Metro Vancouver Hotel & Short Term Rental Market Discussion

[Glow Fun City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Not really the greatest location for a hotel. Nice area but not particularly close to anything.

Good for touring acts playing at the Hollywood Theatre at least!

[jollyburger]

Vancouver developer goes all-in on office-to-hotel conversions

The Hastings building was purchased for $70 million in March 2025, the Victoria building for $14.66 million in 2019.

Stovell doesn’t have a cost for the conversion but thinks it could be $100 to $150 less per square foot than building from scratch. When you factor in the cost of buying the building, he thinks it will be comparable with new construction.

“Effectively the overall costs of land, the existing building, plus reno costs … aren’t materially less than building new,” he said.

One of the keys to being suitable for conversion is the footplate.

“The best type of hotel floor plate is like a train car or shoebox, with a hallway down the middle and rooms on each side,” he explains. “If you’re going to do a centre-core hotel, like (1111 West Hastings) is with the elevators and stairs in the middle, you don’t want it to be much bigger than about a 10,000-or-11,000-square-foot floor plate.

“Then your rooms are going to be the right size, and your hallways are going to be the right size.”

There will be restaurants and bars in both hotels.

“There’s quite a few local groups in Vancouver, the Tier 1 groups, pursuing us right now to try and be part of this project,” said Stovell.

Converting smaller “third-string” office buildings to hotel space also doesn’t preclude rezoning the site for a highrise in the future.

“It’s not the right time to rezone the property and build a big new building,” he said. “Maybe we’ll do that in 15 or 20 years, but it’s not the right time for that. So putting the buildings to good use in the meantime makes a lot of sense.”

https://vancouversun.com/business/real-e...operties-all-in-office-hotel-conversions

[Feathered Friend]

Recommendations for City Council:
 Pause new hotel development approvals and undertake an independent review to
determine whether approved and proposed hotel projects are justified and whether the market can absorb nearly 7,000 rooms in the pipeline.
 Prioritize aggressive targets for affordable housing over hotel expansion by directing staff resources, approvals, and policy tools toward cooperative and other forms of nonmarket housing until the city demonstrates meaningful progress on affordable housing targets.
 Stop giveaway to hotel developers by eliminating community amenity reductions, density exclusions, and other hotel-specific incentives that reduce public benefits and shift costs onto residents.
 Protect existing renters and restore public accountability by prohibiting hotel projects that displace tenants and requiring hotel developments to undergo full public review and consultation.

https://web.archive.org/web/202606280954...veaway-Not-an-Affordability-Solution.pdf

Following their success in New York City, the hotel employees union are calling for a ban on new hotels in Vancouver.

They've already secured the backing of COPE,
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaYsM3KyHUU/?igsh=ZHI5aWljYnB1bnVy

and TEAM.

TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Statement on the UNITE HERE Local 40 Report
salrobinson6 Jun 29
TEAM welcomes the publication of UNITE HERE Local 40's report, Vancouver's Hotel Room "Crisis": A Developer Giveaway, Not an Affordability Solution.

https://www.voteteam.ca/post/team-for-a-...tement-on-the-unite-here-local-40-report

For those interested in supporting, or opposing this cause, they're planning to hold a rally for this issue at City Hall on July 9th at 5pm.
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rsvp-for-july-9-action-at-city-hall

Expect a big turnout though, as they have a paid team of canvassers that have been organizing both inside, and outside of public hearings.

A Hotel Union Is Trying to Stop New Hotels in Vancouver
June 17, 2026
That’s roughly 12 interventions in the first half of 2026 (public hearings, press releases, rallies, robocalls, a canvasser hire, and 2 separate court petitions), versus 1 media advisory in all of 2025. The union’s Facebook page has been almost wall-to-wall council content this year. They post a lot of AI slop, sometimes under their “Take Back Vancouver” brand:

The pattern at public hearings
Unite Here gets many of their own staff out to speak at any public hearing involving a hotel. At least 12 people on Unite Here’s payroll are showing up at public hearings, and only the 4 most senior officers ever disclose that they’re speaking on behalf of Unite Here (sometimes). Everyone else just describes themselves as “residents”, “workers”, and “taxpayers”.

OK, so what?
It’s weird that one organization is investing so much time+money to influence municipal politics. Vancouver’s a relatively small town, nobody else is paying this many people $30/hr to collect 23,000 signatures:

https://www.reillywood.com/blog/unite-here-vancouver/

[chowhou]

COPE and TEAM saying different things on paper but having indistinguishable policies in practice, where have I seen this before.

