Can a babysitter come to our hotel near Vancouver airport?

Yes. The hotels around YVR are in Richmond, which is one of the 16 municipalities Puffin covers. A hotel room is booked the same way as a house, at the same rates, with a three-hour minimum and every child in the room included.

Can we use a foreign passport for the ID check?

Yes. The one-time check asks for a photo of you holding a driver's licence, BC ID or passport next to your face, and a passport from outside Canada works. It is reviewed by an administrator before your first booking, so do it before you travel.

Do you cover North Vancouver, West Vancouver or Whistler?

No. Puffin covers 16 municipalities, including Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and New Westminster, but not the North Shore or Whistler.

Can we book a babysitter for tonight?

Not online. Bookings made through the site need 24 hours' notice. The office can sometimes arrange same-day care by phone on (604) 283-2829, so call rather than assuming the answer is no.

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September 25, 2026Puffin Services

Visiting Vancouver, BC With Children? Booking a Babysitter at Your Hotel or Rental

For families on holiday, a work trip or a night before a cruise: where Puffin can come to you, what to sort out from home before you travel, and what the hours cost.

Vancouver, British Columbia, is an easy city to visit with children and a hard one to go out in without them. This guide is for families in town on a holiday, a work trip or the night before a cruise, staying in a hotel, a serviced apartment or a short-term rental. It covers what it takes to have a Puffin caregiver come to you. (In town for a wedding? This guide is written for wedding guests.)

First, check where you are staying

Puffin covers 16 municipalities, and a caregiver comes to the address you give, which can be a hotel room or a rental just as easily as a house. Vancouver is covered in full, from downtown and the West End to Kitsilano and East Vancouver. So is Richmond, which includes the hotels around the airport: YVR is on Sea Island, which is part of Richmond. Burnaby and New Westminster are covered too.

North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Whistler are not among the 16, so we cannot send a caregiver to a hotel or rental there. Better to know that before you book the room than after.

Do the one-time steps before you fly

A first booking includes a one-time photo ID check: a photo of you holding your ID next to your face, reviewed by an administrator before a caregiver is sent. A driver's licence, BC ID or passport is accepted, so visitors from outside Canada can use their passport. The review is quick, but it is not something to leave until you are standing in a hotel lobby. Do it from home, when you book.

Online bookings need 24 hours' notice. Book the evenings you already know about when your plans are set. For a same-day need, the booking form cannot help, but the office sometimes can by phone: (604) 283-2829.

What the hours cost on a trip

Rates are the same across the coverage area, with no hotel or downtown premium. All the children in your room are included in one booking, and there is a three-hour minimum.

An evening out, 6:00 to 9:00 PM: $96 with a child 12 months and over, $114 with a baby.

The jet-lag morning: a family that flew in from Europe or Asia is often awake long before the city is. A 5:30 to 8:30 AM booking, so one of you can sleep, is $98. The half hour before 6:00 AM bills at the overnight rate.

A full day, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, while the adults do something children can't (a conference day or a long lunch): $256.

Three things to put in the booking

The room and the building: the room or unit number, whether the front desk expects a visitor, and any access detail such as an elevator fob or a side entrance.

A baby's bed: if the baby sleeps in a hotel travel cot, the form asks you to confirm the safe-sleep setup: bare crib, on back, no loose items. Hotel cots often arrive made up with extra bedding. If yours has not been cleared yet, choose "caregiver to verify" rather than confirming it.

Your plans for the evening: roughly where you will be and when you expect to be back. If you run late, the extra time is billed through Puffin to the card already on file, with an emailed record. Nothing is paid in cash at the door.

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Common questions

Can a babysitter come to our hotel near Vancouver airport?: Yes. The hotels around YVR are in Richmond, which is one of the 16 municipalities Puffin covers. A hotel room is booked the same way as a house, at the same rates, with a three-hour minimum and every child in the room included.
Can we use a foreign passport for the ID check?: Yes. The one-time check asks for a photo of you holding a driver's licence, BC ID or passport next to your face, and a passport from outside Canada works. It is reviewed by an administrator before your first booking, so do it before you travel.
Do you cover North Vancouver, West Vancouver or Whistler?: No. Puffin covers 16 municipalities, including Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and New Westminster, but not the North Shore or Whistler.
Can we book a babysitter for tonight?: Not online. Bookings made through the site need 24 hours' notice. The office can sometimes arrange same-day care by phone on (604) 283-2829, so call rather than assuming the answer is no.

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