Home Sweet Hotel: The Burrard

If you’re into big city travel like I am, you’ll be familiar—like I am—with big city hotel prices. It’s easy to find an available suite for five-hundred dollars a night, but that’s unrealistic for this solo traveler’s wallet. 

However, another commonality you may run into is a boutique hotel that’s trying to change that. In Vancouver, B.C., that’s The Burrard. 

I had the pleasure of sitting down to coffee with the hotel’s general manager, Darren Simpson, at the attached Elysian Coffee Roasters. Besides a cup of perfectly brewed drip, I was enlightened by the story of how The Burrard came to be and what a day in the life is like for a small hotel’s general manager, something I didn’t know I was interested in until I was hearing about it for the first time. 

The Burrard itself is a unique space for a notoriously grey and gloomy city, and you can see it before you even enter the lobby. The old Hollywood-style neon is viewable from several blocks away. As you step inside, you’re met with a bright retro vibe that includes custom art from artist Dina Goldstein. It only gets cuter the deeper in you go.

Pick up your keycard from the friendly and informative front desk personnel, then take the stairwell or elevator up a couple levels to your desired floor—and welcome to Palm Springs. The open-air hallway walls are designated turquoise and yellow, which marries perfectly with the crisp white railings and grass-green carpet. I only wish I could have seen it all in the rain. 

There’s a beautiful outdoor fireplace to relax and mingle with other guests if you wish (the only thing missing is s’mores), under the cover of some stately palm trees that look quite at home within the hotel but out of place in Vancouver as a whole. It’s an interesting clash of vacation vibes—every time I walked out the door, I felt like I stepped from California back into Canada. 

One thing is for sure; escaping to The Burrard from the city you’re already vacationing in sets the mood for a radically relaxing trip. It’s rare that I find a kitschy idea for a hotel so enjoyable, but The Burrard seems to have it all down to the very last detail.