Buchan Hotel

Great location, close to plenty of restaurants and attractions. Shared washrooms and showers (super clean), beds are little on the firm side but not terribly uncomfortable, slight old smell and thanks to then people next door cannabis, free coffee and tea in the lounge area, parking-​parking was probably the biggest issue of the weekend.
After my first night my companion and I were towed (thank goodness towing expenses aren’t bad in Vancouver); as a precaution we decided to park our last night in the lot we were told about. It wasn’t a bad price only $ 8, the bad part was we were told by the front desk attendant that we had to be out of the garage by 6 am. Unfortunately that was not the case, on weekends the Parking garage doesn’t open before 7:30 am. So we checked earlier than needed and spent time in the coffee shop a block away after spending 10 minuets trying to figure out how to get our car back. Thank goodness for the security guard.

Pretty great location, a few blocks from Stanley park and several restaurants, coffee shops etc. Parking can be hard there are only a few areas with 2 hr parking spots the rest are permit only; the hotel has a small parking area for $ 10 dlls but it sells out quickly. The hotel suggested to park overnight at a close by parking for $ 8dlls but we got lucky and snatched one of those 2 hr parking. There’s no elevator only stairs but its not bad. The place is charming, the rooms are small but comfortable with a vornado fan, a sink inside each room, flat tv and i was pleased to see the mattresses had bed bug coverups. The room was impecable! We selected a room with shared barhroom but i saw a few rooms that had their private bathroom. The shared bathrooms were clean, staff was very friendly and accomodating. Theres a restaurant next door that i wanted to try but didnt have the time. I highly recommend staying here.

Their perfect location and their comfy rooms make The Buchan Hotel the perfect place to stop by in Vancouver for an affordable price. The rooms have their own sink although you’ll have to share the washroom and the shower (they’re really clean). The only thing that I would improve is the internet speed. Sometimes it doesn’t work properly and you have to connect everyday though the password is the same. The managers are really nice and they have free coffee in the common area.

I love this place. My husband and I live in Vancouver but book a weekend here each year for our anniversary. Its not luxurious, but we appreciate the character of the building, the location (the west end is a great neighbourhood!) and the quiet. It is a great deal all year round, very comfortable, clean and classic rooms (no crappy linoleum, no scary flower print bed-​cover). You do have to walk up a few flights of stairs but I don’t think its a big deal, and no elevator adds to the old world charm of the place. Very quaint and very nice, unassuming staff.
I should add that we accidentally booked two rooms and found out the day of our check in this year. The staff kindly did not charge us a cancellation fee. Very honest.

My boyfriend and I visited Vancouver for 5 days and this cute little hotel was perfect for us. 10 minute walk from Stanley Park, 20 minute walk from the heart of Downtown, 1 minute walk to a bus stop, and a price that really can’t be beat. We stayed on the 3^rd floor and although it was tough climbing up the stairs after a day of walking, it wasn’t too bad. We had our own toilet and sink but the shower was shared. If you’re into luxury hotel-​type setups I suppose this wouldn’t be the place for you, but if you just need a quiet comfortable and clean place to stay while exploring Vancouver, I can’t recommend the Buchan hotel enough!

Hubby and I stayed here on our trip to Vancouver. We chose this hotel because we had absolutely no idea where to stay since we had never been to Vancouver before. So we did some research and this was the best priced hotel located closest to downtown. We now understand that this is an area called «West end» and it’s not exactly right next to downtown, but it would be about a 20min walk to get to that area and that was fine with us. Plus, we were located next to some awesome streets as well, like Robson and Denman. Plus it was a hop, skip, and a jump away from Stanley Park. The location of the hotel, in general, was a nice, quiet residential type atmosphere. Barely any noise, 1 or 2 cars pass through every so often, and just people jogging or walking their dogs up and down the street. I loved the street! (Haro St.) We found this place on
and thought it was a great deal.
The hotel itself looked old and dated, and when we got inside it had that old library smell but hey, what do you expect for a building that was built in early 1900s? Otherwise, it was very clean and well kept. Plus, me and hubby just needed a place to sleep as we were gonna be out and about all the time anyway. The front desk people were always nice and as helpful as possible. And we never once saw the cleaning lady STOP cleaning lol, and she was very nice as well. It does say in the description on the website that there are shared bathrooms so we were a bit reluctant to choose this hotel because we’ve never been to a place that shares bathrooms/​showers. BUT… it actually wasn’t bad at all! There was never a time where all the stalls were in use, you just have to get in and get out and that was fine with us. We never had any hangups in using the shared facilities. The room itself was nice, clean and cozy. It was not the biggest room ever, but again we didn’t mind, as we were gone most of the time anyway.
The only reason I’m giving this place a 4 and not a 5 is because there was no elevator (or at least we didn’t see one lol). We didn’t necessarily mind to walk stairs, but after a days worth of exploring Vancouver it would have been nice to hop on an elevator to get to my room rather than climbing 3 flights of stairs.
Overall this place is awesome if you’re on a budget and you just need a quick place to sleep. We would stay here again or possibly find a hotel that’s actually in the downtown area next time.

