OUR LEGACY

The hotel was officially opened by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on May 29, during their Royal Tour of Canada. The Fourteenth Floor had been specially designed just for their stay. They also enjoyed a civic lunch in the ballroom during their visit.

Dal Richards was an institution at the hotel's Panorama Roof Ballroom on the 15th floor. The Dal Richards Orchestra played 5 nights a week for 25 years, with a live CBC radio broadcast every Saturday evening.

Jennie Pearl Cox, a socialite who regularly attended luxurious events at the hotel, was killed in a tragic car accident. Since then, there have been numerous sightings of a lady in a red dress that seemingly disappears in front of them.

The hotel underwent an extensive modernization. Original fixtures of mahogany, brass, crystal and floral patterns were replaced with the plastic lights, bright colours and geometric patterns that were fashionable at the time.

In 1939, Hotel Vancouver opened with a bold art moderne design for the lobby, restaurants, and suites of the hotel, and a classic Adam brothers style for the ballroom and event floor… but that was only the beginning. Spanning over eight decades, Hotel Vancouver’s design history tells a story of changing trends and lasting looks. Discover what original design survived years of extensive renovations, changes in brand management, and conflicting visions for the future.

From Mark Twain's meeting with reporters from bed in 1895, to HRH Queen Elizabeth & Princess Anne, Liberace, Bob Hope, and The Supremes visits in the 1970s, Hotel Vancouver has always been the place 'where important happens' in the city. 

Through the 1940s, Vancouver required that taverns be segregated with a four-foot-high wall separating male and female patrons. The men’s side of Hotel Vancouver’s beer parlour became known in the LGBTQ community as a safe space to meet others.

In 2018, 79 years after King George VI and Queen Elizabeth became the first guests to occupy the space, Hotel Vancouver completed the restoration of the luxurious Fourteenth Floor Heritage Suites. Drawing inspiration from a former era defined by the romance of rail travel, elaborate garments, and brocade fabrics, the luxurious Hotel Vancouver suites feature contemporary designs married with the hotel’s rich heritage.