Christchurch’s curved hotel getting its look back at last

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Brett Russell of Russell Property Group outside the quake-shuttered Oxford Terrace tower being transformed into a Sheraton in a $150m rebuild.

The skeletal frame of Christchurch's distinctive curved hotel is finally getting its skin back.

The 14-storey tower on Oxford Terrace, shuttered since the earthquakes, is undergoing a $150 million renovation that will transform the former Noahs and Rydges hotel into the South Island's first Sheraton when it opens in mid-2027.

With strengthening work nearly complete, windows are being installed transforming the long-standing derelict eyesore into the 5-star site it will be.

Window installation is under way on Christchurch’s curved hotel after years as a quake-damaged shell.

Brett Russell of Russell Property Group, a joint venture partner with Mainland Capital and Lockwood Property Group on the project, said the installation of floor-to-ceiling picture frame windows marks a significant milestone.

“In the next six months all the facade should be finished,” Russell said during a site visit. “From the outside, it'll look pretty cool.”

Developers say the facade will be complete within six months

The renovation required extensive structural strengthening, including 1.8m of concrete and reinforcing at the building's base to bring it up to code while raising the floor above flood levels and strengthening columns.

Brett Russell said all partners were working in a good partnership. Pictured behind him is the new extension added to the building showing where the four new rooms each floor are going.

“It's outstanding. We always say the greenest building is one you save,” Russell said.

“This one's actually got a lot of history with it and a lot of memories - Elton John and the Queen have been here - but when I talk to people around Christchurch, they say, I got married there or had my son's 21st there.

An illustration of the finished Sheraton Christchurch hotel.

“We're really hoping Christchurch gets on board and supports it as well when we get it back, because it is their hotel as much as ours, and that's why we want a really cool food and beverage offering as well as the rooftop bar will be pretty outstanding.”

The project is adding about 40 rooms to the original 210-room count by extending the building's eastern side and building a further four rooms per floor. A 140m² presidential suite will occupy the top floor alongside the rooftop bar to be called Noahs in a nod to the hotel’s rich history.

An artist's impression of the redeveloped hotel on Oxford Tce, formerly Noahs and Rydges.

A “feeling of the 70s” will come through with its modern design, Russell said, and the front section of the building will be extended about 7m from its current position.

The future of the pre-earthquake building is now secure, with The Sheraton, Christchurch, set to open in 2027.

The hotel aims for a soft opening in April or May 2027 with 180 to 200 rooms, followed by the full 240-room opening and rooftop bar.

The building once appeared on the Christchurch City Council's 'Dirty 30' list of sites considered barriers to the city's rebuild.

Russell said saving and strengthening historic buildings rather than demolishing them is a principle his group has followed on three other Christchurch projects.

The hotel, which will operate under Marriott International's premium Sheraton brand, originally opened as Noahs hotel in the 1970s, and was rebranded as Rydges in the 1990s.

The building’s future initially appeared uncertain as insurance wrangles continued for 12 years. In 2022, its owner Emmons NZ Ltd finally settled details of its $190m claim for the three buildings on the site. Two buildings, a parking and retail building and the Grant Thornton office tower, have been demolished.

Emmons is now a consortium of NZ equity investors through Mainland Capital and Russell Property Group.