A 17-storey hotel could rise from the ashes of Victoria’s Plaza Hotel

Victoria‘s iconic Plaza Hotel was destroyed in a fire in 2019, but new designs have been released for a 198-room, 17-storey hotel to take its place: the Westholme Hotel. The empty lot, on the corner of Government Street and Pandora Avenue, is owned by local tech company Redbrick.

Organized by Redbrick, Aryze and designed by the renowned architecture firm Olson Kundig, the hotel would serve as a community hub. Based on the new designs, it would feature cafes, a shopping plaza, wellness spas and conference rooms for hotel guests and the public. The design also includes a publicly accessible rooftop restaurant with views of the inner harbour and downtown Victoria.

The new development takes its name from the original building, which opened in 1911. The proposal comes amid Victoria’s decreasing hotel capacity and the city’s demand for more hotels over the next 10 years. Victoria’s hotel capacity has decreased by 25 per cent since 2016, according to Redbrick.

Redbrick says the business brought in by the hotel would provide accommodation for visitors, long-term investments and jobs. A 2000-room hotel would create over 2750 jobs, according to a 2026 report by Destination Victoria.

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“With partners Olson Kundig and Aryze, we have an opportunity to create something that reflects Victoria’s character and brings new life to a prominent downtown corner. We want Westholme to be more than a hotel, but a place that welcomes both visitors and locals and contributes to the city’s future,” said Redbrick CEO Tobyn Sowden.

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With Chinatown, Centennial Square, the innovation district, and the developing arts industry nearby, it could bring more people to the area and support local businesses.