We stayed at the Argyle on the Park for a couple of nights in Feb 07.
Our host was good fun, with a well developed sense of humour. Our unit was spacious and clean and provided us with exactly what we were looking for - a comfortable and conveniently located base from which to explore Christchurch.
The motel is situated right opposite Hagley Park, though which you can walk to the city centre (approx 15 mins). The park is perfectly safe and a very pleasant place to spend some time. The botanical gardens are free and well worth a look around.
The only negative thing I can say about the motel is that it seems to be in the middle of a race track that comes alive some time around midnight. Being in a city, you expect a certain amount of traffic noise, but this was pretty dreadful. Unless they have better sound insulation, I can't imagine that any other motel/hotel in the area is any better, because the racing went on for a good hour and a half - why the police didn't do something about it, I can't imagine. In summary motel good, noise terrible!

The area is not the most attractive - this hotel would be an OK stop for one night enroute, but I don't consider it suitable for a lengthy stay.
We stayed 2 nights only. Although we had one of the quiet rooms, the level of noise from traffic of the busy street intersection was still somewhat unacceptable. The one bedroom suites are comfortable, and the rooms have a kitchen and livingroom area. The bathroom was clean; however, there was a complete lack of hot water during most of the morning on the second day our stay. We waited a few hours, and then proceeded to contact management about the problem. Although the staff was very nice, courteous, and apologetic, they did not offer a solution.
The room smelled a little "dank" and "stuffy" even after opening doors and windows. This is perhaps due to the fact that, judging by the extremely outdated decor, this hotel appears to not have been refurbished/redone in quite a long time...the smell of years-old tobacco smoke lingers in the air.

Although the area is not the most attractive (it was night after all!) there was nothing wrong with our accomodation. The two bedroom with kitchen, living room area and bathroom was clean and comfortable. A fine enough stop over en route north. There is a park over the road which would explain the name!