaurants. If we ever return to Christchurch, we'll be back. I highly recommend it.

10

Paul

Dec 3, 2024

·

Stayed 6 nights

Great building to have as a hotel in a really good location.

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Dining

Breakfast feedback is mixed: some enjoyed it, while others found it basic, skimpy, or overpriced. There is no on site dinner service, though limited snacks or room service were available for some.

Related guest reviews

10

Sofia

Sep 21, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beautiful location, amazing rooms, friendly and helpful staff, great breakfast.

6

Cornelia

Feb 7, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Für ein Hotel dieser Preisklasse hätte ich eine kostenlose Flasche Wasser erwartet - die kostet aber in der Minibar 6 NZ. Das Frühstück ist sehr übersichtlich, ohne Ei, wenig Aufschnitt, kein Honig, wenig Obstauswahl - insgesamt absolut verbesserungsbedürftig! Im Badezimmer war ein abstoßender Gerich nach Abfluss.

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6

Kate

Jun 27, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Beware. I booked and prepaid for a Prestige Skylight Room but was given a small, standard room on arrival. Something seemed off but I was too tired from traveling. The next morning, I asked and after some deliberation, they said I was given the wrong room but they could not move me because the right room wasn't available. They told me they would refund NZ$400 to my credit card, and reassured me of this when I checked out. They never did. I reached out after getting home and they didn't respond. The smallness of the room ended up mattering because I was in it for 2 days fighting off an illness. It was not great. They have no dinner on site but thankfully they have a "snacks" room service for lunch which saved me. The vegan pie arrived frozen in the middle but the other things I tried in those 2 days -- pizza, corn fritters, falafel fried -- were pretty good. The breakfast was nice. They gave me some macarons as an apology for the room snafu and comped my ~NZ$50 in room service, but the lack of communication and broken trust leave a very sour taste. Overall, while the facility is nice, the service was amateur and untrustworthy. I won't stay again.

10

Beatriz

Dec 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Building and location are excellent . Reception staff was brilliant and night manager too. Breakfast was a bit mean and many items were finished by the time we got there at 8am. Rooms are comfy, bright and clean, ver comfortable indeed

10

Sofia

Sep 16, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Made traveling easy and relaxed. Great location for walking the city, facilities are top notch, rooms are incredible, breakfast is delicious and the staff are very kind and friendly.

10

Erica

Jan 12, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Fantastic property-revamped college building. Great rooms, lovely lounge. Wine bar close by is great. Staff seems a bit annoyed to have to deal with actual guests. I’m guessing this is due to the nonstop instagrammers. Breakfast was skimpy for the price.

10

Beth

Jul 14, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location, near the park and not far from CBD drinking and dining. Great breakfast. Very quiet and comfortable, plenty of hot water.

10

Barbara

Feb 5, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Reuse of college space. Excellent deign and amenities. Connected with walking tour in front of hotel. Did feel continental breakfast was very expensive so went to cafe in Observatory space. Must use lounge area as no chair in room. Would recommend.

8

Jenny

Jan 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Fina och unika rum med myclet bekväm säng. Tillräckligt med plats för väskor i rummet vi bokat. Fint att välkomnas med bärhjälp och på rummet fanns morgonrock, kakor, kaffe/te och bra produkter i badrummet. Frukosten levde inte upp till förväntningarna och rekommenderas inte. Den var mycket enkel och finns inget kök utan de värmer bara på mat. Något lyhört från gatan och gården så rekommenderar rum högre upp. Dyr parkering, borde ingå!

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8

Brad

Jan 11, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great eclectic place newly old place. Amazing people. Lacking breakfast.. very nice stay comfortable and safe

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
1 $189	2 $249	3 $201	4 $278	5 $193	6 $248	7 $284
8 $238	9 $352	10 $337	11 $358	12 $316	13 $338	14 $343
15 $241	16 $337	17 $358	18 $456	19 $330	20 $266	21 $466
22 $255	23 $386	24 $400	25 $347	26 $259	27 $536	28 $735
29 $254	30 $250

The Observatory Hotel Christchurch

Prices for The Observatory Hotel Christchurch

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Observatory Legacy Room- Lower Ground Floor

Prestige Room

Observatory Deluxe Room

Prestige Skylight Room

Royal Skylight Room

Guest reviews of The Observatory Hotel Christchurch

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about The Observatory Hotel Christchurch

Prices for upcoming dates

Business details

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21 $295	22	23 $187	24 $203
25 $143	26 $143	27 $143	28 $243	29 $238	30 $202	31 $177