Out of the ordinary
Leigh Bramwell
If symmetry and straight lines are your preference, then Christchurch’s groovy new hotel may take you outside your comfort zone.
It’s not just off the square in terms of its geography – owner/designer Tim Nicholls has created a hotel with real attitude in the Cathedral Junction development started by the late John Britten.
Behind a heritage façade, Hotel Off The Square sits alongside the glass-domed covered way through which the city’s (silent) trams run. There are no square rooms in this quirky, stylish development. Nicholls describes the design as “soft, new-age modernism”. Silk-edged black blankets drape the windows and match the silk bed covers, cushions and contemporary wall hangings in rooms where charcoal sisal floors meet feature walls of aubergine and scarlet. An iconic art collection, with works ranging from fabulous to funky, is already under way.
Mayfair rooms open on to a split-level living space designed for working, eating and relaxing. There’s an adjoining kitchen where a Mediterranean-style breakfast of fruit, cheeses, croissants and pastries is set out for guests to help themselves. Here, it doesn’t feel necessary to close your door.
There are also business and family rooms as well as studios – a total of 38 when the development is complete. A Champagne bar and café are planned, but meantime the hotel can provide room service from a selected menu of top-quality takeouts. Plus there are complimentary gin and tonics to soak up the stress at the end of the day.
Hotel Off The Square, 115 Worcester St, Christchurch, ph: 03-374 9980
or freephone 0800-633 8431,email: enquiries@offthesquare.com 
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