A prominent downtown Squamish hotel property has been put on the market for $12 million, according to a listing by commercial real estate firm Avison Young. The Chieftain, which includes the Crash Hotel, is one of only a handful of hospitality properties in the town centre and the first to be listed since 2021, the firm said in a press release.
The Chieftain has been a fixture on Cleveland Avenue since 1958, recognizable for its neon sign and long history as a local landmark. The attached Crash Hotel, which began operating in 2019, offers 27 rooms, a rooftop lounge, bar, and storage for ski and bike gear.
The building last changed ownership in 2018. Since then, it has undergone renovations to modernize the interior while preserving elements of the original structure. According to Avison Young’s market notes, Squamish has just 10 hotel or motel properties in total, with four in the downtown core. The Chieftain and Crash Hotel account for roughly a quarter of the rooms in the town centre. The building also includes four ground-floor commercial spaces.
The listing comes as the province continues to enforce stricter short-term rental rules, which do not apply to hotels. The firm says this regulatory environment gives traditional hotel operators an advantage over short-term rental units.
“With flexible site zoning, the location offers meaningful value-add potential for expansion, repositioning, or comprehensive redevelopment – including airspace and vertical expansion rights to add four or five storeys of hospitality or residential,” the press release says.
“This is a remarkable investment opportunity to own a piece of the thriving hospitality market in Squamish – at a time when the province is seeing an upswing in tourism,” said Bijan Lalji, Senior Associate, Capital Markets Group, Avison Young. “A discerning owner will see the profitability here, in a hotel real estate market that is closely held, with only three hotels trading in the last 10 years.”
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