About Us - Pyrethorn Chronos | Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa

A Journey Through Time

From humble beginnings to Vancouver's most cherished escape

1947

The Beginning

What started as a charming 12-room guesthouse on Robson Street became something folks couldn't stop talking about. Margaret Thornhill had this vision that comfort didn't need to be stuffy or pretentious.

1963

First Expansion

We added the west wing and brought in 24 more suites. The whole neighborhood thought we were crazy building that spa - turns out they were just jealous they didn't think of it first.

1982

A Family Legacy

Margaret's son David took over and honestly, the guy had better ideas than any of us expected. The fine dining restaurant? That was all him. Changed the game completely.

2001

The Modernization

Yeah, we finally got around to updating everything. New tech, redesigned interiors, all that jazz. But we kept the soul - that's what matters most to us and our regulars.

2018

Complete Transformation

Our biggest project yet - we became the luxury boutique experience you see today. Still family-run, still authentic, just with better sheets and killer wifi.

The Vision Behind It All

Margaret Thornhill wasn't your typical hotelier, and that's exactly why this place works.

Back in '47, she inherited a run-down property on Robson and everyone told her to flip it. Instead, she decided to create something different - a place where guests felt like they were visiting a really cool aunt's house, not some impersonal chain hotel.

Margaret used to say time moved too fast for most folks, and they needed somewhere to just... pause. That's where our whole "time stands still" thing comes from. It's not just marketing fluff - it's genuinely what we're trying to do here.

The Third Generation

These days, it's Margaret's granddaughter Elena running the show. She grew up literally running through these halls - we've got photos of her at age six "helping" at the front desk.

Elena brought her hospitality degree back from Switzerland, worked at some fancy places in London and Paris, but always knew she'd come home. She's the one who pushed us into the spa game big-time and frankly, it was the right call.