Vancouver sells itself: mountains on one side, ocean on the other, and a seawall you can jog between the two. But where you sleep matters in a city where the itinerary is equal parts hiking, museums and Shakespeare in the park. Condé Nast Traveler has rounded up 20 of the city's best hotels, and the list spans everything from apartment-style budget stays to chandeliered luxury.
For a stay with substance, Skwachàys Lodge is hard to top. Canada's first Aboriginal boutique arts hotel was once a rundown single-room-occupancy building before a CA$10.5 million (about US$7.6 million) renovation. Today it blends social housing with 18 tourist rooms, topped by a giant totem pole on the roof. Book ahead and you can join a traditional First Nations sweat lodge ceremony in the rooftop garden — not something you'll find at the Marriott.
At the luxury end, the Fairmont Pacific Rim is the pick of the city's four Fairmonts, with a Michelin-recommended restaurant (The Botanist), a bar ranked among the World's 50 Best, and an immersive suite designed by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland. The Rosewood Hotel Georgia, open since 1927 and renovated again in 2024, counters with a 52-foot saltwater lap pool, the Sense spa, and David Hawksworth's acclaimed restaurant. Both the Wedgewood — running since 1984, refreshed most recently in 2026 and holding a Michelin Key — and the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (1939) bring old-world polish.
There are quieter wins too. L'Hermitage hides just 60 rooms on the upper floors of a downtown residential building, with a year-round heated lap pool and one of the city's best afternoon teas. The Parq-adjacent JW Marriott offers 329 rooms and a 17th-floor outdoor Aqua Lounge. The Westin Bayshore, a Stanley Park landmark since 1961, still has its circular pool over Burrard Inlet — and you can sleep in the suite Howard Hughes occupied for six months. After Vancouver's Shangri-La closed in 2025, the building reopened under Hyatt and is slated to become a Park Hyatt once renovations wrap by the end of 2026.
On the practical side, The Como in the West End offers one- and two-bedroom units with full kitchens a short walk from English Bay — a solid family pick. The ultramodern Paradox sits right at Waterfront Station for easy SkyTrain access.
Who's this for? Anyone planning a Vancouver trip who wants the hotel to match the setting — whether that means a rooftop pool with mountain views, a cultural stay that supports Indigenous artists, or a kitchen to feed the kids after a day on the Seawall. The throughline from the list: Vancouver rewards hotels that lean into their location, so pick the neighbourhood first, then the pillows.
