Located along West Georgia Street the hotel is situated within the city's Financial District, in Downtown Vancouver.

[4] Although construction for the hotel began in 1929, its completion would not occur until 1939 as a result of funding issues during Great Depression.

[7] Chateauesque features found on Hotel Vancouver includes its prominent copper pitched roof with dormers, and carved stonework encompassing a steel frame.

[7] In 1939, a number of artists were commissioned to complete the decorative work for the building, including Olea Marion Davis, Charles Marega, Beatrice Lennie, Valentine Shabief, and Lilias Farley.

The Lieutenant Governor's Suite was designed with Art Deco stylings, and features black walnut veneer-panelled walls.

[11] In 2018, the hotel announced the completion of its four-year renovation project, which saw a reworked main lobby, and guest rooms.

[7] The land deal required the city to prepare tidal flats on False Creek for the construction of railway yards and Pacific Central Station.

In return, the company guaranteed the construction of a large downtown hotel, and make the city the western terminus for its rail network.

[15] Shortly after the erection of the building's steel frame however, work on the hotel was halted, as a result of the Great Depression.

[6] [16] Work on the hotel was rushed to completion in time for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's 1939 royal tour of Canada.

[6] The second Hotel Vancouver building was torn down in 1949, after Canadian Pacific sold the property to Eaton's in December 1948.

[19] Richards became a regular performer for The Roof, a CBC Radio show broadcast from the hotel.