Skwachàys Lodge Canada's First Aboriginal Arts&Culture Hotel

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Canada's First Aboriginal Arts & Culture Hotel Opens in Vancouver, BC
A New Model for Sustainable Affordable Housing
http://skwachays.com/photo-tour/

http://skwachays.com/
Vancouver, B.C - (September 30, 2014) Canada's first Aboriginal arts hotel has opened its doors to guests in the heart of Vancouver's historic downtown. Owned and operated by the Vancouver Native Housing Society, Skwachàys Lodge is an innovative approach to sustainable housing that combines cultural authenticity, business excellence and community economic development.

Located at the crossroads of Vancouver's Gastown and Chinatown neighbourhoods, the hotel's architect preserved the century-old brick façade and designed a traditional northern longhouse to sit atop the heritage building. The rooftop longhouse features a 40.5-foot story pole - the Dreamweaver - reaching into the Vancouver skyline. The hotel is truly a unique accommodation for visitors seeking boutique lodgings, personalized services and an authentic Aboriginal cultural experience.

Six world-class Vancouver interior designers collaborated with six Aboriginal artists to create 18 distinctly themed rooms featuring original carvings, paintings, fabric, art, custom furniture and décor. The artist and designer teams include: Corrine Hunt and BBA Design Consultants; Clifton Fred and B+H CHIL Design; Lou-Anne Neel and Inside Design Studio; Sabina Hill and Mark Preston with MCM Interiors; Richard Shorty and Porada Design Group; and Jerry Whitehead with Portico Design Group. With seasonal rates starting at $149.00 a night, visitors can affordably immerse themselves in Aboriginal culture in a stunning, modern, urban setting.

Guests can admire and purchase original art in the hotel's Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery or attend a workshop with one of the talented artists who envisioned their hotel room. They can also partake in traditional Aboriginal cultural experiences including a sweat lodge and smudge room, or observing artists at work in the artist workshop.

Skwachàys Lodge is a new, sustainable model for supportive housing, and a for-profit hospitality business wholly owned and operated by the Vancouver Native Housing Society, a registered charitable organization. 100 per cent of profits from the hotel operation and the fair trade gallery subsidize the 24 Aboriginal artist live/work studios housed at Skwachàys and further the VNHS mandate to improve the well being of Vancouver's urban Aboriginal people. For more information about the Vancouver Native Housing Society visit: http://vnhs.ca.

"The rebranding and conversion of the lodge now completes our vision," says Dave Eddy, CEO of the Vancouver Native Housing Society. "The success of the hotel and gallery will enable us to provide an authentic cultural tourism experience and create revenue necessary to subsidize rent and enhance the lives of the Aboriginal artists living in the residence. This is a truly dynamic and sustainable solution for housing that provides a positive social impact for some of the most marginalized members of Vancouver's population."

Skwachàys Lodge is located at 29/31 West Pender Street, Vancouver BC. For more information call 604.687.3589, toll free 1.888.998.0797 or visit: http://skwachays.com.