Renderings of Element by Westin, an extended-stay hotel renovation of a former office space in downtown Calgary.WESTIN HOTELS AND RESORTS
Nearly two years after the announcement of the first office-to-hotel conversion project in downtown Calgary, the retrofit of the 170,000 square-foot Canadian Centre building into an extended-stay hotel, Element by Westin, has begun.
Initially conceived to include a range of housing options, including long-term rental apartments and short-term rental units, the conversion project, led by Calgary-based land developer and property manager PBA Group, has pivoted to take advantage of a growing trend: extended stays. “This offering doesn’t exist in the downtown core,” says James Scott, senior vice president of planning and development at PBA Group, adding that business travellers are the primary market of this segment. “We really saw an opportunity to satisfy the growing demand for additional room capacity in downtown Calgary.”