YWCA Hotel Vancouver

This YWCA hosts a diverse mix of budget-conscious travelers who don't want to sacrifice good design for affordable rates. The lobby is cheerful and bright, thanks to a wall of windows and colorful, IKEA-style furniture. Concrete columns next to the curved, wooden front desk sport decorative tiles with uplifting messages, and tropical plants and cut flowers enhance the pleasant atmosphere. The hotel stays busy all year-round with sightseers and business travelers, and it can get a bit hectic on days when events are taking place at BC Place. It’s a friendly and relatively peaceful place, where safety is ensured by key-card access to elevators within sight of the front desk. 

The YWCA Hotel is conveniently located in downtown Vancouver, directly across the street from BC Place Stadium and near Rogers Arena, Edgewater Casino, and the Plaza of Nations ferry dock (all roughly an eight-minute walk). Three other hotels surround the YWCA on a busy road, and lots of restaurants are a short walk away, including those that line Robson Street, which is just two minutes away on foot. The Queen Elizabeth Theater is a four-minute stroll, and it's a five-minute walk to a Costco. The Vancouver Convention Centre, the Canada Place building, and cruise ship terminal are a 19-minute walk or 12 minutes via public transit. It takes 15 minutes by public transit to reach Sunset Beach Park, and Vancouver International Airport is a 30-minute drive, or 40 minutes on the city’s rail lines. 

Guest rooms at YWCA Hotel Vancouver are comfortable and as stylish as some budget-friendly boutique properties. Carpeting is solid green and pairs well with the gray accent walls and drapes, and units are bright thanks to decent-size windows and plenty of lighting. Headboards have a light-wood finish and match desks with drawers, and there and steel-framed desk chairs. Beds don sheets in a modern, yellow-and-black pattern that coordinate with framed prints for a pulled-together look. Units vary in size and are based on bed options that range from small Singles to more spacious Double Doubles, Triples, and even Quints (five twin beds). Bathroom arrangements also vary, and include rooms that share hallway bathrooms, semi-private rooms that share connected bathrooms with one other room, and private rooms with their own bathrooms. Units with shared bathrooms have their own small vanities, however, and some private rooms have vanities outside their bathrooms. Amenities include AC, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, toiletries, landline phones, hairdryers, and free Wi-Fi. Roomy open closets with hangers provide ample storage space. Bathrooms are basic but tidy, and come with stall showers or shower/tub combos with standard white tiling. Units are relatively quiet for a big-city property on a busy road, and some of the views of the city skyline are quite nice -- particularly those overlooking BC Place. 

This hotel’s amenities are typical of a budget property. The Java Express coffee shop offers a menu that includes pastries, fruit, and light lunches to go. Fully equipped guest kitchens are available on three different floors, with seating provided. There's also an ATM and a vending machine with snacks and soft drinks. The fitness center with two stationary bicycles, an elliptical, and a weight-training machine is a nice perk. A computer and printer in the lobby serves as the business center, and there's a guest laundry room with one washing machine and two dryers. There's also a meeting room that can accommodate up to 90 people, and a lounge with a lending library, TV, and board games. Parking is available in the hotel’s underground garage at reasonable rates, but it’s limited and can’t be reserved in advance. Wi-Fi is free throughout