Seminars and company events
Small seminars, presentations, board meetings and networking receptions of up to 35 people suit the Sylvia Hotel, a heritage hotel built in 1912 on Gilford Street in Vancouver's West End, facing English Bay and next to Stanley Park. The hotel's meeting room, the Pendrell Room, seats 25 people or takes 35 for a standing reception, and the 120 rooms and suites upstairs can house the whole group.
The Pendrell Room looks onto a quiet, tree-lined street rather than the busy beach front, which helps for a working day. It comes equipped with a projector and screen, an easel or flip chart and high-speed wifi, and parking is included for meeting guests. The hotel lists seminars, presentations, corporate retreats, meetings, business lunches and dinners, and networking cocktails among the events it organizes.
For a group that wants to mix work and fresh air, the location is the main asset. The Stanley Park seawall starts a few steps from the door, English Bay beach is across the road, and downtown is about five minutes away, so a half-day meeting can end with a walk or a bike ride along the water.
Weddings and receptions
The Sylvia hosts weddings and receptions on an intimate scale. The catering and front office teams handle the details, from the menu to the room block for family and friends. Reunions, birthdays and other private celebrations follow the same format.
Rooms and capacities
The Pendrell Room takes up to 25 guests at tables and up to 35 for a reception. Sylvia's Restaurant and the bistro can also be booked for special events, an option for a dinner after a meeting in the Pendrell Room. The hotel does not publish capacities for the restaurant spaces, so the team confirms numbers for each request.
Accommodation
The 120 rooms and suites range from Petite Queen and Queen rooms to King rooms on the Beach Avenue side, rooms with two queen beds, three-bed units and suites, including the English Bay Suite, the Beach Avenue Suite and suites with a kitchen. The variety helps a group mix single travelers, shared rooms and longer stays. The front office manager handles group room blocks.
Catering
Catering is in house. The food and beverage manager and the executive chef build a menu for each event, and the food and beverage director coordinates a combined meeting and catering package. Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge serves guests and the public on the ground floor.
History and setting
The hotel opened in 1912 and is a designated heritage building, one of the best known on the English Bay waterfront. Its setting between the beach and Stanley Park gives the West End address a resort feel inside the city.
Getting there
The hotel stands at 1154 Gilford Street, about five minutes from downtown Vancouver. Vancouver International Airport is the nearest airport, and Pacific Central Station receives Amtrak and VIA Rail trains.