Superb location two blocks from the thick of the bustling West End with its many restaurants and bars, but also close to serene Stanley Park. My room was very clean and comfortable, although the private bathroom was so narrow I had to stand sideways to shave. Also there was no parking available and it can be challenging to find a spot on the street, although I eventually did. The front desk man was exceptionally welcoming and helpful. There were a few noisy guests around, but they calmed down around 11:30 and I got a fine night’s sleep. An excellent deal.

So I am a bit mixed on this hotel, it is definitely a great deal for a room with 2 double beds and your own bathroom in July, in Vancouver for $ 130 a night. But:
1) No A/​C. I was aware when I booked it and was a bit relieved when the weekend came and the heat wave broke. But the room stayed hotter than the outside for the entire time we were there, it never cooled off. I hate to think what it would be like when it is really hot.
2) We left the hotel at 7:30 am and returned at 2:45 to find that our room had not had maid service yet. I needed a siesta so we just dealt with it but not what you want.
3) Slow drain in shower, very small shower. The shower is truly tiny, you have to shut the water off to soap up and then turn it back on to rinse — it’s that small. Not a big deal if there is a shutoff on the shower head but there isn’t. Also the shower did not drain properly and even with shutting the water off you end up standing in a pool of water which just isn’t pleasant.
None of this is a deal breaker if you are aware of it going in but the temperature in the room, considering the lovely cool air outside is a huge red flag for me personally. As well our particular room’s window overlooked the patio of the restaurant in the building and was very noisy so kind of sucky when trying to cool the room.
However this is a great deal and a clean well managed place. It is a fun, convenient location in the West End just off of Denman and easy for transit and Stanley Park. Your experience could be different without a room that stays as warm which would remove almost all my hesitation in a full recommend.

Let me preface this review by saying that the Buchan hotel isn’t really a hotel, but it’s more like a hostel /​motel /​collegiate dormitory rolled into one distinct hotel property.
I found this property on
while booking my adventures in Vancouver. I wanted to be in downtown Vancouver, but didn’t want to pay extra for for just the basic comforts of a bed and privacy. When you strip down to the basic essentials of what you want in a hotel room, you almost always get something you’d find at the Buchan hotel and that’s what is what I got. Yes, this place is a bare bones /​no frills hotel in the heart of Vancouver — west end. The prices here were pretty good, considering that I only paid about $ 70/​night CAD without the applicable taxes. While it wasn’t in the downtown district, the sacrifice of comfort and location was mitigated with the price paid for the lodging. This place is definitely for those budget conscious, collegiate travelers, backpackers, and those who want to do the alternative to the hotel experience. If you are one of those type of travelers, you may do well here at the Buchan hotel. The overall experience felt like being in a large home, where you share bathroom and shower facilities, but you have your own space.
I found this place to be quite good, if you don’t mind the hostel type surroundings. The Buchan hotel was quite adequate for my needs. Just a clean room, cheap, secure, and relatively in the heart of downtown Vancouver. If you don’t like this type of set up, then you’re probably be better off in a regular hotel. I was here for 2 nights and in room 53, on the 3^rd floor. It was a challenge trying to climb the stairs after running the BMO Vancouver marathon, let me tell you. The Buchan hotel is located in quiet residential settings in beautiful Vancouver, in the west end at 1906 Haro Street. It’s basically a converted apartment building of some kind. I kind of lucked out as far as parking. I didn’t know how the parking situation worked on street parking, since I assume you need a permit of some kind. I got lucky when there was space in back of the building specifically for hotel guests and it was the last one. I basically left my rental car there for the duration of my stay and used my legs to get around. It was $ 10/​day CAD for parking, which I didn’t mind and thought that was cheap anyway. The hotel accepts credit cards, so that’s always a plus in the 21^st century.
The service here was interesting enough, but the guy who checked me in was very friendly, knowledgable, and seemed to be happy to be working there. They use old school metallic keys for the units, which wasn’t bad at all. The room itself was a nice comfortable bed with a television, a desk, and a sink. Yes, it definitely felt like I was in a pretty nice college dormitory. The facilities for the shower and bathroom were separate, which was kind of weird, but that’s how it was. I admit that this place was kind of muggy and it didn’t have any air condition whatsoever. For the price I paid, I could stand to live without it. I like this hotel property for a various of reasons, 2 of which were price and comfort. While it clearly wasn’t a Hilton or a Sheraton, it met my needs for traveling light and on a budget. I didn’t use the hotel wifi, since it was slower than heck. The check out routine was okay. Just give them your room key and tell them you are checking out. They will email you your receipt, if you request it.
There is a restaurant attached to the Buchan hotel, but I didn’t use it. I like this hotel for what it is and would stay here again, if my travels permit me to do so. If you like cheap digs, stay here, if you don’t mind the dormitory experience. Quite worth the experience.
4.0 stars solid!
Support local!
B+

We stayed in queen deluxe room. Great value and good facilities. Location excellent. Would stay here again.
24 hour helpful reception. Easy walking to good reasonably priced eating and easy walk to hop on hop off bus.

