Review: BreakFree on Cashel Christchurch (City Urban Premium)

Nightly rate (incl. taxes/fees)	NZD 89 (US$58)
Nightly rate (after redeeming 2,000 Accor points)	NZD 22 (US$15)
Length of stay	1 night
Date of stay	Sep 2022
Membership level	Platinum (Accor Live Limitless)

What benefits to expect when you stay at BreakFree on Cashel Christchurch as an Accor Platinum member?

The hotel opened in 2015 with a total of 263 rooms.

Location

This hotel is located in central Christchurch, with many retail shops around.

The hotel charges NZD 19 parking fee per night. However, there were some parking lots outside the property where I could park for free from 5pm to 9am daily.

• 6 mins drive / 20 mins walk to Christchurch Botanic Gardens
• 20 mins drive to Christchurch Airport (CHC)
• 2 hrs 25 mins to Kaikoura
• 2 hrs 55 mins to Lake Tekapo

Arrival

As my stay was not pre-paid, I had requested to use my Accor points to pay for part of my stay.

I had previously earned these Accor points from the fairly-regular promotion that allowed members to earn 6,000 points (worth 120 Euros) after 3 stays.

Note: Accor points can only be redeemed in multiples of 2,000 points, that is worth exactly 40 Euros.

It took about 15 minutes for the receptionist to get it done, together with a manager. In general, when redeeming Accor points, GHA Discovery Dollars and Marriott eGiftCards in person, I make it a point to get it done on the day of checking in, to prevent delays during check out.

City Urban Premium room

Room 647 is 25sqm / 269sqft in size.

I had booked the smallest/cheapest room and was given a 3-category upgrade to the City Urban Premium room, which is about 2.5 times larger!

The room is pretty basic and comes with only one small window but it is totally acceptable, considering what I paid and the good location of the hotel. It even comes with a coffee machine!

There was also a welcome note and some chocolates, as a Platinum member welcome amenity.

Breakfast

As this Accor hotel is located in the Asia Pacific region, Platinum members and above get complimentary daily breakfast.

Unfortunately, I had to skip it because of an early flight to catch on the following day.

Complimentary drinks

Platinum members and above get 1 set of drink vouchers per stay. At the this property, they can be redeemed for a beer, coffee or soft drinks.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my stay, after considering the hotel’s usual nightly rate:

Service	9/10
Location	10/10
Room furnishing	9/10
View (from the room)	9/10
Peace & quiet	10/10
Facilities	5/10
Elite member recognition	10/10
Value	10/10

Bottom line

For what I paid, it was a good stay with great elite member recognition and location. I would definitely return if I need to transit through the city in future.