Description: Hotel So Christchurch is the flagship of a new chain of hotels that will one day soon be spread throughout New Zealand - starting with the South Island, with Dunedin being the next location planned. The inspiration for the hotel's founder was to create affordable luxury. They've gone to impressive lengths to take due diligence in finding out exactly what their customers really want. They've researched which parts are essential, which are extraneous and which put the proverbial icing on the equally proverbial cake. What they've ended up with is probably the coolest hotel experience I've ever encountered.
The staff are outstanding. They don't have 'receptionists' and 'bartenders' and so on, they have customer attendants who are all trained in all aspects of how the hotel is run. The result of this is that when you ask someone a question they can supply you with a whole host of answers. This was a refreshing change to the bored shoulder shrug that I've often received in similarly priced establishments. Very friendly, very professional, extremely helpful.
The moment you walk into the hotel you're struck by the stylish decor and layout. It's all extremely clean, very modern, very hip and technologically advanced. Touch screen monitors invite you 'Touch me...' and a whole load of local information is at your fingertips. The common room offers massage chairs, vending machines, plasma screen Sky TV, a well equipped kitchen and free internet access on shiny new Macs.
The rooms are sometimes criticised for being too small, but I think that's unfair. The King Size rooms are plenty big enough and the standard options (very cheap at $89 for a double, $69 for a single) are more than cool enough to make up for the tight conditions. There's ample space under the bed to stow your gear, you get your own fridge with free tea (both green and ceylon), coffee, sugar and milk, a little goody box with toiletries, cups and vouchers for the cafe and flat screen TV with plenty of Sky channels - including movie channels and 'mood channels'. These are screens with rolling mountainsides, sandy beaches and crackling fires - complete with soothing sound effects - to have in the background while you relax.
These are the little touches that make Hotel So stand out above its competitors. They've gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that you're exceptionally comfortable in your stylish little room. The shower and toilet area - ensconced in one corner of your room behind curved frosted glass - has eco-friendly shower technology that uses less water but provides plenty of power; the room is equipped with a solar lamp that simulates sunlight and can be set to dim over time to lull you to sleep or (as instructions in their guidebook show you step by step) to help you overcome jetlag! The mood lighting in the room can be set to a variety of colours, each of which enhances a particular mood (again, all covered by the in room guide). Maid service is optional, there's a free gym and sauna in the basement and the alarm system has to be seen to be believed.
All in all, I can't recommend Hotel So Christchurch highly enough. I've stayed there twice and felt happy to give them my money as I felt I was more than getting my money's worth. Don't expect lots of space, but you can expect lots of style, and right in the heart of the City too, so within comfortable walking distance of all Christchurch's major eateries and attractions. Check it out before they realise they can charge a lot more for the level of quality they're offering.
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