Hey everyone!
With WordCamp Vancouver (you have your ticket already, right?) fast approaching, we wanted to share some important information with you regarding accommodation and transportation.
As several WordCamp Vancouver speakers, sponsors and attendees will be travelling from out of town, we thought we’d give you a few recommendations for accommodations in our lovely city of Vancouver, as well as transportation information.
If you are arriving via air, it’s inexpensive and easy to get from the airport to any Downtown, Burnaby or North Vancouver destination taking the Canada Line rapid transit rail link from the airport. Depending on your final destination, you may need to switch to the Expo or Millenium Line or take the Seabus from Waterfront Station (the terminus of Canada Line. In almost all cases the cost from the airport is about $9 and $3 on the way back. Ticketing machines accept bills, coins, debit and credit cards. It takes about 30 minutes to get from the Airport to Downtown. Cabs from the airport to Downtown usually cost about $40 and take about the same time, sometimes longer when there’s bad traffic. Public transit in Vancouver is offered by Translink. Google Maps offers reliable public transit directions.
We’ve gathered a few hotel recommendations for you:
In Burnaby (closest to the event venue):
Grand Villa Casino and Hotel Conference Centre, room start at about $120 per night. This hotel is just a short 5-10 minute walk from the BCIT Burnaby Campus where WordCamp and BuddyCamp are taking place. The downside is that there isn’t much to do around this area at night time, other than trying your luck at some slots or blackjack! It’s about a twenty minute walk to the skytrain where you can get downtown in about half an hour.
Hilton Metrotown (rooms starting at about $145 per night) and Holiday Inn Express Metrotown (rooms starting at about $115 per night): both of these hotels are a 10 min drive, or 15 min bus ride, or 35 min walk from the venue. They are located right beside one of several skytrain stations in Burnaby, making it a central location if you are planning to go Dowtown but want to remain close to the venue.
In Downtown Vancouver (more beautiful/enjoyable experience but further away):
Fairmont Vancouver, rooms starting around $200 per night
Metropolitan, rooms starting around $200 per night
Hotel Le Soleil, rooms starting around $175 per night
Rosedale on Robson, rooms starting around $120 per night
Here is a map showing these downtown Vancouver hotels.
In North Vancouver (the furthest away and not recommended if you don’t have a car):
The BuddyCamp Vancouver organizers secured a discounted hotel rate at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Vancouver. The discounted deal applies both for BuddyCamp and WordCamp speakers, sponsors and attendees. This hotel is about a 15-minute seabus ride from downtown and about a 15 minute drive to the BCIT Burnaby campus. However, by public transit only, it’s almost 1 hour away from BCIT Burnaby campus and thus not recommended to those without a car.
Here is the Pinnacle hotel info and group code for the discount.
You need to book by Oct. 7th to get the preferred rate (the regular rate is usually about $20-$30 per night more). We have not paid for a block of rooms in advance so the rooms are still based on availability so best to book sooner rather than later.
For a wider range of prices and hotel locations, you can check: hotel.com. The least expensive hotel rooms start around $70 per night.
If you’re on a tight budget, there are also some hostels or rental services such as AirBNB that you may want to look into.
Transportation information:
As a reminder, WordCamp Vancouver 2012 is being held at BCIT Burnaby Campus. Below is a map of the location with driving directions from Downtown Vancouver, as well as public transit directions from Waterfront station. Please take a look at the Translink or Google Maps website for directions from your departure location.
Note that parking is available in large quantities at BCIT Burnaby Campus, starting at $4.50 for the entire day. More information available here.
Public Transit Directions from Waterfront. Please consult the Translink website for full details.
- Skytrain Expo Line towards King George.
- Get off at Patterson Station.
- Take bus #125 (BCIT) Northbound or #129 (Edmonds Station) Northbound.
- If taking #125, get off at Willingdon Ave At Goard Way. If taking #129, get off at Gilmore Way at Sanderson Way.
