Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch

Hotel Grand Chancellor
Hotel Grand Chancellor in 2010
Alternative namesGrand Chancellor Hotel
General information
TypeCommercial
LocationChristchurch Central, New Zealand
Completed1986
Renovated1995
Demolished2012
OwnerGrand Hotels International
Height85 meters
Design and construction
DeveloperDon Forbes
Main contractorForbes Construction
Renovating team
Renovating firmFletchers Construction

The Hotel Grand Chancellor (also known as the Grand Chancellor Hotel) was a major four-star hotel in the centre of Christchurch in New Zealand, one of eleven Hotel Grand Chancellor establishments across Australasia. Until 2010, it was the city's tallest building standing at 85 metres (279 ft) and 21 storeys, until it was overtaken by the 86.5 metres (284 ft) tall Pacific Tower.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor was built in 1986 for office use by Forbes Construction. In 1995 it was converted to a hotel by Fletchers Construction with 15 floors of hotel accommodation, and 12 floors of car parking, also housing conference facilities for businesses.

The building was severely damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, causing a visible lean on the south-east corner of the building. The fragile state of the structure created challenges during the search and rescue effort, with risk of collapse threatening City Mall and the surrounding area.

Demolition work began in November 2011, using a complicated deconstruction method starting from the roof and working down. Initial plans to rebuild the hotel on the same site were scrapped in 2014, and the original site was repurposed for retail space. In 2019, Grand Central announced plans to build a new, smaller hotel in a different part of the city.