The Westin Bayshore sits on Coal Harbour between downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park.
Westin Bayshore history stretches from a bold 1961 opening on Coal Harbour to one of Vancouver’s most enduring hotel legends. The landmark hosted Howard Hughes for nearly six months and grew alongside the city. Sixty-five years later, it still feels distinctly Vancouver.
The hotel sits where the downtown skyline meets marina masts, mountain views and the entrance to Stanley Park. That rare setting gives guests a resort experience without taking them away from the city.
That sense of place shaped “Bayshore ’65,” the anniversary celebration on September 9, 2026. The waterfront setting offered a fitting stage for a hotel that has always built its identity around fresh air, water and the view.
Bayshore ’65 turned the hotel into a walk-through timeline
Instead of keeping guests in one ballroom, the party flowed through the hotel’s courtyard, poolside deck and H2 Kitchen + Bar. Each space represented a different era, taking guests from the Bayshore Inn’s 1961 opening through 65 years of Vancouver history.
Retro-inspired decor set the scene, while historical photo galleries brought the hotel’s past into view. Images of prominent former guests added another layer of nostalgia and reminded partygoers how many stories have unfolded at this waterfront resort.
Decade-themed food and cocktails told the story
Rather than serve a traditional sit-down dinner, the culinary team created interactive food and drink stations inspired by different decades. Chefs balanced retro presentation with modern dishes, giving each stop its own place in the hotel’s timeline.
Fresh pasta stations brought extra energy to the courtyard as chefs prepared dishes in front of guests. Behind the bar, decade-inspired cocktails nodded to memorable chapters in the hotel’s dining history, including the much-loved Trader Vic’s era.
Live entertainment kept every era moving
At the pool, kemelu beats performed live and delivered DJ sets curated around the musical eras of the hotel’s 65-year history. The changing soundtrack helped each decade feel distinct while keeping the party moving across the waterfront spaces.
Playful activations filled the rest of the venue. Rick Mearns performed live magic, Tattoos for Now created custom airbrush tattoos, and Twistin Sam turned balloon art into an unexpected party highlight. Together, the performers made the anniversary feel social, lively and unmistakably celebratory.
Westin Bayshore history began with a bold waterfront plan
When the Bayshore Inn opened on March 27, 1961, Coal Harbour looked very different. Local businessmen Hugh Martin and Douglas Welch developed the hotel through Marwell Construction on land reclaimed from tidal flats. Their team drove concrete piles down to bedrock and created a site where they had first imagined a motel.
A partnership with Seattle-based Western Hotels gave the project a much bigger scope. The partners replaced the roadside-motel concept with a full-service resort hotel. The project reportedly cost $6 million and became the first property Western Hotels built from the ground up.
Vancouver architect Douglas C. Simpson designed the original 308-room hotel in a T shape. A low-rise wing followed the street, while a taller wing reached toward the water. The modern design made the most of the property’s greatest amenity: Vancouver itself.
A new tower and Howard Hughes made the Bayshore a landmark
The Bayshore grew with Vancouver. Developers added a separate tower in 1970, expanding the hotel and creating the silhouette that still defines this corner of Coal Harbour. In 1981, the hotel company adopted the Westin name and renamed the Bayshore Inn as The Westin Bayshore.
Between those milestones came the hotel’s most famous chapter. Reclusive billionaire, aviator and film producer Howard Hughes checked into the Bayshore Inn on March 14, 1972. He occupied a three-room penthouse for almost six months. Hotel accounts say he never appeared outside it. Reporters tried to catch a glimpse, but the mystery only made the story bigger.
The suite still carries his name. The story remains irresistible because it sits somewhere between Vancouver history and Hollywood folklore. Generations of travellers, celebrities and major events have passed through the Bayshore, but Hughes gave the hotel a legend all its own.
The Bayshore kept its resort spirit
A hotel that lasts 65 years must change. The smartest updates, however, protect what guests loved in the first place. At the Bayshore, that through-line is the connection between indoors and outdoors.
Longtime Vancouverites may remember the hotel’s Trader Vic’s era and its poolside sense of escape. Today, H2 Kitchen + Bar and H Tasting Lounge continue the food-and-drink story. Indoor and outdoor pools, Vida Spa, fitness and yoga programs, cedar barrel saunas and easy seawall access strengthen the hotel’s urban-resort identity.
The gardens connect the property to the neighbourhood, too. Canadian Geographic has highlighted the hotel’s apiary and the wildlife that wanders over from nearby Stanley Park. That closeness to nature still feels remarkable in a dense downtown setting.
Why The Westin Bayshore still feels like Vancouver
The Westin Bayshore now offers 499 rooms and suites across two buildings. Yet location, not size, drives its appeal. Few Vancouver hotels place guests this close to the seawall, Stanley Park, the marina and downtown at the same time.
That balance makes the Bayshore more than a familiar landmark. It reflects Vancouver at its best: polished but relaxed, urban but close to nature, proud of its history and willing to reinvent itself.
Sixty-five years after the first guests checked into the Bayshore Inn, the view remains spectacular. More importantly, the hotel still knows exactly what to do with it.
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