My husband and I recently stayed with you at the beginning and end of our New Zealand trip. We had been told that The George was the only place to stay in Christchurch but we must tell you that your hotel exceeded our expectations; it is probably one of the best hotels we have stayed at anywhere during our worldwide travels. This is mainly due to the wonderful team of staff which you have but also the bedrooms are so well appointed and very stylish. Without exception all the staff were so helpful, welcoming, happy and so well-trained. We were especially spoilt as we had been upgraded to one of your delightful Park Suites for our visit last Monday 14th January which was a real treat, thank you so much. Your chefs are obviously very talented also and provide delicious food, wonderfully presented. We shall be singing your praises to our travel agents Trailfinders and Turquoise back in the UK and we shall certainly also tell friends and family to stay at your hotel if they are coming to New Zealand. Please pass on our thanks to all your staff. With kind regards, Annie Robinson
PS. Teddy George is now travelling with us in Sydney and will be heading to a new home in London with a 3 year old boy also called George who is a neighbour. He will be much loved!
January, 2013
My wife and I were very impressed with the staffs genuine caring attitude. From the receptionists sending an orange juice because a dinner booking couldn’t be accommodated, to the young man who delivered it, to the unpretentious easy going porter who helped us on departure all created a world class experience, often sought but seldom found. We have travelled the world and your staff are at the absolute top end when it comes to making the client feel good. You and they are to be congratulated. We both appreciated the under stated elegance of the hotel and the quality of every fitting. George now has a new home at our winery. Being a NZ bear we have to limit his time in the cellar, your bears can really drink!!!! My wife would have loved to have bought a George for each of our grandchildren, maybe this can be included as an option at checkout. Congratulations to you and your staff.
Kind Regards,
Robert & Dianne Curtis
Yileena Park of Yarra Valley
13-2-2012
Dear Sirs
I just wanted to contact you all to let you know how much my wife and I enjoyed our meal at Pescatore on Saturday 7th January. It was one of the finest meals I have ever experienced, and I thoroughly enjoyed every course. We have been fortunate enough to dine in a few Michelin starred restaurants in the UK, and we feel sure that if Michelin were to award stars in New Zealand, Pescatore would surely deserve one.
We really wanted to try the Evolutions Menu, but my wife is pregnant, and we were concerned that this may have prevented her from eating some of the dishes. However, on arrival we discovered that there were no dishes that she could not have, and out waitress made it clear that it was no problem to substitute any dishes that we may be concerned about. It was obvious that nothing would be too much trouble, and everything possible would be done to accommodate our wishes.
We did choose the Evolution menu and found the whole menu to be imaginative, fun and very clever. I particularly enjoyed the playfulness of the “Perception” course – a fabulous interpretation of the antipodean classic “chips and dip”. Again, I consider myself very fortunate to have enjoyed Heston Blumenthal’s cooking at The Fat Duck, and the fantastical, innovative nature of the cooking reminded me of my experience there.
Finally, I’d especially like to compliment our wonderful waitress (I think her name may have been Sam, but I can’t quite remember). She was able to strike the perfect balance between being very knowledgeable and professional, as well as being friendly and approachable. She explained each course and accompanying wine very effectively – I’m amazed that she was able to remember all of the details! Unfortunately, she was not in the dining room when we left so we were unable to thank her in person – please pass on our thanks and our regards.
Our whole experience was absolutely second to none, and we’d recommend Pescatore to anyone who happens to be visiting Christchurch.
Thanks again for such a wonderful evening.
Kind regards
Stephen Heslop
12 January, 2012
Mrs Cake’s blog on Pescatore
April, 2011
http://www.mrscake.co.nz/2011/04/pescatore-christchurch.html
Our experience at your hotel is one of the two best hotel experiences we have ever had, and we travel frequently. We found the room to be exquisite. Additionally, your restaurant (50 Bistro, I think it was called) served the best food we had during out 21 day trip through AU & NZ. Brad (assistant manager) and Jesse (server) were extremely knowledgeable, personable, and enhanced our dining experience.
