The Fairmont Empress

The room is too small and a bit old. The high-tea at the restaurant is quite expensive but they tactically compensate you with the classic atmosphere, attentive service and a box of free tea bag when you paid the bill., the price is still OK.

This historical bldg. is a Fairmont run hotel. They do a very decent job of maintaining its original look & decor. I booked the standard room w/c is the smallest room, but it slept us 4 adults comfortably. Bathroom is tight, use is one-person-at- time fit. Overnight parking was $30, but you can leave car up to 4pm. next day of checkout. I got the cheapest rm. that cost a fortune, but its the experience we were after. High tea was fun and the tea cakes & sandwiches were absolutely yummy, served on fine Royal Dalton china! Make reservations for high tea, sells out.

this hotel is located in the heart of downtown victoria so it's within walking distance of everything. the room was super clean and we even got a free upgrade to a suite with a breathtaking view of downtown. the staff were friendly and hospitable and the bed was insanely comfortable. i would stay here again in a heartbeat.

This was the first trip to Victoria and hence I was ready to splurge a little on the stay though I'm usually not looking to go overboard with the hotel part as we just sleep there for a few hours (not big in using the spa/fitness/food at hotel). The location is the best part of this hotel - it is right in the center of the Victoria universe so you can't go wrong with that part. The rooms are a little smaller for my liking part but done up well so not that big a deal. The ameneties are good and the general upkeep of the hotel is very good. For the price (I paid $250/night) for last minute booking, it was a good deal, especially for this place and most other places were in the $200/night range anyway. So for the extra $30-$50 bucks/night and for a short trip, it was definitely worth it. The only rip-off was the parking which was additional $30/night and that is the part that sucked. The food @ the hotel is expensive but very nice - the High Tea is hyped and hence not worth it in my opinion but if you have it on your checklist, do it once and for all to get done with it. I think I make better tea & sandwiches myself and I really didn't feel like paying extra for their fine china but I guess you are paying for the tradition. The spa/pool/fitness center are nice though I just saw them and not really used them. Overall, if you get this for <$250/night or no more than $50/night more than other 4-5 star hotels, definitely worth it. You'll enjoy it.

Had trouble booking a room for 3 people. Hence requested a rollaway bed. Confirmed 3 days before departure and at check in. We were gone all day and when came back, no rollaway bed was in room. Called the front desk and manager told me I didn't book a large enough room. After some debating with him, they finally gave us a separate room with pull out.

We arrived at the Empress at 3pm and were told check in was at 4pm and that all rooms were guaranteed to be ready by 4pm. Ours wasn't ready until 5pm. They did offer to comp us two drinks however. Having traveled all day the room being ready on time would have been appreciated. Some of the staff seemed less than eager to assist and I would have expected more. Also, the hotel rooms are not air-conditioned. Can't imagine what it is like in July. We enjoyed the high tea which they are noted for. Very nice, great service, but pricey. $120 for two people. The pool and fitness center were also very nice.

gave us a bigger room on the harbor because we asked! Also drinks! because we told them we were on an anniversity trip. Quite nice, really. generally just loved it!

we enjoyed our long weekend ;)

The hotel is lovely, but pricey. Glad that Hotel Club had a great price!

The Empress Hotel is a beautiful old hotel with a lot of history. Parking is tight, with low clearance (our mini-van barely cleared the pipes in the undergound garage. Large SUV's probably will have problems with the underground parking. Tea at the Empress was great, we had beautiful weather and was able to sip our tea, eat pastries and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.