Novotel Cathedral Square Christchurch

Novotel is a well known international brand, with hotels occupying nearly every single city on earth, ok maybe not but there's still a lot. Here in Christchurch, they are located in the city centre, with easy access to the majority of sights and shops. They operate 154 rooms in total, with 3 different room categories, Superior, Executive and Executive Suite.

I have booked 2 separate nights in this hotel, on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve on their Superior Room.

2 days before arrival, I get an email with a pre-arrival upgrade option. As they are not free, some are discounted, there may be good options. I will explain as to why you shouldn't pay for these upgrades.

Let's talk about the most appealing option, which is the Executive Room upgrade. The $45 upgrade is about the same as the original price during booking, so it is not a bargain per se. The Executive Room in Novotel is not too much different to the Standard Room, you can read more about the type of room below.

As for the food, you should be able to walk up on the day and pay about the same price. It is not necessary to prepay for these unless you are confident that you are getting a good deal and you have already made up your mind that you are going to eat there. Otherwise there are always plenty of options nearby as the location of this hotel is in the central and you can walk a few minutes with plenty of options to choose from.

Night 1: Room 708 (Standard Twin)

Check In:

The receptionist was the only staff on duty in the reception area. There wasn't a lot of people but a few were waiting around and check in was fairly quick. She was friendly, approachable and helpful.

Room:

The superior room double bed is slightly tight for 3 adults. The room comes with a small walk in closet, open sink area which then leads into the rest of the room. A large TV facing towards the 2 double beds, decent size work desk with build in cabinets next to it containing the coffee/tea and kettle. They have managed to also squeeze a large chair with a coffee table right at the end of the room with a view of the city.

The rain shower will give a good splash to the outside of the shower area, but not extensively so it's nothing a towel can't solve.

Night 2: Room 1304 (Executive Twin)

Check In

The staff is professional and friendly as previously, however I felt they were rushing me a little even though I did sign up for fast check in. The lobby was slightly chaotic as there was a sports team staying here as well and there was a lot of baggage laying all over the lobby.

Room

The executive room is the exact same as the standard room, except with slightly more amenities such as a bathtub, bathrobe, Nespresso machine and a digital climate control system.

The executive room is located on the 12th and 13th floor of the property, which is the highest there is in this building. I was given the same side city view which overlooks the Cathedral Square but there are NYE fireworks going on which is just off to the corner so it is slightly off but I was too tired to watch it anyway. This side of the building would still have some fairly good view on a normal day as the cathedral is one of the most well known landmarks in Christchurch.

Amenities:

The hotel doesn't have any swimming pool, sauna or massage/spa services, but a fitness centre is provided for anyone who's looking to keep fit.

Restaurant/Bar:

The Square Restaurant and The Square Bar is here to serve you throughout the day. Between 6am and 10pm, you can go to the restaurant for a meal. If you don't want to get out of your room, you can also order room service 24 hours, with a specific menu for a certain time of the day.

Cons:

The wifi network is hard to connect to. On my phone it takes about 4 or 5 re-connections to get the sign in page to show up, while on my laptop it could be 6 times. I am not very sure if I need to give it some time or if I need to reset it a few times, but it's a poorly designed wifi system for sure. The second stay it was way easier to connect into, but the connection is very slow, only good for web browsing but nothing more.

Conclusion:

I think Novotel is a good hotel for mid range travellers. As they are running a promotion during this period to attract customers to stay, I think it is a fantastic deal. While they are no where near fancy, the price point of under $150 per night is fairly attractive in my opinion and is a good option in comparison to staying in a motel for a similar price range. The hotel is within a few minutes walk to the mall while providing a great view of the city. If you score the cathedral view, you can admire the architecture and workmanship of the building, not to mention being able to snap some good pictures for your social media.

The Executive room is of the same size as the Superior room, apart from having a bathrobe included. Their premium floor room (12th & 13th) houses their Executive Room & Suite, and the additional perk of the Suite would be a separate living room and a balcony which will be excellent for a quiet party during the summer.

Parking would be rather restrictive if you did not book a rate that includes one. There are several street parking nearby but you may have to pay during normal working hours which could become inconvenient and expensive. There's a Wilson carpark right next to the hotel and I believe they can do a guest rate if you prefer not to use their valet parking service or street parking.