Fred & Wendy Gebhardt
02-11-11
Dear sir
We enjoyed our stay.
The staff were excellent and the hotel lived up to it’s reputation.
George – the twins – are now safely resident in the northern hemisphere after travelling in style on the A380. They particularly enjoyed the champagne and on board lounge bar. They are looking forward to their travels this year which will see them going on a Baltic cruise, marakesh to La Mamounia and other delightful places yet to be decided.
They will be staying at the Four Seasons Sydney to welcome in 2012, whilst touring Australia in December.
They will keep in touch!
Best wishes
Austin, Catherine and the twins
27-1-11
On Friday the 30th my wife and I stayed at ‘The George’, which you had kindly assisted in booking.
My job involves a reasonable amount of travel, both domestically and internationally, and as a result, I’ve stayed in a variety of differing accommodations; from half a star to occasionally five star. The service and facilities we received at ‘The George’ were some of the best I’ve experienced. From the initial welcome, to being seated when we booked in, to the follow up phone call shortly afterwards that we were happy with our room, to the quality of service in the bar – all were of the highest quality and most appreciated.
My compliments.
Yours Sincerely
John Hyde, Dunedin, NZ
2-8-2010
Excellent hotel. I travel all over the world and stay in many different hotels, but The George is special. Very welcoming, very friendly. I highly recommend it. The thing that makes it special? The staff, they are excellent and diligent to a tee. Well done, keep up the good work. I plan to return on my next trip to New Zealand, sadly it will not be for at least two years.
Thank you
C Dowling, Cheshire, UK
July, 2010
“During our 3 week tour of Australia and NZ, I would rank Seriously the best service and accommodation experience I have had in a very long time. So impressive and a true credit to all the team at The George – thank you!”
F Borenstein, Nelson, NZ
8-05-10
“The George as my favorite hotel, that means above the Intercontinental in Melbourne and the Langham in Auckland. Overall, all of the staff were extremely welcoming, helpful and enthusiastic. They greatly contributed to the overall positive impression of the hotel. Our experience at The George encourages us to seek boutique hotels more often in our travels.”
Corinne Venit, USA
7-5-10
“We were delighted to stay at The George as we’d had a fantastic recommendation from a friend. It was the first night of our honeymoon before we went off to travel NZ and we couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome or special. It was important for us to feel a sense of luxury and comfort and for our hotel to be close to the main town; The George ticked all these boxes and many more. Due to jet lag, we didn’t eat an evening meal at the hotel but we indulged in breakfast, going for the full option and it was delicious. We came back rating it our best breakfast of the trip.
Overall it was a great experience and I’ve have no hesitation to recommend it (in fact I’d encourage them to visit) to anyone travelling to NZ.”
May, 2010
The hotel is our first choice always in Christchurch, which we visit 3-4 times a year. Overall, one of the best hotels I have ever used – just the right balance in all your facilities and services. Quiet, discreet, luxurious, scrupulously clean and the staff is flawless. Where do you find them?
May, 2010
Overall, this was one of the most delightful experiences we’ve had in a long number of years of traveling.
It was a delightful stay.
All good wishes for continued success. We know the services you provide in such a careful and friendly manner will continue to be enjoyed by future travelers as well.
All kind regards,
Mary and Homer Williams, Texas USA
15-1-2010
The George is a GREAT hotel. The staff, decor, location and the gift Teddy Bear. Everyone at the hotel from the concierge to the cleaning staff seemed to enjoy what they do. Your hotel was the first hotel that I took a picture of my room and I’ve done a lot of traveling. I cannot say enough good things – everything from free internet (which I later found out in other hotels in NZ charge) to fixing me a take-away breakfast for my early departure the following morning. The concierge gave me a map, directions and told me places in town to visit during my short stay. I ate dinner in your restaurant and the meal (scallops) was amazing. So was the local Pinot Noir.
2010