The ambitious goal to build up to 20 new hotels and add 2,000 new rooms to the region over the next decade is gaining momentum with municipalities, First Nations and developers, says the chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria.

Paul Nursey said that as new residential builds wane and the price of land stabilizes, the hotel space is emerging as a “generational opportunity” to address a 25% decline in rooms since 2016 and refresh the hotel landscape to remain competitive in the global tourism industry.

The tourism marketing group assembled a working group of five municipalities, industry partners, builders and the Songhees First Nation last year to work together to bring more hotels to the planning phases.

In 2025, hotel occupancy was at nearly 80% over the entire year and at one point during the summer, reached 94%.

This season is shaping up to be the same or even better, said Nursey.

The region has about 4,500 hotel rooms, but needs more after losing properties for social housing during the pandemic and redevelopment.

The working group issued its first report this week with recommendations for local governments to kick-start new hotel plans by identifying potential sites and zoning, addressing complex permit processes, pursuing First Nations partnerships and supporting the renewal and expansion of existing hotels.

The report notes that existing hotels are aging, with more than half built before 1975 and requiring significant renovations or replacement.

Managers and chief administrative officers from Victoria, Colwood, Saanich, View Royal and Sooke are part of the working group and are taking the lead, said Nursey.

“The municipal partners are really rolling up their sleeves. They are taking this seriously,” Nursey said.

“They see a sense of opportunity and a diversification of their tax base.”

View Royal, for example, doesn’t have a hotel and wants one to attract a slice of the annual visitor pie.

Colwood has recently approved two sites for hotels in the Royal Beach development along its waterfront. Sooke wants more hotels that highlight its waterfront and serve as a gateway to the trail system west of the town.

Jocelyn Jenkins, manager for the City of Victoria, said the city is “happy to collaborate” with the working group on future hotel projects, adding the tourism economy is essential for businesses, the city and the conference centre it owns.

Aryze Developments director Chris Quigley said interest in the hotel sector is gaining strength among developers. The company recently partnered with Victoria software developer Redbrick, which purchased the old Plaza Hotel property in downtown Victoria, to build a new hotel on the property.

He said the working group sets out a road map for companies to “navigate the permitting system and unlock projects” that will strengthen the local economy.

“With several hotel projects in our pipeline, we’re committed to working with local government and our business partners to make a new hotel development in Victoria a reality,” said Quigley.

Recent statistics show hotel demand is on the rise. Greater Victoria showed a jump in average daily room rates — a metric considered a key indicator of the health of the industry — from $200 a night in 2024 to $224 last year. Conferences increased by 20%, and arrivals at Victoria International Airport saw a 5% lift.

In a recent hotel investment report, Colliers said the hotel asset class has seen a surge of activity nationally, with more than $2.2 billion in hotel transactions in 2025, an 11% increase over the previous year. The report cited the strength of domestic tourism and improved international inbound travel, both expected to increase in 2026.

Municipal leaders identified several types of possible new hotels for the region.

Outside of the need for full-service hotels in the downtown core, the group said there could be more affordable mid-scale hotels for sports tournaments and cultural events, boutique hotels connecting visitors to bike and hiking trails and transportation hubs, extended-stay hotels for major employment hubs like the naval base in Esquimalt and Victoria General Hospital in View Royal, and mixed-use developments that pair hotel and residential uses.

The report said 2,000 new hotel rooms would generate more than $100 million in annual visitor spending, 1,180 direct jobs in hotel operations and 1,580 indirect jobs supporting operations.

The 130-room TownPlace Suites by Marriott recently opened at Victoria International Airport, and the same brand is opening a 103-unit, six-storey hotel in Langford next spring.

The first new hotel in Victoria in nearly two decades is under construction on Broad Street. The 167-room Hyatt-branded hotel is expected to open in 2028 at Broad and Johnson streets on the historic Duck’s Building property, preserving the 1890s-era facade and back wall.

Reliance Properties recently submitted new plans to the city for its project at 780 Blanshard St., the former B.C. Power Commission building.

The new plans call for the rehabilitation of the existing building as a 124-room hotel with a public café.

Recent hotel sales have also brought optimism for potential improvements.

This month, Toronto-based InnVest, the country’s largest hotel owner and operator, purchased the Hotel Grand Pacific on Belleville Street. The 304-room hotel, owned since 1996 by Pacific Sun, had been on the market for months. The property’s value is close to $48 million.

The Royal Scot Hotel on Quebec Street was sold this year to Vancouver-based Synvest Capital for about $41 million. Synvest’s hotel management division, Roadside Hospitality, will run the hotel. It will also run the Bedford Regency Hotel, which Synvest purchased last year for $8.9 million.

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