Hotel Willo

Old YWCA, so many rooms are modestly small and with a shared bathroom. That being said, many positives: nice roof deck, workout room, laundry and kitchenettes. A bit like an upscale hostel. Vancouver is CRAZY expensive for hotels, so I can’t hold that against them. Would be nice since they are calling themselves a “hotel” now if they upgraded the linens and pillows (ikea actually has some nice pillows, then just better sheets and towels). Near skytrain, so easy to get to and from the airport. Also where you want to be location wise. Nears groceries and good food as well. Some seedy parts of town a few blocks away but didn’t feel dangerous, more sad. Definitely get up to Denman Village and Stanley Park as those are the gems of Vancouver. Buses are easy and you lay with your phone, plus bikes and scooters ever couple blocks, or just walk. Staff is friendly too, although I wish the bibles weren’t in every room, feels smarmy 1950’s proselytizing. I know, former YWCA…

Excellent location and rooms. I had a double bed with private bathroom and it exceeded my expectations with the functionality and cleaninless - reminded me of Tokyo hotels - great use os space! Felt safe as a solo traveler in the neighborhood. Lots of places to eat within walking distance and different price ranges. Close by train stations. 10-12 min walk from Gastown and center city. Luggage storage options and staff was very helpful. Did not use kitchen but the availability is a bonus if traveling for long or don't want to eat outside food. Environment friendly and knowing your money going into social enterprise was cherry on the cake. Will come back again!

We came here for a few days to see the city and I’m grateful I chose this hotel. Overall lovely staff, nice petite rooms. You have a kitchen outside of your room that everyone can use and you can cook full meals and not have to send money on take out if you don’t want to! I love that personally! 13/10 experience! We will definitely be back more prepared! Thank you so much for having us :)

We booked a 2x queen bed room with our own ensuite. The room was fabulous, large and the private ensuite was great. Everything was so clean and quiet. The beds were very comfortable and a small opening window allowed us fresh air as needed. We were given a room on the 10th floor so the general street noise and nearby construction was not an issue. The hotel even offers several large communal kitchens and laundry facilities if you want to be more self-sufficient than just a hotel stay. Our own room had a decent sized fridge and enough chairs for the three of us. The Willo also felt very safe and secure with access cards required everywhere and visible staff at the entrance at all times. The staff are very kind, warm, welcoming and helpful. The location is great - away from many of the 'downsides' of downtown Vancouver and is affordable and better value than many other hotels I checked beforehand. It's easy to get around the city from the location with walking access to stations, buses, shopping and attractions. This place is a hidden gem and I would highly recommend it, especially if you are attending a concert or sports event as it is situated next to two major stadiums. Safe and very secure as well. My only suggestion would be not to bring a car as parking is iffy and expensive. We opted to return our car to Hertz before getting an Uber to the hotel and we were glad we did. The public transport system is great for getting around quickly and parking around Vancouver can be limited and expensive.

Make sure if you want to have privacy book a room with a private bathroom. Colleague booked a room with a single shared washroom for the entire floor. We were able to upgrade our room with a private washroom for an additional $100 a night. Room wasn’t that spectacular for the total price.