Although there are 25,000 hotel, B&B and hostel rooms in Metro Vancouver, the city is colonized by tourists in summer months, so booking ahead is a smart move – unless you want to be sleeping with your head on a damp log in Stanley Park. With rates at their highest in July and August, there are some genuinely good deals in spring and fall, when you can avoid the school-holiday crush and join the locals in enjoying a day or two of wild 'Wet Coast' rainfall.
While the 2010 Winter Olympics triggered a rash of slick new hotel developments – including the Shangri-La and the Fairmont Pacific Rim – not all the newbies managed to open in time for the gold rush. The revamped Hotel Georgia, a few steps from the venerable Hotel Vancouver, promises to be one of the city's swankiest new sleepovers.
Vancouver is not just about high-end hotels, of course. There are many good midrange options, especially in the downtown core, as well as pockets of homely heritage B&Bs in the West End and Kitsilano. If you want to be closer to the forests and mountains yet not too far from downtown, the North Shore is also a good alternative. And for those on a limited budget, there are hostels scattered across the city, as well as some good student-style digs out at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
From high end to budget, lodgings are increasingly adding free wireless internet access to their offerings, while spas, pools, air-conditioning and laundry facilities are more sporadically applied: see the symbols in each listing to see what's available and call ahead to find out what's new. Also note that some reviews include family-friendly ([family]) and pet-friendly ([pet]) symbols.
Accommodation reviews here are arranged by neighborhood and then by budget – most expensive first. Quoted prices are for the height of the summer season, but rates can drop by as much as 50% in the off-season and many hotels also offer good-value packages that might include restaurant deals, spa treatments or entry to local attractions – check hotel websites to see what's on offer.
Alternatively, save time by checking online or calling for the many deals, packages and accommodation services offered via Tourism Vancouver and Hello BC.
Be aware that there are some significant additions to most quoted room rates. You'll have to pay 12% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax), plus an additional hotel room tax of 2%. In addition, many hotels charge a destination marking fee of around 1.5%. In total, these extras can amount to as much as 16.5%. Many hotels, particularly in the downtown core, also charge parking fees that are often between $10 and $20 per night. You can avoid this by staying at B&Bs, which generally don't charge for parking.
Downtown & West End
Gastown & Chinatown