Rooftop bar, lounge and pool for 33-storey hotel on Granville Strip in Vancouver

Rooftop bar, lounge and pool proposed for new 33-storey hotel tower in the Granville Entertainment District

Artistic rendering of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

More details and artistic renderings have been released for the proposal to build a new 33-storey, 100% hotel tower at the northwest corner of the intersection of Davie Street and Granville Street.

Earlier this month, Daily Hive Urbanized first reported the hotel tower proposal for 717 Davie Street, which will replace a handful of low-storey commercial buildings including Cold Tea Restaurant.

The full rezoning application details submitted to the City of Vancouver are now available, and it indicates the entire tower rooftop on the 33rd level will be a 7,500 sq ft “secluded oasis” attraction, including a 2,000 sq ft indoor bar and lounge, and a 5,500 sq ft outdoor patio with a 90-ft-long outdoor swimming pool.

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“These elevated amenities not only provide a relaxing retreat but also offer panoramic views of downtown Vancouver and its surroundings. Hotel guests can relax while immersing views of downtown Vancouver and its surroundings,” reads the project description.

717 davie street vancouver hotel tower 20

Floor plan of the 33rd level of 717 Davie Street, Vancouver, with a bar, lounge, and outdoor pool. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

Artistic rendering of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

Floor plan uses of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

Between the fifth and 32nd levels, there will be a total of 464 hotel rooms — effectively more than doubling the existing 318 hotel rooms found within downtown Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District.

Additional amenities for hotel guests cover the fourth level, including an indoor swimming pool, fitness gym, yoga/fitness room, spa, and a covered outdoor lower rooftop terrace wrapping around the building’s base podium edge above Davie and Granville streets.

Further down will be publicly accessible spaces, including meeting and event rooms covering the third level, a 5,000 sq ft restaurant on the second level, and an additional bar and lounge area on the ground level. The hotel lobby and main entrance will be located on the Davie Street side, next to the laneway.

“Through the contribution of hotel rooms, event spaces and at-grade commercial space, the development seeks to enhance the connectivity of the West Loop by increasing ‘body heat’ through hotel guests and tourism/retail activity on Granville Street and at this critical Downtown juncture of Davie and Granville Street,” reads the application.

“The goal is to draw the energy of Davie Village around the corner and up Granville Street to attract hotel guests and residents alike to revitalize and restore Granville Street as a vibrant and safe retail and entertainment district.”

Artistic rendering of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

The project is spearheaded by developer Deecorp Properties and local architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership.

If approved, this would be the tallest building within the Granville Entertainment District. The design is fully compliant with the protected mountain view cones that cross through the development site, with the tower’s upper half shaved slightly along the Granville Street frontage to abide with View Cone 12 emanating from the Granville Street Bridge deck. The tower’s ultimate height maximizes what is permitted below the sweeping View Cone 3 emanating from Queen Elizabeth Park’s hilltop viewpoint.

“As the tallest building on Granville Street situated off the Granville Bridge, it will serve as a visual gateway to the downtown core, creating a welcoming arrival point for those entering the city,” reads the application.

Height restrictions due to the protected mountain view cones crossing through the hotel tower site at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

Artistic rendering of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

The scale of the project and its type of uses — in complete alignment with what is typically associated with an entertainment district — will help trigger the revitalization of the Granville Strip. Moreover, it follows the early directions of the City’s master planning process for the Granville Entertainment District, with the intensification of both daytime activities and nighttime entertainment uses, and City Council’s specific call for more hotels in the area.

“Hotel, hospitality, restaurant and entertainment uses should be maximized on the site to provide human activity at all hours of the day and increase the sense of safety on Granville Street. Tourists are active at all times of day and can provide ‘eyes on the street’ by frequenting area restaurants, patios and entertainments venues,” continues the project description.

Existing condition:

717 Davie Street Vancouver hotel proposal

Existing site of Cold Tea Restaurant at 717 Davie Street (1193 Granville Street), Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

For these reasons, the project has the stated support of both Downtown Van (the local business improvement association) and local tourism bureau Destination Vancouver, which is forecasting the need for 20,000 additional hotel rooms in Metro Vancouver over the coming decades, including 10,000 additional rooms within Vancouver.

This project, amongst the largest current hotel proposals, will help fill the growing overnight accommodations demand and prevent the attrition of Vancouver’s major job-creating tourism industry. Without a significant surge in capacity, the hotel room shortage will gradually become acute starting in 2026.

Altogether, the tower will have a total building floor area of 392,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 21.8 times larger than the size of the development site. It will replace not only Cold Tea Restaurant, but also the adjacent buildings currently occupied with dispensaries, a vape shop, Grade A Restaurant, and Mr. Greek Donair Town. Two underground levels will accommodate 33 vehicle parking stalls.

Development site of the hotel tower at 717 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Deecorp Properties)

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