Vancouver City Hall fast-tracked more hotel rooms than affordable homes over the past year and a half, according to a new report released today by UNITE HERE Local 40. The analysis finds that in 2025, council approved 1,011 hotel rooms compared with 719 social housing and co-op homes, and that the gap has persisted into 2026.
Year-to-date in 2026, council approved nearly 2,000 hotel rooms compared with 1,848 social, non-market, and co-op homes, the report says. Combined, that amounts to 16.2 per cent more hotel rooms than affordable housing units approved during the period analyzed, even as hotel developers received new incentives, reduced contributions, and faster approvals.
'Vancouver residents and workers are being told there is an urgent hotel room crisis, but the data tells a different story,' said Zailda Chan, president of UNITE HERE Local 40. 'At a time when people are struggling to afford rent, City Hall should be moving with urgency to build affordable housing, not giving hotel developers a fast track.'
The report lands as Vancouver's housing market shows unusual strain: the city recorded only 1,713 home sales in September, the fifth-slowest September since 2005, with the benchmark price falling for a fourth straight month to $1,075,900. The union argues the city has an affordability crisis, not a hotel crisis, with weeks to go before the October 17 municipal election.
