Christchurch
Distinction Christchurch Hotel
The earthquake-damaged former Millennium Hotel on Cathedral Square, rebuilt and reopened under a new New Zealand-owned brand.
Open · March 2018
Distinction Christchurch Hotel reopened in March 2018 on Cathedral Square, in a building that had operated as the Millennium Hotel Christchurch before the 2010-2011 earthquakes forced its closure. New Zealand-owned Distinction Group acquired and reopened it with 179 rooms.
The essentials
- Group
- Distinction Hotels (independent, NZ-owned)
- Opening
- March 2018
- Rooms & suites
- 179 rooms
- Segment
- Upscale
- Designer
- NC
- Entry rate
- NC
The place
Cathedral Square, in the heart of the Christchurch CBD.
The concept
A genuine change of operator and brand rather than a same-flag refresh: the building operated as the Millennium Hotel Christchurch until it was damaged by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. Repairs began in 2012, but the hotel remained closed until its Singaporean owners sold the property to New Zealand-owned Distinction Group in 2016, which reopened it under the Distinction brand in March 2018 with 179 rooms. During the Covid-19 pandemic it also served as a managed-isolation facility, and in 2025 its exterior became the canvas for a 13-storey mural by artist Jacob Ryan, described as New Zealand's largest.
Dining & wellness
NC
Are you the manager of this hotel? Click here to get in touch.
Other hotels in Christchurch
Christchurch
Drifter Christchurch
A 1919 wool warehouse reborn as Christchurch's first hotel-hostel hybrid.
From NZD 140
Open · June 2024
Christchurch
The Mayfair
A NZ$23 million new-build putting relaxed luxury on Christchurch's Victoria Street.
From NZD 200
Open · July 2022
Christchurch, Canterbury
The Observatory Hotel
A 33-room hotel inside the Arts Centre's Gothic Revival Observatory, Biology and Physics buildings — former University of Canterbury lecture halls that had never operated as a hotel until the post-earthquake restoration made it possible.
From NZD 155
Open · 7 May 2022
Christchurch
Christchurch City Hotel
A brand-new 46-room hotel facing Cathedral Square, rooftop restaurant included.
From NZD 150
Open · July 2021
Christchurch
Carnmore Hotel Christchurch
New Zealand's first modular-built hotel, stacked into Christchurch's rebuilt CBD.
From NZD 180
Open · October 2020
Christchurch
The Muse Christchurch Art Hotel
A 1960s bank building turned art-filled boutique hotel, one seismic upgrade at a time.
From NZD 180
Open · 2020
Christchurch
Crowne Plaza Christchurch
An earthquake-damaged office tower converted into IHG's largest upscale hotel in the Christchurch CBD.
Open · June 2017