Badge of the Hotel Vancouver

Blazon

Out of a mural crown Or encircled with two bars wavy Azure the merlons topped with truncated pyramids Vert a demi griffin Or the wings embellished Azure grasping in the dexter claw a torch Vert winged and enflamed Or;

Symbolism

The mural coronet refers to the magnificent stone cladding and carving on the Hotel’s facade. The wavy blue bands encircling the coronet symbolize the sea and suggest the Hotel Vancouver’s proximity to water. The green merlons or small embattlements mimic the Hotel’s distinctive roofline. The griffin is a famous symbol of the Hotel Vancouver. The blue in the wings makes it distinctive to the Hotel Vancouver and repeats the water motif in the coronet. As a symbol often connoting protection, the griffin also alludes to the Hotel’s commitment to creating a safe haven for its guests. The winged torch is an allusion to the caduceus of Hermes, god of travellers and commerce. It serves a dual symbolic purpose: first, it refers to the head of Hermes that guards over one of the Hotel Vancouver’s entrances, and second, it was a charge used in the unofficial arms of the City of Vancouver from 1903 to 1969.