Fairmont Empress

Fairmount Empress is doing a great job managing through a difficult time right now. Used the pool I was satisfied. At this price we were expecting a bit more. Most hotels have a mini var with drinks and snacks available at a cost. Complimentary battle of water... Level of service were not comparable with the price. [Details]

The location is perfect and the staff amazing. Harbour view rooms are a must. Top floor is a must to avoid stooping feet above you. But, depending on your room location, rooms need repair ie. peeling wall paper, stained carpets, beat up and mismatched furniture. For what you pay and the historic significance of the hotel, one would expect more effort. [Details]

Professional and friendly staff and a beautiful hotel in a great location. [Details]

We loved this hotel and it's location. However, the staff continued to disappoint. Especially after prepaying 450 for a dinner for two on the veranda and continuing to get neglected as we watched the table beside us get special treatment from all the service staff, managers, and even the chef himself. What a major disappointment! [Details]

Our stay at the Empress was fantastic. Even though it had snowed upon arrival the staff ensured we had a warm and excellent stay. The room was exquisite, breakfasts were fantastic with a wide range of dishes to choose from. James Bay, Beacon Hill Park, Mile 0, the ocean, Craigdarroch Castle, Imax, were all within walking distance. Wish we could have stayed longer. [Details]

The Empress is a lovely landmark hotel with a rich Canadian-British tradition in Victoria, BC.

The grounds, gardens and overall condition of the hotel is fantastic. Clearly, the staff and management take pride in the property.

Unfortunately, like many hotel experiences, the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of your stay is often determined by your interaction with hotel staff.

Positives: the hotel accomodated our request to check in as early as possible by calling us on our cellphone when our room was ready. Greatly appreciated. The Restaurant staff and Gift Shop staff were fabulous: helpful, pleasant and service-oriented.

Negatives: After checking in, we proceeded to our room. The room was noticably in sub-standard condition for a hotel of its price-point and grand reputation: worn carpets and a general feeling of longterm neglect. The room was also connected to an adjoining room via door in the suite. Past experiences have shown us that you can be disturbed by late night tv noise, etc on the other side of the door so we always ask for a conventional room without an adjoining door.

Unfortunately, our original preferences in the on-line booking page were not addressed. We travel quite often and this is just "one of those things" that you encounter from time to time. It is usually resolved by a polite telephone call to the Front Desk.

As I called the Front Desk from the room, our Porter arrived with our luggage. He gleaned the situation and waited while I finished my conversation with the Front Desk. But things fell apart there. The Front Desk person acted as though our query about another room was an inconvenience to him. He asked us to wait in the room and he'd call us back shortly. In the meantime, while my wife, the Porter and I waited for a callback, the Porter broke his silence and weighed in with his opinion about adjoining rooms, unmistakedly critisizing us for exercising our right to ask for an alternative room. The last thing you want to deal with after a long flight and shuttle trip to the hotel is a surly, self-important person who works at the hotel. Talk about deflated first impressions.

The Front Desk eventually called our room and said there was nothing more available other than a "noisy room above the front doors of the hotel" until more people checked in later in the day. I asked if our President's Club status might open additional rooms to us. The answer "no". I told the Front Desk person that we were disappointed and asked if he could revisit our request later in the day and get back to us. He said he would.
He never called us again -- even over the full three days of our stay. Very disappointing service attitude by the Empress.

The final experience to relate was our interaction with the surly Porter the following day. It was raining In Victoria, we didn't pack an umbrella. My wife stopped by the Porter's Station and politely asked if we could borrow an umbrella. The Porter was alone. The Porter's response was to disinterestedly mumble something to my wife and point at the Front Desk. The message was basically "I have no time for you, go see them for help". I'd expect this kind of surly behavior at a low end hotel/motel, not a high-end hotel in a city trying to rebound from a serious recession.

There are many excellent hotel choices around the Victoria harbour. It might not be a bad idea for Empress management to re-focus some of their staff to this reality. [Details]

Location was excellent and room was clean. But....very small room. Only 1 person in the bathroom at a time. View overlooked loading dock. We were quoted $16.95/day for self-park and $29 for valet. We chose self-park and on check out were charged for valet. They stated price was same regardless. When checking in, if you choose self-park, be sure to note the name of the front-desk agent who gives you the quote. [Details]

Is a great place to stay.Centrally located.Rooms well appointed.Very friendly and efficient front desk.Expensive restaurants.Join the President's Club for discounts on food,beverages and activities. [Details]

This was just an unbelievable deal for where we were staying. The staff were so friendly in the hotel anywhere we saw them. We were upgraded to a harbor view which was great room with a view. It wasn't real busy this time of year. Would do this again with friends or family. Walking distance to everything around. We took a city bus and we didn't have to change buses either way when we went to Buchart Gardens - a must see. Recieved great discounts for things to see from Westjet vacations for things to see. [Details]

Impeccable service, friendly staff, and loaded with atmosphere. If you love architectural detail and historical charm, this is the hotel for you. Fabulous cocktails in the Bengal Lounge are not to be missed and breakfast in the Empress room is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The Empress still impresses. [Details]