Keefer House is a new boutique apartment hotel in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
Vancouver’s Chinatown became a hub for Chinese settlers beginning in the 1880s. Some used the neighborhood as their base while working in British Columbia’s developing railroad, logging, and mining industries, while others established businesses locally. Over the years, the neighborhood’s fortunes have risen, fallen, and risen again, with a mix of traditional and more modern shops, restaurants, and cafes. But what Chinatown hasn’t had for many years was a hotel. Enter Keefer House, a boutique-style apartment hotel that opened here in late 2025.
Here’s the scoop:
About Keefer House
Like Smithe House, an apartment hotel in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood, which is managed by the same company, Keefer House is part hotel and part limited-service apartment rental with 58 modern suites ranging from studios to three bedrooms.
Check-in is done remotely, since the property has no reception desk or lobby. After you provide identification to the hotel staff online before your arrival, you receive an access code on your phone, which gives you access to the building, the elevator, and your own apartment. If you have questions before or during your stay, you can contact Keefer House staff by text message.
Keefer House also has no food and beverage service, although with numerous places to eat throughout the neighborhood, you won’t lack for choices. The modern Chinese drinking and dining spot Bao Bei, funky Juke Fried Chicken, and the cool Keefer Bar are all on the same block.
A small, well-outfitted fitness room, open 24/7, is located on the hotel’s second floor.
A studio unit at Keefer House
Guest Rooms and Amenities
The modern units at Keefer House all have slightly different layouts and vary in size, even within the same room type. Studio apartments, for example, which include a bed, sitting area, and a full kitchen, range from 332 to 550 square feet, while one-bedroom units — with a separate sitting and sleeping area — vary between 445 and 650 square feet. In the one-bedroom apartment where my husband and I stayed, the bedroom was hidden from the living area behind sliding doors.
The largest two- and three-bedroom apartments could accommodate families, and the two-bedroom rooftop penthouse units have massive, city-view terraces that would be excellent venues for entertaining.
One-bedroom units at Keefer House have separate living and sleeping areas.
All units have full kitchens stocked with dishes, glasses, cookware, coffee makers, and tea kettles. Coffee beans come from the local Pallet Coffee Company, and tea from Tea Leaves, also a local supplier. The apartments all have a washer-dryer as well. Fast wi-fi is included.
Keefer House doesn’t have its own parking facility. Leave your car at home if you can, but if you do arrive with a vehicle, ask about discounted rates at a nearby parking garage.
Keefer House suite with a rooftop deck
Keefer House Community Partnerships
Keefer House guests receive an electronic mini-guide to the neighborhood with suggestions of things to do and places to eat in Chinatown. The hotel is also partnering with Chinatown businesses to offer local experiences to their guests.
I was able to join Judy Lam Maxwell, owner of Historical Chinatown Tours, on a Chinatown walking tour that introduced me not only to the neighborhood’s heritage, but also let me peek into Chinatown society buildings, where many fierce mahjong or table tennis matches were in process and where historic photos and artifacts, not normally accessible to the public, were on view. Guests who stay at least five nights at Keefer House receive two complementary passes for this insider’s Chinatown tour.
If you’d like to explore Chinatown on your own, Keefer House is well-located near the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, and the Chinese Canadian Museum. The hotel is also within walking distance of the city’s Gastown, Downtown, and Yaletown neighborhoods, and from BC Place, the arena that will host Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup soccer matches in June/July 2026.
Views of historic Chinatown buildings from Keefer House
Vancouver may have more luxurious accommodations, and some guests may find the location on the edge of the city’s impoverished Downtown Eastside to be disconcerting. But this new apartment hotel in the still-vibrant historic Chinatown district offers a unique base for culturally-minded visitors.
Rates
Double room rates at Keefer House start at approximately CAD$250 (US$150) per night for a studio unit. Rates increase significantly in the busy summer season and depend on the size of the unit. Discounted rates are available for longer stays.
You can also check rates online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.
Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. Keefer House hosted my stay for review purposes.