I’ve stayed at many places in the West end. I booked this on line. I wanted some place inexpensive. I booked 2 two twin beds with shared bathroom. It’s a older building in a quiet neighborhood off of Denman St. What a jewel I found very well kept super friendly staff the room was very clean with modern furniture and a flat screen which was awesome. I plan on making this my West end getaway.

This place is definitely for your young, hiker, traveler, backpacking, roughing it, on a budget type individual. I don’t think that it would suit kids very well, but during my stay, it was perfect. I loved the Buchan so much, that I hated to leave. The Buchan was supposed to be a temp stay for a few nights, as I had arranged for higher end and thus more expensive accomodations, once they were available, at another hotel some blocks away.
Well, I got comfortable there at the Buchan. The Buchan has more of a college dormitory-​communal feel to be certain. But I really liked it. People, other guests would have their doors to their rooms propped open, and they might be watching a hockey game, or something (it was NHL playoffs when I was there), and you would walk by, maybe stop in their doorway, catch a glimpse of the game and converse with the other guests about the game, where’s good to eat or drink around the hotel, what’s going on in the city and whatev. When it came time for me to go to fancier digs, I tried to get out of it and continue, the rest of my stay in Vancouver at the Buchan, but Hotel Shee-​Shee, wasn’t haven’t it, so I had to pack her up and hump it on over to the pricey place. If you’re just looking for a place to lay your head at night, and you want a good location in Vancouver proper, hit up the ol’ Buchan! It’s certainly worth the money you will save and certainly it’s more of an earthy experience!

No where on the website or description does it talk about the fact that you have to share a bathroom with the other people on the floor. There wasn’t any A/​C either so it was very muggy. Run, run far away from this place. It should be named Buchan Hostel not Buchan Hotel.

For the price (keep in mind how expensive Vancouver is), it really is pretty nice. The room is very old-​fashioned, but it’s in a very charming area and the people at the front desk are very friendly and helpful. The bathroom is outdated for sure, but the bed is very comfortable, the wifi is cheap, and the cable is extensive. Not sure what the other reveiwers were expecting in this price range given the cost of this city.

This is what you would expect to find in Europe. This would be a typical hostel where your room is found along a long hallway whereas the shared private bathrooms and baths are found somewhere else along that hallway. At least we got a sink in the room!
The bed, small television, and open space were sufficient. This would not be described as luxurious by any means. It was rather expensive for what the room was at about $ 100 a night, but Vancouver in general is an expensive city! Plus you have to find your own parking on the street.

Stayed here for 3 nights while touring the Vancouver area for a weekend and was pleasantly surprised. The service was the best. It’s a small, old, hotel but the staff were very pleasant and obliged with all of our requests.
We opted for the cheaper route with no bathroom in the room. This worked out fine. There are sinks in the rooms and so toilets and showers are shared and right across the hall from where we stayed. I expected it to be rather inconvenient but it wasn’t at all and saves quite a bit of money, especially if you’re on a big budget like I was.
Easy walk away from nice restaurants along Denman Street, and just a few blocks away from the beautiful English Bay.
Free parking in this residential area was certainly a chore at times due to all the city’s parking regulations but besides for that it’s a great, quiet location. Parking spots cost something like $ 10/​day which we passed up on but not unreasonable if you really don’t want to change your spot every 2 – 3 hours.

Super cheap… super convenient and a super duper dump… but totally worth it if you and making your way to Vancouver and need a place to rest your head in between shopping, eating and going out on the town.
My partner and I moved away form Vancouver in a momentary lapse of insanity… and came back for a visit but were on a budget. I used to live across from the Buchan and thought maybe we should give it a shot. It was located in the west end and so it would be close to any where downtown. Robson, Davie, Stanley Park, Gastown, …you get the picture… just a hop skip and a jump away from great shopping and great eats!
Now, the hotel, is a total dump. built in the early 1900’s and maybe updated a bit in the 1980’s.it smells bad. it’s not clean at all and you may have to share a bathroom with total strangers… BUT…think location, location, location! At $ 80 or so a night it’s worth it… you don’t really spend alot of time in your hotel anyway right?

Do you want an escape from your usual hotel variety? Well, hidden down in the depths of the west end is the Buchan hotel. The hotel was built in 1926, and is a comfortable accommodation at an incredibly affordable price. We stayed here on one of our escape weekends, and I use the word escape, from Calgary, and it was not bad. If your ok with a no frills bedroom, and the heritage vibe then this might be good for you. The best part is it is walking distance to all the best stuff… Stanely park, Robson street, Denman, Davie, Yaletown, and the famed aqua bus to Granville Island. … oh and it’s in a residential area so there is no traffic, and hardly any noise, cept for the bums and their carts full of cans. but to any urban dweller this is kinda comforting for some reason.