Brand new hotel in Vancouver's Chinatown to open this summer | Daily Hive

Construction progress on Keefer House hotel in Vancouver's Chinatown, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

A soon-to-open boutique hotel in Vancouver’s Chinatown will add to the historic district’s revitalization efforts, offering much-needed accommodations and enhancing the area’s appeal.

Construction on the new 10-storey building that will contain the Keefer House hotel is now approaching the final stages. Work on the project first began in late 2023 with excavation.

Javier Cepeda, managing partner of Kalido Hospitality, told Daily Hive Urbanized the property is expected to have its grand opening in Summer 2025, with reservations opening in the coming months.

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The new hotel building is located mid-block at 123 Keefer Street — wedged between the historic Keefer Hotel building (The Keefer Bar) to the east and the future 105 Keefer Street mixed-use residential building development to the west, and just north of the Chinatown Parkade.

Previously, this narrow development site for Keefer House was a longtime surface vehicle parking lot.

keefer house hotel 123 keefer street vancouver chinatown 1

Construction progress on Keefer House hotel in Vancouver’s Chinatown, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

Unlike a traditional short-term stay hotel, Keefer House will have 58 units under a fully-furnished designer apartment hotel concept, with guests using a digital key system for check-in, check-out, and guest services.

“Each apartment is thoughtfully designed to provide a seamless blend of comfort and style, featuring state-of-the-art technology and the meticulous attention to detail that defines our brand. Guests can expect a tech-powered stay experience that offers radical flexibility and privacy, with a digital key system and curated neighbourhood recommendations at their fingertips,” Cepeda told Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry.

Artistic rendering of Keefer House hotel at 123 Keefer Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown. (Kalido Hospitality)

Kalido Hospitality also recently opened the Smithe House hotel under a similar apartment hotel concept. The company converted three levels of office space — within the base of the 2021-built, 26-storey mixed-use residential building of The Smithe tower at 225 Smithe Street in Yaletown — into three dozen apartment hotel suites.

To date, he says, Smithe House has been very well received by its guests, including those working in the insurance, film production, and construction industries.

For Keefer House, it is set to help meet both the growing tourism demand and the anticipated need for overnight accommodations near the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus, scheduled to open in 2027.

“We are confident that Keefer House will offer an exceptional experience, much like Smithe House, and we look forward to welcoming guests to this exciting new destination,” continued Cepeda.

“Additionally, Keefer House’s proximity to the new St. Paul’s Hospital makes it an ideal choice for medical professionals and patients seeking comfortable, convenient lodging.”

Smithe House

Both the Keefer House and Smithe House represent a net gain to Vancouver’s hotel room supply, which is currently experiencing an extreme shortage, resulting in soaring overnight rates.

Just one block to the east of Keefer House, there is also a plan by a different group to convert the upper three floors of the five-storey retail/office building at 610 Main Street into a small hotel of about 30 suites — under a similar non-traditional hotel concept. The development building permit was approved and issued in July 2024.

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