Fairmont Empress

I am a local that enjoys breakfast here every once in a while. The service is always excellent and the food is enjoyable. I had the misfortune of being served by Paul on my last visit. The usual pleasant atmosphere was dampened by the way he was degrading a fellow employee. He was talking with another worker about a disabled (not the term he used) employee. The complaining about special treatment and that she should just retire really bothered me. I have had the pleasure of being served by her many times and she is always friendly and enjoys chatting. I am hoping this was an off day but has really put a bad taste in my mouth.

Excellent rooms with full amenities. Cost is as expected for five star hotel. High tea was expensive but generous serves. The pool and hot spa were good and welcome after a cold day. The breakfast was included in my package and was delicious and plentiful.

Amazing stay! Friendly staff. Had a delicious charcuterie board in the bar with some yummy cocktails. Had a great breakfast in the morning too. Room was very clean and spacious. Beds were so comfy. Housekeeping staff were very nice and helpful.

I had always wanted to stay at the Empress and I'm happy I finally got the chance. There were lots of pros and cons at this hotel. PROS: staff all very courteous and friendly. Turndown service was nice and done promptly. Bed and pillows extremely comfortable. Pretty certain they gave us a room with a king bed even though we originally booked a queen. Complimentary bottled water was nice, although they forgot to put some in the room when we first checked in. Nespresso machine with coffee pods is nice. Watch out though! While it's brewing, the vibrations of the machine can knock the coffee mug off the pedestal and spill coffee everywhere - ask me how I know this, ha. Hotel is in a great location for checking out all the touristy things to do downtown. CONS: the harbour view we got was underwhelming. We were given a room on the far wing (furthest from the parliament building) and the view was honestly not worth the extra money - we were overlooking some terrace, and while we could see a part of the inner harbour we couldn't see the parliament building at all because it was blocked. The room felt very tired. The light fixture in the bathroom was rusted, the paint was bubbling and chipped in multiple areas of the room, the grout in the bathroom was in dire need of a redo, the bathroom was really tiny - if you are a person on the larger side, you'll struggle. Room's TV was small and was about 15 years old. Finally, there is no free wi-fi. I was actually supposed to have free wifi due being part of their loyalty program. But I only found out after I left that I should have had free wifi access. The fact that it's not free in the first place is already crazy, but also that they didn't mention that I had this member privilege was kind of an annoying oversight. The Willow Spa was a fantastic experience. We didn't order room service. The on site restaurant (The Q at the Empress) was good, but not great. The servers were great, there were a couple of small hiccups at dinner but not even worth mentioning here. The food, unfortunately, was not great. Eat there and judge for yourself. The breakfast in particular was quite underwhelming.  While I'm happy I got to experience the Empress, unfortunately, I wouldn't go back due to the very tired rooms and underwhelming view. I would try another luxury hotel in Victoria next time.

I took my mother and mother in law for afternoon tea and it was incredible. This beautiful, classic hotel was such a gorgeous backdrop, the view was spectacular, the food was delicious and Yosief our server was so lovely. He did a wonderful job of making us all feel special and we left knowing we need to make this a regular occurrence. Thank you to the whole team that helped me make this a special occasion for all 3 of us!