[jollyburger]

I think the hotel spot zoning approval requirement from 2021 in NYC is to enforce new hotels to use union labour.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I think the hotel spot zoning approval requirement from 2021 in NYC is to enforce new hotels to use union labour.

So that's the root of their objection, that new properties will be non-union?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

So that's the root of their objection, that new properties will be non-union?

They have published a report that questions the need for as many new hotel rooms as the industry claims, which they suggest is based on speculative forecasting. They're seeking judicial review of the additional rezoning bonus that new City policy allows for commercial space in hotel rezonings. They point out that approvals of hotel rooms has outpaced approval of affordable housing, and that some projects are proposing to replace existing affordable rentals with hotels.

No doubt their concern is about new hotels not having a union agreement (although obviously they can try to recruit in any new hotels that are built). There's also a concern with the newer model of hotel that's almost like short-term rental, with no onsite staff, and contracted housekeeping. And of course, newer hotels might displace existing hotels, if they're correct that growth demand is overstated.

[Glow Fun City]

It makes no sense for a hotel union to oppose investment in their industry… just organize the new hotels as they're built!

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Changing City

They have published a report that questions the need for as many new hotel rooms as the industry claims, which they suggest is based on speculative forecasting.

Who honestly cares? We don't have a council of Soviets mandating 5 year plan growth projections. If the market responds to demand that's the system working. Who cares what these overinflated egos have to say.

Originally Posted by Changing City

And of course, newer hotels might displace existing hotels, if they're correct that growth demand is overstated.

Are we going to have fucking pace of growth limits for hotels now?

[Glow Fun City]

All you have to do is look at typical summer room rates (even outside of the FIFA cashgrab) to see that Vancouver needs more hotel rooms.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Glow Fun City

All you have to do is look at typical summer room rates (even outside of the FIFA cashgrab) to see that Vancouver needs more hotel rooms.

Oh, but don't you see that if room rates go down that means the union will have a lower ceiling for their bargaining demands?

I mean... social housing! Look at them building hotels instead of social housing!

[Glow Fun City]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Oh, but don't you see that if room rates go down that means the union will have a lower ceiling for their bargaining demands?

I mean... social housing! Look at them building hotels instead of social housing!

As I said above… just salt and organize the new hotels!


I'm a union worker in a different industry and it seems insane to oppose something that could provide more work for your union's members.

[GenWhy?]

I've never been in a union and don't know the ins and outs, but it sounds like this particular union's members don't get paid enough to live in Vancouver proper?

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

I've never been in a union and don't know the ins and outs, but it sounds like this particular union's members don't get paid enough to live in Vancouver proper?

Tell that to the teachers. But they aren't lobbying for fewer schools to be built.

[Glow Fun City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

I've never been in a union and don't know the ins and outs, but it sounds like this particular union's members don't get paid enough to live in Vancouver proper?

It depends on the position and employer, but hotel workers in general (union or not) do not get paid very much by Vancouver standards…

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

I've never been in a union and don't know the ins and outs, but it sounds like this particular union's members don't get paid enough to live in Vancouver proper?

Which is just one reason why the CoV should be using their properties to build affordable housing rather than market rentals. If they think more hotels are required for our economy they shouldn't expect their workers to come in from Maple Ridge.

[kikin]

Originally Posted by chowhou

COPE and TEAM saying different things on paper but having indistinguishable policies in practice, where have I seen this before.

seem like a bunch of nutballs that would see our city get worse off economically if they get in power

[GenWhy?]

Well it'll be good to see such a large organization that seems to get quite the turnout to attend the last new Public Hearings we have for some housing affordability projects.

Odd they have not participated in the past.

[seamusmcduff]

This is a ridiculous item to have in your platform. No one would be risking investment in hotel construction if there wasn't at the very least a perceived need for them. The price of hotels here seems to heavily suggest that they are needed.

What's the downside anyways if they end up overbuilding, lower hotel prices? Oh the horror. They can give all the reasons they want, but this just makes it clear the existing hotel owners are in their pocket

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by chowhou

We don't have a council of Soviets mandating 5 year plan growth projections.

We do. It's called The Union. Daddy Eby says BC's pro-union and that makes them untouchable, so long as they reward him back with line going up.

Originally Posted by seamusmcduff

What's the downside anyways if they end up overbuilding, lower hotel prices? Oh the horror. They can give all the reasons they want, but this just makes it clear the existing hotel owners are in their pocket

Exactly that, in fact. In the off-peak months a hotel has to either continue to pay employees a wage or let them go, which if they are all union not only puts the responsibility to help find them another suitable interim job but that also means they don't have them as a revenue stream of union dues in the meantime because they are out of work.