How Auberge Vancouver Rethought Water in the Guest Room

TL;DR

At Auberge Vancouver Hotel, sustainability is not introduced as a feature, but embedded into the guest experience.
One of the most visible shifts has been the move away from single-use bottled water, eliminating approximately 20,000 plastic bottles annually through the introduction of Vivreau’s microfiltered water system.
This approach extends across the room, from refillable amenities and compostable materials to locally sourced products, all designed to work together seamlessly.
The result is a guest experience that feels refined, intentional, and aligned with how modern travellers expect to stay.

Where The Setting and the Stay Align

At Auberge Vancouver Hotel, the experience is shaped by a close relationship between place and design.

Set just steps from the waterfront near Canada Place, the hotel sits within one of the city’s most striking settings. The harbour is in constant motion. Seaplanes rise and return throughout the day. The seawall stretches toward Stanley Park, where forest, ocean, and mountain views meet in a way that feels distinctly Vancouver.

What Auberge does particularly well is how it pairs with this setting. It doesn’t compete with its surroundings, it complements them. Guests move easily between the energy of the city and the calm of the hotel. Mornings begin along the water. Evenings return to a space that feels considered, quiet, and complete.

“For many of our guests, the connection to the water is a defining part of their stay. Being moments from the harbour, from Coal Harbour, from the rhythm of the city itself—it creates an experience that feels uniquely Vancouver from the moment they arrive.”

The Evolving Role of Sustainability in Hospitality

Sustainability has become a defining factor in how guests choose where to stay. According to Booking.com’s 2025 Sustainable Travel research, 84% of travellers say travelling more sustainably is important to them, while 93% want to make more sustainable travel choices, with many already doing so.

Over the past decade, this shift has moved from intention to expectation. What was once a consideration is now part of how guests evaluate a stay, alongside comfort, design, and service.

For hotels, the response is not a single initiative, but a more considered approach to the entire experience.

At Auberge Vancouver Hotel, sustainability is not introduced, it is embedded. It shapes the quieter decisions, the ones that often go unnoticed but are felt throughout a stay.

That thinking reveals itself in the details. Microfiltered water, provided through Vivreau dispensers and served in refillable bottles in place of single-use plastic. Amenities designed for refill rather than replacement. Materials chosen with care, from compostable packaging to locally sourced products.

In a city where water defines both landscape and lifestyle, even this smallest gesture carries weight. Replacing bottled water with a filtered, refillable approach is a subtle shift, but one that reflects a broader clarity in how the hotel operates.

That same sensibility extends across the room:

Refillable in-room water bottles, refreshed daily
Bathroom amenities provided in dispensers
Local tea offerings with compostable packaging
Coffee pods collected and recycled through a dedicated program
Locally sourced products, including soaps from Vancouver-based Skoah

Each element is considered on its own, but designed to work together. The result is an experience that feels cohesive, intentional, and quietly aligned with the expectations of the modern traveller.

“At Auberge Vancouver Hotel, sustainability is not a single initiative. It’s something we’ve built into the entire guest experience. From introducing Vivreau’s water system to the products we place in each room, every decision is made to reduce our impact while maintaining the level of quality our guests expect.”

A Seamless Approach to Water Service

Like many hotels, they previously relied on single-use bottled water. Over time, the scale of that system became difficult to ignore.

The impact extended beyond sustainability. Storage, deliveries, and ongoing restocking added operational complexity that sat in contrast to the otherwise streamlined guest experience.

To support this shift, Auberge implemented a water system designed to fit naturally into hotel operations.

Filtered water is prepared on-site and used by the housekeeping team to fill glass bottles daily before they are placed in each guest room. The process is simple, consistent, and integrated into existing workflows.

Glass bottles are placed in each room before arrival
Bottles are filled fresh daily by housekeeping
Additional water is delivered upon request

For guests, the experience feels clean and elevated. For the hotel, it removes the need for bottled water logistics while maintaining a high standard of presentation.

Every guest room at Auberge Vancouver Hotel comes with a Vivreau Twist bottle — and a note worth reading. NSF-rated filtration, sanitized reusable glass, and a reminder that traditional bottled water has zero regulation on what goes inside. This is what choosing better looks like. — *A Vivreau Twist bottle on the desk of every guest room at Auberge Vancouver Hotel — alongside a note explaining exactly why they made the switch from single-use plastic.*

Water in the Guest Room, Reimagined

Water became one of the first areas where Auberge made a meaningful change.

“At Auberge Vancouver Hotel, bottled water had become one of the largest sources of waste in our operation, adding up to more than 20,000 plastic bottles each year. By implementing Vivreau’s water system, we were able to eliminate that entirely while improving the overall guest experience. It allowed us to align sustainability with how we want the hotel to feel—elegant, considered, and seamless.”

Sustainability, Thoughtfully Communicated

A key part of Auberge’s approach is how clearly these changes are communicated.

Each glass bottle includes a small tag attached at the neck, offering a simple explanation of what guests are experiencing.

The water is filtered on-site
The bottles are reused rather than discarded
The environmental impact of eliminating single-use plastic

It turns a functional detail into part of the hotel’s broader sustainability storytelling, which guests appreciate.

Operational Benefits That Support the Experience

The transition away from bottled water also led to meaningful improvements in how the hotel operates on a day-to-day basis.

Key outcomes include:

Eliminating bulk storage of bottled water
Reducing delivery frequency
Streamlining housekeeping workflows
Lowering ongoing costs

While largely invisible to guests, these improvements speak to Auberge’s commitment to delivering a more intentional, sustainable, and elevated guest experience.

“Introducing Vivreau allowed us to remove bottled water logistics entirely. It reduced deliveries, eliminated storage, and simplified operations for our team, all while supporting our sustainability goals.”

“We want guests to understand the choices we’ve made. By sharing that the water is filtered on-site and served in reusable bottles, it becomes part of the story of their stay—not just something placed in the room.”

A Practical Model for Modern Hospitality

In a city like Vancouver, where ocean, mountains, and forest are not distant backdrops but part of daily life, the connection to nature feels immediate. It shapes how people move through the city, and increasingly, how businesses choose to operate within it.

Auberge Vancouver Hotel demonstrates how thoughtful changes, applied consistently, can reshape the guest experience in meaningful ways.

It is a reminder that luxury today is not defined by excess, but by clarity. By choices that feel deliberate, considered, and quietly impactful.

Ready to Reimagine Water in Your Space?

At Vivreau, we’re proud to support partners like Auberge Vancouver Hotel in bringing this vision to life, and we value the trust they place in us. We’re especially grateful to Ali for sharing their perspective and experience. If you’re rethinking how water fits into your space, we’d welcome the opportunity to connect. Contact a Vivreau water expert to learn more.