[3] Prior to its destruction, it was a 3-star, 74-key,[4] 5-story hotel built into the hillside, overlooking the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.

The hotel allegedly did not meet the UN's Minimum Operational Safety Standard, and reportedly the stabilization mission's 2009 procurement plan contained a budget allocation of US$400,000 to bring it into compliance.

[10] According to a 2008 statement from the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the "decision to select the Hotel Christopher was based on a locally completed analytical process which determined that this facility was one of the few premises in Port au Prince which would meet the Mission's requirements with regards to space, water and power.

[4] The moment the earthquake struck, Annabi, da Costa and Coates were meeting with eight Chinese nationals (four peacekeepers and four senior police officers).

A Chinese search and rescue team recovered the bodies of these ten individuals on 16 January 2010.