Westin Hotel

Westin Resort and Spa, 4090 Whistler Way, Whistler, BC

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

The purpose of this page is to provide information on the Westin that is not readily available when looking at the Westin Resort & Spa’s website.

A book could be written on buying in the Westin, especially with the 2026-2027 rooms and corridors, $50 million renovation. This page offers you highlights that you should know to determine your interest in this property. For more information on the Westin’s amenities and rooms, please visit their website. For further questions on the Westin best to arrange an appointment with this website’s author, Marion Anderson, marion@marionanderson.com to discuss all the rules, regulations and the renovation, which is a complex topic.

History of Key Players

1. WRM is the strata manager.
2. Marriott owns the Westin, Whistler franchise.
3. OHR Whistler Management Ltd. (OHR) was the original hotel management company. O’Neill Hotel and Resorts was the original company that used to manage Powder Properties in Whistler.
4. In 2018, OHR company was purchased by Aimbridge and its Canadian subsidiary, Evolution. Evolution is the current hotel management company. However, the name of the management company remained as “OHR Whistler Management Ltd.” and it is the name in all the legal documents, for example, “The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler, is operated by OHR Whistler Management Ltd.
5. Cressey was the developer who retained ownership of 169 strata lots, including the lobby, the restaurant, meeting rooms, lounge, retail stores, employee housing, and the parkade.
6. Cressey leased (99 years) several strata lots to the strata corporation. The strata corporation then leased these strata lots to the original hotel management company, OHR Whistler Management Ltd.
7. Cressey originally leased directly to the hotel management company the following strata lots, the pool and health club, sales, office, cafe, and employee housing.
8. After the hotel was built and started to generate revenue, several owners formed The Owner Council (OC) to provide input to the hotel management company.
9. An asset manager with Ashler Hospitality Corporation worked with the OC to amend the Hotel Management and Rental Pool Agreement (HMA) in 2008, and has continued working with the OC ever since. The asset manager provided input and advice to the OC, resulting in a significant improvement in the financial performance of the hotel.
10. The HMA in place with each strata lot owner and the hotel management company, and was due to expire in 2028.
11. In addition, the Westin franchise agreement was also scheduled to expire in 2028.
12. Acknowledging that the OC only exists in the HMA executed in 2008, it meant that the Owners Council would cease to exist in 2028 once the contracts with HMA and Westin expired.
13. The OC was advised as a group of owners to come together and form a permanent and legally recognized society. The owners could then elect a governing body to represent their joint interests.
14. The new HOA negotiated a new and improved 25-year agreement with Marriott and Aimbridge in late 2025.
15. During the negotiations, the Marriott, holder of the Westin Whistler franchise required that the hotel be renovated to meet current guest expectations.
16. $10.25 M contribution was negotiated, called “key money”. Marriott’s contribution was $8M, and Aimbridge’s contribution was $2.25M. This contribution was conditional on the owners renovating the hotel rooms. The HOA agreed to the renovation, which was needed, and now had $10.25 M to help with the costs.
17. These negotiations and the transition to the HOA have also resulted in an updated Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) dated January 1, 2026.

Owner Reservations Guidelines

The following was provided by the Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler:

Owner Personal Reservations

All booking requests will be made through the Owner’s portal, but an Owner can always email Owner Relations to check availability. The request will then be confirmed back to the Owner with either a confirmation number or it will be declined if the request could not be accommodated.

When an Owner makes a reservation by the deadline to submit personal bookings, the owners are guaranteed their unit and the dates requested. After the deadlines, the owners hand over the remaining hotel availability to the sales & reservations departments to sell and maximize revenue for the Owners. Owners can make booking requests after these times, but it is based on availability, and their unit is not guaranteed. Below are the official booking rules.

Calendar Bookings

In the middle of March, a month out from the deadline, Owner Relations will send out an email notifying Owners that they can start booking for the upcoming winter season. The deadline is always April 15th to submit booking requests for the winter season.

In the middle of October, a month out from the deadline, an email will be sent out notifying Owners that they can start booking for the following summer season. The deadline is always November 15th to submit booking requests for the following summer season.

• Winter Season: November 16 – April 15 (April 15th booking deadline)
• Summer Season: April 16 – November 15 (November 15th booking deadline)

If you book by the deadline dates, your unit is guaranteed. It is important to ensure the correct dates when booking, especially over peak time periods, as hotel availability can be booked up quickly.

Reservations After the Booking Deadline

After the deadline passes for Owner bookings, the remaining inventory is released to the Hotel to sell (wholesale, groups, transient reservations, etc.). If an Owner has not made their booking requests by the above deadlines, then the Owner will need to wait until the booking opens 30 days prior to the following month. i.e., on May 1st the Owner’s booking calendar will indicate any days which will be available for June. Owners can make their booking request only if the hotel is forecasting less than 80% occupancy for the requested dates.

The Westin allows the owner to book as many or as few days as required without any rules. This is a benefit of the Westin over the Four Seasons and the Pan Pacific.

Friends and Family

Booking for Friends & Family

An Owner may book their unit for a friend if they provide Owner Relations with the full name in advance or fill in the guest’s information on the booking request page on the Owner’s website. The friend takes up the owner’s share of the 28:28 days.

Rates for Friends & Family

Included in the Owner benefits are Owner Pay rates and Owner Friends & Family rates.

