A new office-to-hotel conversion will be the first hospitality project through the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program. Construction will remove 170,000 square feet of unused office space from the city’s core.

PBA Group of Companies (PBA) and its partner Concord Hospitality have officially started converting the former 12-storey office building, Canadian Centre, into an Element Hotel by Westin.

The building was constructed in 1982. The project will transform the existing office space and common areas into 226 suites, amenities and a rooftop restaurant.

The suites are a mix of studios and one bedrooms, with extended-stay units. The developers plan to introduce a model of flexible hospitality for the downtown market. Guests can borrow bikes during their stay through a bicycle program. A common space, Studio Commons, centres around four guests rooms and allows guests to cook and gather together within shared kitchen and living room areas.

“We’re honoured to help take one of the first steps in transforming our downtown into a differentiated residential and recreational district that serves as a symbol of progressive inner city planning with this conversion,” said James Scott, PBA’s senior vice president, planning and development.

PBA completed its first hotel, The Dorian, which opened in Calgary in 2022.