BCBusiness
The Chieftain & Crash Hotel—one of only four hospitality properties in downtown Squamish—is on the market, offering investors a rare chance to buy into one of B.C.’s fastest-growing tourism hubs.
Downtown Squamish doesn’t see hotel listings very often. With only four hospitality properties in the core—and just three hotel trades in the entire city over the past decade—the $12-million listing of The Chieftain & Crash Hotel marks a rare opportunity for investors eyeing one of Canada’s fastest-growing markets.
“This is a remarkable investment opportunity to own a piece of the thriving hospitality market in Squamish—at a time when the province is seeing an upswing in tourism,” says Bijan Lalji, senior associate with Avison Young’s Capital Markets Group.
The property first opened in 1958 and was last traded in 2018. Since then, it has undergone significant revitalization, blending the Chieftain’s mid-century neon charm with modern boutique features at the Crash Hotel, which launched in 2019. With only 10 commercial accommodation properties in Squamish, the Chieftain & Crash Hotel is one of only four located in the heart of the city.
Situated on Cleveland Avenue in the heart of downtown Squamish, the combined Chieftain & Crash Hotel sits at a high-visibility junction along the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The Chieftain has anchored the strip since 1958, long serving as a landmark for residents and road-trippers heading between Vancouver and Whistler.
The attached Crash Hotel brings a youthful, design-forward boutique experience with 27 uniquely-styled rooms, a rooftop lounge, bar, ski and bike storage and digital check-in. The location offers immediate access to local dining, retail, parks, the Stawamus Chief and the Sea to Sky Gondola. Connectivity in the neighbourhood is set to improve further with the upcoming SEAandSKY Pedestrian Bridge that links the area to Waterfront Landing Park across the Mamquam Blind Channel. Four ground-floor commercial tenants also provide stable cash flow, with one ~1,200-sq.-ft. corner unit currently underutilized as storage.
For investors looking beyond the in-place income, there’s meaningful room to elevate returns. Avison Young says the quickest wins would likely come from the hotel itself: pairing the Crash Hotel with a stronger brand and seasoned management team could lift ADR, push occupancy higher and streamline operations. The ground-floor commercial space also has upside. Retail lease rates in downtown Squamish are trending around $28–$30 per sq. ft., and one 1,200-sq.-ft. corner unit is currently being used as storage. Converting it into a café, deli or other community-facing outlet would not only boost revenue but add energy to a high-foot-traffic block.
Longer term, the site’s flexible zoning gives a buyer even more to work with. Airspace and vertical expansion rights leave the door open for adding several more storeys of hotel rooms or even residential units, subject to approvals. And for those thinking on a bigger horizon, a full redevelopment or a future land assembly isn’t out of the question.
Sitting on 15,000 sq. ft. in one of the province’s fastest-growing communities, the property offers a rare chance to control a sizeable piece of downtown Squamish with meaningful value-add potential.
Mihika is the senior editor at BCBusiness. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Vox, Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Vogue, Chatelaine, and more.
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