Vancouver Hotels Offer Great Deals during City’s Annual Dine Out Festival

Every winter, the Dine Out Vancouver Festival dishes up discounted restaurant menus and an ever-expanding roster of fun food events. But the festival, sponsored by Tourism Vancouver, isn’t just about dining events — the city’s hotels serve up lots of great deals, too.

During this year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival, which runs from January 18-February 3, 2013, hotels are offering rooms in three special price categories, at CAD$78, $108, and $138 per night, as well as numerous sleep-and-eat packages.

Here are my five top picks for 2013 Dine Out Vancouver’s best hotel deals:

1. In the $78 category, the clear winner is the Listel Hotel. With a great location on Robson Street, a short walk to many downtown restaurants, this classy hotel with lots of original art throughout the property is a steal at this budget-friendly rate. The Dine Out price gets you one of their standard rooms, but you can upgrade to a room on their more stylish museum floor for just $10 more. Another option is a $189 package for two, including accommodations, a three-course dinner in the hotel’s brand-new Forage restaurant, overnight parking, and a welcome bottle of wine. Book online at Hotels.com.
2. If you can spend $108 per night, I’d send you to the recently renovated, Asian-influenced Metropolitan Hotel, with fashionably modern rooms and a central downtown location near the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Met is also offering a lodging and dining package for two at $184, including complimentary parking as well as dinner at their creative contemporary restaurant, Diva at the Met, one of Vancouver’s most exciting dining rooms. Book through the Preferred Hotel Group website or check Hotels.com.
3. Another solid choice in the $108 category is the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. Catering largely to business travelers during the week, the modern, two-tower Sheraton, with more than 650 rooms, has a central location on Burrard Street, which means that you can easily walk to restaurants downtown and in Yaletown. Compare rates at Hotels.com.
4. If you’re planning to dine in the restaurant-heavy Gastown neighborhood, one of the most convenient lodgings is the Delta Vancouver Suites, just a short walk away. It’s an under-the-radar property that’s not flashy or glam, but it’s got all the expected amenities, and the floor-to-ceiling windows in most rooms make them feel light and airy. Book a room at Hotels.com 
5. Planning an early Valentine’s escape with that special someone? Then book a Dine Out package at the ever-so-romantic Wedgewood Hotel. A package rate of $239 buys you a one-night stay, parking, a Dine Out dinner for two in the modern-French Bacchus restaurant, and a Continental breakfast (also at Bacchus) the next morning. Go to  Hotels.com to check on regular pricing.

TIP: Book your Dine Out Vancouver restaurant reservations early, as many popular eateries sell out fast. The complete list of participating restaurants, offering three-course menus at CAD$18, $28 or $38, is available on the Dine Out Vancouver website.

TIP: While the Dine Out menus offer a good value, an even better reason to sample Dine Out Vancouver is to attend the special events that take place during the festival. One of the most popular is the Swallow Tail Supper Club’s Secret Supper Soiree, a fashionable feast in a secret location. Also look for Street Food City (a food truck fest), specially-priced food tours in Railtown and the East Village, several dinner-and-a-show deals offered in partnership with the eclectic PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and many other special events.

For a full list of hotels participating in this year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival, and for more details on hotel-restaurant package deals, see the Dine Out Vancouver Festival website.

Article by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Hotel photos courtesy of the Metropolitan Hotel and the Delta Vancouver Suites; Dine Out Vancouver logo photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver.