A 250-room hotel could make a home floating on the water in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.

Vancouver city council is set to discuss a proposal on Monday that would allow a floating hotel vessel and new dock connecting to the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Seaplane terminal Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, which submitted the rezoning application on behalf of the Finnish hospitality company Sunborn Group, said the project at 1055 Canada Place would be “one-of-a-kind.”

Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre chairman Graham Clarke said in a letter of intent submitted to the city in January 2025 that the proposal would contribute to Vancouver’s hotel stock, noting the city has “lost a significant number of hotel rooms to redevelopment.” 

He added Destination Vancouver has identified the need for 20,000 new hotel rooms in the region by 2050.

The proposal is consistent with the city’s Official Development Plan (ODP), according to a city staff report going to council Monday.

That means it does not require a public hearing, but staff are recommending one anyway “because of the unusual nature of this floating structure in the marine environment and the public benefits proposal,” according to the report.

The hotel would include a publicly accessible hotel-bar, shops, a restaurant and a viewing area on the north side, as well as one-storey buildings for a café and spa, which would be open to the public.

The dock would be open to the public between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., according to the staff report. 

Staff noted the hotel would partially obstruct views, including of the harbour and North Shore along the seawall.

The Vancouver ODP plans for small floating structures up to nine metres high in the development area, but the proposed hotel would be 20 metres high.

Under the city’s building bylaw, the city can’t issue a building permit for the floating hotel as it wouldn’t contain a foundation or footings, according to staff. The permit usually ensures buildings are built with certain safety measures.

Instead, the rezoning application proposes the floating hotel would be certified by a third-party international ship classification society, Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Certification by DNV would involve design verification, construction surveillance —including inspections at the shipyard — and operations followup such as annual inspections.

Staff said DNV’s certification process is recognized by Transport Canada and the agency that creates global regulations for safe maritime vessel operations.

A condition of the development would be that a release and indemnity would be provided to the city “in the event of any injury, death or damage associated with the floating hotel” and the applicant would be required to hold a minimum amount of liability insurance that names the city as an additional insured party.

The city would also require regular reports and notifications around the safety of the floating hotel.

Clarke’s 2025 letter and application said the vessel would be built-off site, which would eliminate any construction impact, and would “operate like a normal building on land, with no discharge to the water.”

“This proposal is a far better use of the publicly-accessible waterfront than the private yacht marina that was approved here but never constructed,” Clarke said.

The 2025 development application said the hotel rooms could be operational by 2027 “if approvals are achieved expeditiously.”

Council will discuss the staff report at a meeting on Monday.