Smithe House

Smithe House opened in late 2024 in Vancouver's Yaletown neighbourhood, converting three floors of never-leased office space inside the 2020-built Smithe tower into a 37-suite contactless aparthotel. Operated by Kalido Hospitality Group in partnership with building developer Boffo, the property pairs full-kitchen suites and a digital check-in system with boutique-hotel details such as a local coffee program, aimed at both short getaways and multi-month stays.

The place

Smithe House occupies the base of The Smithe, a 26-storey mixed-use residential tower at 225 Smithe Street at the northwest corner of Smithe and Cambie in Yaletown, downtown Vancouver: a short walk from the Vancouver Seawall and the neighbourhood's shopping and entertainment strip. Roughly 100 condominium homes sit above the hotel floors, though hotel guests have no access to the residential building's own amenity spaces.

The concept

Vancouver-based Kalido Hospitality Group converted more than 30,000 square feet of office space across the third, fourth and fifth floors of The Smithe, completed in 2020 but never leased to an office tenant, into 37 contactless apartment-hotel suites, taking roughly 18 months from concept to opening rather than the four-plus years a ground-up hotel build would have required. Partner Chris Evans said the biggest construction challenge was retrofitting plumbing for 37 units, which required coring 425 holes through the existing concrete structure. The hotel operates under a hotel license rather than short-term-rental rules, targets both short stays and multi-month bookings from business travellers, relocating families and B.C.'s film and television industry, and runs front-desk-free, with guests managing check-in and room access through a digital key system.

Suites range from studios to two-bedroom family layouts with a king bedroom, a second bedroom with bunk and sofa beds, full kitchens, in-suite laundry and custom-made furniture: designed, per managing partner Javier Cepeda, to let guests "experience the city like a local" while keeping boutique-hotel service details such as a curated local coffee program and Vancouver-made bath amenities from Tallu & Co.

Dining & wellness

There is no on-site restaurant; food service is limited to an in-room coffee program using beans from Pallet Coffee Roasters. Guests have access to an on-site 24-hour gym, in-suite laundry, and self-parking for $30 per night.