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/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
LIVE UPDATES Critical infrastructure 'successfully protected': Jasper park officials
Jasper National Park officials in an update said all critical infrastructure in the townsite has been "successfully protected, including the hospital, emergency services building, both elementary and junior/senior schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant."
BREAKING Canadian Olympic Committee removes women soccer team's head coach over drone scandal
The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed women's national soccer team head coach Bev Priestman over a drone scandal, according to a press release from the organization.
'I was just shocked': Jasper lodge owner on seeing property destroyed by wildfire
On Wednesday night, the owner of Maligne Lodge in Jasper, Alta., was shocked to receive a photo of her business engulfed in flames.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Yukon woman narrowly escapes bear attack, credits hair clip
A woman in Yukon believes her hair clip helped save her during a bear attack.
P.E.I. and New Brunswick among most overworked provinces in Canada, study finds
A study says Prince Edward Island is the second most overworked province in Canada based on average weekly hours worked, while New Brunswick falls in third.
Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have burned in a wildfire.
OPINION Prince Harry: Press intrusion and the family rift explored in new doc
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has once again found himself at the centre of media attention following his recent interview as part of 'Tabloids on Trial,' an ITV documentary on phone hacking and tabloid intrusion.
Tourist suffers 3rd-degree burns to feet after losing flip flops amid soaring temperatures in Death Valley
A tourist was hospitalized after suffering third-degree burns on his feet on Saturday when he lost his flip flops at a national park in California where temperatures soared past 50 C.