Vancouver city council to consider motion supporting 'pod hotels' in vacant office space
A motion coming to Vancouver city council this week aims to clear the way for owners of vacant office space downtown to convert it into "pod hotel" rooms.
"Vancouver has a dire shortage of hotel rooms," said Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, who is bringing the motion to council on Wednesday.
Kirby-Yung cited a study commissioned by Destination Vancouver that anticipates the city will have a shortage of 10,000 hotel rooms in the coming years.
"Demand is going to exceed supply by the summer of 2026," she said. "That's coming up fast. It's looming, and pod hotels or capsule hotels are relatively new to us here in Canada and in North America. They're something that has existed in Japan for decades."
Pod hotels are collections of small, private or semi-private sleeping spaces with shared amenities. They're considered a more affordable alternative to traditional hotel rooms.
The thinking underlying Kirby-Yung's motion is that they'll also be quicker and more affordable to build.
"It can take years to build a stand alone hotel but what's behind this motion is that we're seeing we have surplus of older office space so I think we have ability to utilize some of that where we've got high vacancy office rates," she said.
The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association estimated the vacancy rate for office space at 9.4 per cent in its most recent "State of Downtown" report.
A similar report from CBRE Group placed Vancouver's rate at 11 per cent as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Vancouver has actually fared better than other large Canadian cities in terms of keeping its downtown office buildings occupied as work habits change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CBRE's report placed Toronto's vacancy rate at 17.4 per cent, Edmonton's at 22.9 per cent and Calgary's at 30.2 per cent.
Still, Vancouver's rate remains considerably higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Kirby-Yung's motion notes that "older office buildings and commercial heritage buildings" are particularly likely to be empty.
The motion directs city staff to report back on options for allowing office buildings to be converted to pod hotels on either a temporary or permanent basis, and what bylaw changes would be required.
The problem, Kirby-Yung said, is that Vancouver has its own building bylaw, which is different from the B.C. Building Code used elsewhere in the province.
"The Vancouver bylaw is very restrictive, and we're looking to clear that roadblock," she said. "There are some proponents that are interested in looking at this opportunity, particularly in downtown Vancouver."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6921489.1718074294!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'People get very sick': Manitoba sees rise in rare, potentially fatal bacterial infection
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
Feels like 40+: Heat warnings to last into the weekend for some provinces
Residents of some provinces are being warned of extreme heat this week, while elsewhere, some saw record-breaking lows this weekend.
Third teen pleads guilty in death of homeless Toronto man
A third girl accused in the death of a homeless Toronto man has pleaded guilty. The teen, who was 13 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty this morning to manslaughter in the death of Kenneth Lee.
China blames Philippines for ship collision in South China Sea. Manila calls the report deceptive
A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China's coast guard said, in the latest flare-up of escalating territorial disputes that have sparked alarm.
Canadians paying significantly more for airfares as summer ticket prices jump
A new report says travellers are paying significantly more to fly within Canada this summer compared with last year.
opinion Symbolic meaning behind Princess of Wales' style choices at first public appearance since diagnosis revealed
The Trooping the Colour marked the first public outing this year for the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen at any official royal engagements since December 2023. We now know that was due to abdominal surgery and preventive chemotherapy, with no return to public life anytime soon. But the Princess of Wales chose this occasion to soft launch her return to royal life, and it was eagerly anticipated.
Canadian-American suspect in plot to kill Sikh separatist extradited to U.S.
An Indian man suspected by the U.S. of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil has been extradited to the United States from the Czech Republic, the Czech justice minister said on Monday.
Safety board says unregistered submersibles still operating since Titan
The Transportation Safety Board says other unregistered submersibles have been operating within Canadian waters since the Titan made its doomed descent to view the Titanic wreck one year ago.
Gordon Ramsay says he's 'lucky' to be alive, shows off severe bruising after cycling accident
Gordon Ramsay says he’s grateful to be alive but shaken after a recent cycling accident in Connecticut.