VANCOUVER, BC (March 4, 2026) – Historic brick facades meet modern design-forward stays as Block House, Gastown’s newest and only hotel accommodation, opens this month at 211 Columbia Street. Housed within a restored heritage building, the property offers furnished loft-style suites designed for both short and extended stays.
Bookings are now open, with the hotel welcoming its first guests on March 21, 2026. The opening marks the next chapter for Kalido Hospitality Group and its growing portfolio of House Hotels. Building on the success of its first two aparthotel concepts, Smithe House and Keefer House, the newly unified brand, named “Kalido House Hotels” reflects a broader shift in traveler preferences toward apartment-style accommodations that prioritize space, flexibility, and the ability to immerse oneself in the city without sacrificing boutique design and service.
A New Era for the “House Hotel” Concept
Kalido House Hotels’ signature “house hotel” model blends the flexibility and layout of an apartment with the consistency, service, and design sensibility of a boutique hotel. The opening of Block House comes at a pivotal moment for the city, as demand for accommodations continues to rise ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Vancouver, contributing new inventory to a market facing a well-documented room shortage.
“Block House is a bit different than our other properties – we took a distinct mid-century design approach and introduced more flexible and adaptive room types – but it maintains the same grounded, design-driven, and tech-forward experience guests have come to know from Smithe and Keefer. It’s a rare opportunity to create a space that holds so much history while shaping it around the way people want to travel today – with more room, more flexibility, and a stronger sense of place.” – Javier Cepeda, Managing Partner, Kalido Hospitality Group.
Reviving a Piece of Vancouver History
Situated at the edge of Gastown at Columbia and Powell, Block House offers guests the unique experience of staying inside one of the city’s earliest commercial developments.
Originally constructed in 1893 as the “Commercial Block,” the building played a pivotal role in the city’s early rail-based trade, with railway tracks once running immediately to its west. Designed by architect William Blackmore and built by the Hunter Brothers, it housed wholesale merchants and distribution businesses and was home to one of Vancouver’s earliest elevators.
Restoration began in early 2026, transforming the top three floors from empty office space into 19 loft-style apartments that honour the structure’s heritage while introducing modern hospitality design.
About Block House
Block House features just 19 suites, each with unique layouts, renewed interiors, and mid-century details, while preserving heritage brick details, timber beams, and the original hardwood floors. Select suites include full kitchens, while others offer kitchenettes for lighter stays, allowing guests the flexibility to adapt their space to their routines
Curated local amenities from TALLU, Tealeaves, Pallet Coffee Roasters, and Fable Kitchen, reinforce a strong connection to Vancouver’s creative and culinary communities.
Combining heritage character with a seamless tech-enabled guest experience, Block House places visitors within walking distance of the waterfront, Chinatown, and the city’s cultural core.
Booking Information
Booking is now available at kalidohotels.com/block-house.
With a limited collection of suites and a design-forward approach to extended and short stays alike, Block House is poised to become a standout addition to Vancouver’s evolving hospitality landscape.
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