Owner pay rates are discounted rates available to Owners who would like to book an additional room to their Owner pool reservation while staying on the property. There is a maximum of one room booked under the Owner Pay rate per unit owned, and any additional rooms would have to be under the Owner Friends & Family rate. The discounted rate is only available when the Owner stays on the property and in a Deluxe Studio Suite or a One Bedroom Suite.

All other discounted reservations would fall under the Owner Friends & Family rate. The discounted rates are subject to availability and will not apply during peak seasons such as. Christmas, New Year’s, Presidents Week, Easter and Spring Break weeks, long weekends, or any other peak times through the year. Rates are subject to change at any time.

Cancellations

Spring/Summer bookings (April 16 to November 15) have a 14-day cancellation policy. If you cancel within 14 days of your arrival date, the unit will remain out of the rental pool, and the reservation will be cancelled.

Fall/Winter bookings (November 16 to April 15) have a 30-day cancellation policy. If you cancel within 30 days of your arrival date, the unit will remain out of the rental pool, and the reservation will be cancelled.

If you do not arrive for your scheduled booking, the unit will also remain out of the rental pool and will be counted as part of your 28:28 days.

Renovation Rooms and Corridors

In summary, the renovation budget is $50 million, and as of September 2025, the funds collected were:

Renovation Fund

• $7 million FF&E reserve set aside as of April 2025
• $10.2 million in the supplementary Capital Upgrade Reserve fund.
• $3 million June 2025 contribution
• $8 million Marriott negotiations key money
• $2.25 million from the Hotel Manager negotiations key money
• Total collected is $30,450,000 and allocated for the renovation as of September 2, 2025 information
• Balance to collect is $50,000,000 – $30,450,000 = $19,550,000

Owners’ Contribution in 2026 and 2027

Based on the balance to collect being $19,550,000 in 2026 and 2027. The following is based on the June 16, 2025, letter from the OC to the owners, which included the OC’s calculation:

Studio: IUD 88: $19,550,000 x88/46,048 = $37,361 still to pay in 2026 -2027

1 bedroom: IUD 122: $19,550,000 x148/46,048 = $62,835 still to pay in 2026 -2027

2 bedroom: IUD 178: $19,550,000 x178/46,048 = $75,571  still to pay in 2026 -2027

FAQ with Answers from the Westin in blue

Statement of Adjustments

Due to the Westin having a commercial component, there are two statements of adjustments that the buyer’s lawyer produces. Apparently, the second statement of adjustment for the commercial component can happen after closing, so the buyer’s lawyer has to hold back funds to cover this amount.  – In the way our monthly financial statements are done, we must have two statements, as the hotel cannot offer final numbers until the following month for the previous month. This is why we have the Interim Statement of Adjustments that offers the seller and buyer an estimate, followed by the Final Statement of Adjustments available on the 25^th in the following month of a sale. The hotel provides these to the lawyers based on the completion date, possession date, and the adjustment date (often the same date as the possession date).

The Westin is the only property in Whistler, that I am aware of with two Adjustment dates. Unless you know about this, the realtor may assume there is only one statement of adjustment and therefore one date. 

HOA minutes

The HOA minutes, how does a realtor obtain these?  – These are posted to the owner portal for owners to access. A seller can either download the meeting minutes themselves, or hey can ask me to provide them a copy.

HOA Management Agreement 

For the listing agent to provide at time of listing:

16.2 (5) upon written request from such Owner, the Manager will provide any prospective Transferee therein with details of any bookings of the Hotel Room Strata Lot by such Owner pursuant to Article 10;  – The hotel does provide the owner with any requested documents, to the owner (seller) and their realtor up their request. Should the request not come, then I expect that the owner (seller) has already retrieved the information they need by accessing the owner portal through their log-in. I am happy to provide any realtor with information with the owner’s consent.

16 (2) (10) the Manager will deliver to a prospective Transferee, upon reasonable notice of an intended sale by the owner of a Hotel Room Strata Lot, before an agreement of purchase and sale is entered into, the most recent Audited Annual Financial Statements and the most recent unaudited Interim Financial Statements, if any, for any interim periods after the most recent financial year end prepared pursuant to Section 6.12;   – The noted statements are sent to the lawyer. This is noted in the Owner Information Package you received from me at the end under the Seller Info Page.

Same verbiage on the statements

Adam Fraser, lawyer suggested that “The Westin uses different language in their owner’s statements versus the statement of adjustment statements they issue the lawyers. If this could be the same language it removes any argument that could be made later that one party may have has something else in mind.”  – I will work with our finance team regarding this.

On the Owner’s Statement it reads “Cumulative Contribution to the Capital Upgrade Reserve.” 

On the Interim Statement it reads “Cumulative Contribution to the Renovation Funds”

My interpretation of what Lindsay was suggesting was for the Westin to produce 12 months of revenue statements, which may be actual, but no-one knows what unit the statements belong to. For example, provide the last 12 months of owner statements that show the amount of owner usage per month for one bedroom with IUD 120. Do the same for a studio and two bedrooms. That way, the realtors can provide the potential buyer with financial statements that mean something. This is something that could be posted on the realtor portal. – We provide this in the Owner Information Package. Please refer to page 10 in the package for revenue, based IUD and zero usage, as well as estimated distributions and provide a history of the last 5 years.

Next Steps

If you have questions about the Westin and you are not working with a Whistler realtor, please contact Marion Anderson. You will need a realtor experienced in Phase 2 properties to help you understand your options.

Marion Anderson Real Estate Agent
Sutton Group – West Coast Realty, Whistler, B.C.
marion@marionanderson.com (604) 938-3885