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Randy Vogel was born and raised within walking distance to Hycroft Suites and the Granville House B&B. He attended Saint Georges School, graduated from Magee Secondary and completing a Bachelor of Arts program from the University of Victoria in Economics and Urban Geography. Randy became a successful residential mortgage broker in Vancouver’s expanding real estate market.
Pam Vogel was born in Winnipeg Manitoba, and moved to Aldergrove BC with her family before Elementary School. After high school, Pam moved to Downtown Vancouver, and quickly found work at Malone’s Bar & Grill (now The Local), a Kitsilano hot spot where she worked for 12 years, one year of which was spent in Shanghai China opening a Malone's location.
Pam met Randy while racing sailboats on a Wednesday Night Race in English Bay. After dating for many years, they decided to compare their 10-year goals. Pam’s goal of “B&B owner” was close enough to Randy’s “Home Builder”, that they wasted no time finding “Hycroft”, which was then a dilapidated 10-bed care-home. After working a year for Development Permits, and another year with (Brad) McPherson Construction Ltd, Pam & Randy were married and moved into Vancouver’s first purpose build Bed & Breakfast in 2000. Hycroft B&B was a quick success, and was upgraded from “family” furniture, to “designer” furniture after the first season. Today, repeat guests’ account for more then a half of all Hycroft Suites visits.
Five years into the B&B business, this couple were the proud parents of 2 children; Kris & Rio. Wanting more space for their family, they started looking for a small residence close to Hycroft. What they settled on was a 10-year-old 6,000 square foot custom Shaughnessy house that was perfect for a first class B&B and their new family home. A substantial renovation budget helped (Mike) Reid Developments Ltd renovate the 8 bathrooms and purchase premium appliances, beds, bedding & furniture for their guests. Granville House B&B opened in 2008 and was quickly awarded Vancouver’s only Canada Select 5-Star B&B.
After Pam & Randy moved out of Hycroft B&B, the name was changed to Hycroft Suites to target those looking for luxury self-contained South Granville Suites, furnished accommodations or vacation rentals. Initially, these two properties were promoted separately under Hycroft.com & GranvilleBB.com. In 2009 BBVancouver.com was created to give guests a one-stop web site, but that was the only change noticeable to their guests.
Randy comments "We have been very fortunate to have wonderful staff over the years. Many guests will remember Jenn, & Eduardo. We currently have the full time Inn Keeper Shandy Rae and House Keepers Lyka, Ren and Cory, so please say “hi” if you meet them. Lyka & Ren are at Granville House B&B while Cory has been the “face” of Hycroft Suites since 2005". While Pam & Randy work hard, they also play hard. They currently own a Martin 242 sailboat called “Trouble” which is kept on a trailer at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club dry-dock. The couple continue to race most every RVYC Wednesday Evening Series during the summer months. They are also Family Playing Members of the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club at 1630 West 15th Avenue, which Randy admits "has been a great place to work off our morning diets." Pam adds "We also enjoy the local bike routes, Sea Wall and Granville Island walks that we will recommend for you. We love calling “the worlds most livable city” our home, and we look forward to showing you why."
Pam and Randy have made many wonderful friends since 2000 from all walks of life and all corners of the earth. They love to open their homes to new friendships that enrich their lives with various stories and personalities. Pam concludes "We hope to have the pleasure of your company and look forward to meeting globetrotters near and far. See you then!"
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