The latest I can find is from the first of October:

Hotel sector springs back to life

Some of the larger projects under construction are the 130-room Sofitel in Customs St, Auckland; a 73-room extension to Ibis Budget at Auckland Airport; the 130-room Sofitel, Wellington; a 270-room hotel for 165 Cashel St, Christchurch; a 200-room hotel for Victoria Square, Christchurch; a 100-room Novotel for New Plymouth; a 44-room Ramada Suites for Christchurch; a 40-room extension to Sudima Hotel in Christchurch; and the 130-room Distinction Hotel in Dunedin.

The Ibis Budget extension is scheduled for completion this year while the remainder of the hotel projects have openings next year - except for Victoria Square, Christchurch, which has a 2016 opening.

The Forsyth Barr Tower in Christchurch has been sold to a local consortium which is converting the building to a 4.5-star upscale hotel of about 200 rooms.

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Forsyth Barr as at 31st Oct 2014:





Source: Ross Becker

Forsyth Barr building to become Crowne Plaza Hotel

Christchurch's old Forsyth Barr building is to become the new Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The hotel chain has confirmed it has signed a deal with the building's owners to convert the quake-damaged 19-storey office tower, opposite Victoria Square, into a 200-room hotel with restaurants and a bar.

It will open next year.

The old five-star 297-room Crowne Plaza Hotel on the other side of Victoria Square was demolished in 2012. The replacement will be the third Crowne Plaza in New Zealand for the chain, which is part of the global InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG).

Matthew Tripolone of IHG said they were proud to be part of the revival of Christchurch and the deal signalled their confidence in and commitment to the city.

With five suites, 195 guest rooms, two restaurants, a bar, fitness centre, and function rooms, the new Crowne Plaza will be aimed at business and leisure travellers.

It will be the central city's biggest hotel, pushing the 171-room Rendezvous into second place.

The Forsyth Barr building's owners, local investors and developers MC Christchurch Holdings, bought the property earlier this year from an investment group who had offered it for sale as-is-where is after taking a large insurance payout.

Really awesome news. Hopefully this gives the land owners across the road on Armagh Street and Oxford Tce some confidence to start their developments. It will be weird getting used to calling it the Crowne Plaza Hotel rather than the Forsyth Barr building.

voyager8907 said:

Best news I've heard all day! And it opens next year! I'll have to check out the views once it opens.

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Here's some photos showing the whole building. I'm just happy that they aren't demolishing it, it would just be another empty site to be replaced in the future by a 2 story building hno:

I think it is a perfect location to have a hotel, it will have a stunning outlook over Victoria Square and the rest of the city. Especially cool as the old Crowne Plaza was also looking over Victoria Square from the other side. I read in the article that it will be the biggest hotel in the city with 200 rooms, does anyone know what the biggest hotel was pre-earthquakes? I guess it would be the Grand Chancellor?


Blue Skys and Roadcones by Jocey K, on Flickr


Making Way for the New Convention Center by Jocey K, on Flickr


Forsyth Barr building by Christchurch City Libraries, on Flickr


Clock Towers and Architecture by Jocey K, on Flickr

We are going quite off topic from the thread but here is what I think anyway:

I don't really know what the best next step is as there are definitely arguments for both replacing the current structure or restoring it. I think it would be a shame for it to be demolished if they can feasibly restore it. The middle course option discussed in this article is worth investigating. I know that a number of people around the world have said they would commit millions for it to be restored so with that in mind, I think that the Anglicans should put out a request for people to commit an amount of money to the restoration. I'm sure around the world there are enough people who would be happy to put forward money to restore it in some form.

The main thing that I am worried about with both restoration and rebuilding options is that we could end up with an ugly, kitsch or tacky building that no one is proud to have as the focal point of our city. If they end up being able to restore it, I hope that we would end up with a stunning restored building that everyone is happy with, like the Arts Centre and Isaac Theatre Royal. If they rebuild it I would hope that they build a striking and remarkable building that is so unique and interesting that it draws tourists from around the world in the way that the Re:Start mall does currently.

Thursday 25th of August 2016


Winter in the City by Ethan Josiah, on Flickr


Winter in the City by Ethan Josiah, on Flickr

It's opening in mid-2017 so I guess they will probably get around to it soon. I'm looking forward to seeing it all finished.

The new Holiday Inn Express Christchurch hotel, set to open late 2018, will sit conveniently in the Christchurch CBD and a mere 100 metres from the new convention centre due to open in 2019. The property will also be within reach of “The Frame”, a large green space featuring cafes and restaurants, cycle paths, walkways and large landscaped areas for festivals and events. IHG also has a Crowne Plaza hotel currently under construction in Christchurch due to open mid-2017.

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IHG set for mid-scale hotel brand expansion in New Zealand

Thursday 15th of September 2016


The City at Night by Ethan Josiah, on Flickr