About BCHA

About Us

The BCHA is the advocate for the interests of BC’s diverse accommodation industry.

We are the bridge builder for owners and operators to government, the corporate community and other hospitality organizations.

Our goal is to grow your business while elevating the accommodation industry’s impact on the BC economy. We aim to deliver practical, innovative, trustworthy solutions and we will reinvest the value created, back to our members.

Advocacy

Working closely with members, partner organizations, and all levels of government, the BCHA champions solutions to issues that affect the successful operations of accommodation businesses including the workforce shortage, labour mobility, the impact of short-term vacation rentals, and more. Through advocacy, education, and communication the BCHA promotes responsible and safe hospitality practices and drives economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Mission

Shaping the future of Hospitality. We advocate, communicate, and educate.

BCHA Values

Leadership | Respect | Collaboration

Our Location

The BCHA office is located on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.

​Vancouver is located on territory that was never ceded, or given up to the Crown by the Musqueam, Squamish, or Tsleil-Waututh peoples. The term unceded acknowledges the dispossession of the land and the inherent rights that Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh hold to the territory. The term serves as a reminder that Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh have never left their territories and will always retain their jurisdiction and relationships with the territory.

For more information visit our contact us page.

Our History

The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) was established on April 9th, 1917. While the details of our very early years are not as concrete, the impact that our organization and our members have had across the province is clear. Formed following the first convention of the Hotel Innkeeper’s Association of the Dominion of Canada in Winnipeg in September 1913, the BCHA shaped the foundation of the province’s hospitality industry. As more people filtered into and through BC, regional hotel keepers saw a need for a unified approach to the challenges they faced in this new economic climate. While there may have been few formal properties in the beginning, those in operation offered all the amenities and pleasures of the time.

It is well known that the history of the accommodation industry is often closely tied to that of liquor, and the BCHA’s origins are no different. In 1924 a bill was passed in the legislature, giving hotels the exclusive right to sell beer by the glass. This regulation gave way to a boom of hotel construction to keep up with the licenses issued to sell draft beer. The close link between liquor and hotels was further cemented in a 1943 Colonist advertisement and public service announcement from the BCHA that stated the association’s commitment to advocating for the hospitality industry as a whole.

“The Association subscribes to the principle of moderation, but believes that temperance must be taught and not forced. Prohibition and compulsion have been proven ineffective in the past… The present curtailment of the beer allowance for the hotels of British Columbia is a restriction of personal liberty and is not in the interest of the common good or of the successful conduct of the war… But of far greater importance is the psychological effect of these new government restrictions upon the men of the Armed Services, the War Worker and the Private Citizen – who regard their right to a glass of beer, if they want it, as their own personal right and privilege. Fairness and equity to all citizens is the very foundation of an all-out War Effort.”

The BCHA has been a long-standing voice for the hospitality industry, and ultimately the communities served by its members. Whether it’s advocating for taxation that brings in much-needed revenue for community infrastructure projects, drawing attention to a growing affordable housing shortage, or during World War II in Vancouver, insisting on the importance of access to a cold beer, the BCHA has worked tirelessly to represent the best interests of its members.