Versante Hotel

A Rooftop Pool, a Pink Reception Pod and the North Shore Mountains

Airport hotels rarely make anyone's list of favourite addresses, which is exactly why Versante stands out. It rises on Bridgeport Road in Richmond, a few minutes from Vancouver International Airport, and it is the city's only independent luxury boutique hotel, locally owned and operated. From the moment guests walk in, the tone is set: a custom pink reception pod, a handcrafted chinoiserie rug by the Vancouver painter Andy Dixon, a charcoal sculpture by Marie Khouri, and a palette of vivid colour and natural light. It feels less like a transit stop than like a small art hotel that happens to be close to the runway.

Why It Works

We selected Versante because it solves a real traveller's problem with style. Long-haul arrivals and early departures are part of any trip to western Canada, and here they come with large, beautifully designed rooms, expansive windows, spa-like bathrooms and a rooftop pool open all year. The complimentary airport transfer removes the stress of the first and last hours. And the hotel does not ask guests to stay in: Richmond is one of North America's great destinations for Chinese and Asian cuisine, and Versante puts that on the doorstep.

Why This Location

Richmond sits between the airport and the city of Vancouver, on the islands of the Fraser River delta, and Versante stands close to its northern edge on Bridgeport Road. The airport is a short drive away, and the Canada Line, which links the airport, Richmond and downtown Vancouver, has a station nearby, so the city centre is within easy reach without a car. Around the hotel, Richmond's food streets, Asian malls and, in the warm months, its famous night market are all close. The fishing village of Steveston, at the mouth of the Fraser, makes an easy half-day outing.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium to luxury (€€€)

• Vibe: artful, colourful, bright, independent

• Rooms: around 100 rooms and suites in eleven layouts and five design themes

• Best For: stopover travellers, design lovers, food lovers exploring Richmond

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the year-round rooftop salt-water pool and hot tub, with open views toward the North Shore mountains

• Dining: Bruno, the hotel restaurant; the hotel bar for coffee and pastries by day and cocktails in the evening; Richmond's Asian restaurants all around

• Amenities: rooftop pool and hot tub; sauna; 24-hour fitness room; complimentary airport transfers; dogs welcome

• Attractions: Vancouver International Airport minutes away, Richmond's night market in season, Steveston fishing village, downtown Vancouver by the Canada Line

Rooms in Five Moods

Versante's rooms come in eleven layouts and five distinct design themes, so no two stays feel quite the same. Common to all are the size, generous for a hotel of this kind, and the windows, which pull in the Pacific light and, on the upper floors, the long view across the delta to the mountains. Bathrooms are designed in a spa spirit with rainfall showers and Red Flower toiletries, beds are dressed in fine linens, and a Nespresso machine makes the early start easier. Smart windows and in-room technology complete a picture designed for travellers who want comfort on their own schedule.

A Rooftop Made for Jet Lag

The best cure for a long flight is on the roof. The salt-water pool and hot tub are open all year, heated even in the damp months of a West Coast winter, and the terrace opens up to the sky and the skyline. A sauna and a 24-hour fitness room complete the wellness offer, which means a guest arriving late at night or leaving before dawn can still swim, sweat and reset.

Eating In and Around Richmond

Bruno, the restaurant attached to the hotel, gives guests a relaxed table on site, and the bar switches from café in the morning to cocktails at night. But part of the pleasure of staying here is going out. Richmond's dining scene, especially its Cantonese seafood houses, dim sum rooms and regional Chinese kitchens, draws food lovers from across the region, and much of it is a short ride from the hotel's door.