TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Came to the Empress in September to celebrate my birthday and they went above and beyond. I got a beautiful bday card and a gorgeous pastry delivered to my room! The spa was HEAVENLY (ask for Danielle), the High Tea was great. Alison at the front desk was very kind checking us in and Max the Concierge made sure we were totally taken care of. 10/10

Had a fabulous three days on the gold floor harbor view King it had a cute walkin closet. Experienced the afternoon tea and went to the spa both were excellent. Service throughout the hotel was excellent, but a few of the staff made my stay extra special. Thank you to Irwin and Angela in the club lounge, Yulia concierge and Antoine bellboy for making my stay so special. The gardens at the hotel are just stunning I would not hesitate to recommend this Hotel with its great location, history, and amenities

Disappointing Experience at Fairmont Empress Hotel My husband and I stayed at the Fairmont on Thursday, Sept 10, and unfortunately, our experience fell well short of the high standards we have come to expect from Fairmont Hotels. On Fri, Sept 11, we were making coffee in our room when the coffee maker malfunctioned, spilling coffee all over my white jacket. When my husband tried to call the front desk, the phone in our room was not working, so he had to go downstairs to seek assistance. Manager Pari came to our room with a very friendly and helpful attitude. We requested that coffee be sent to our room, and she offered to arrange breakfast as well. We agreed, believing this was being offered as part of the hotel's efforts to resolve the situation. However, breakfast and coffee resulted in an unexpected $185.00 charge to the room. Manager Pari took my jacket and assured me it would be dry-cleaned and couriered to our home. When I explained that my husband, who has a life-altering illness, and I were booked on a bucket list trip Friday, Sept 18, she assured me there would be no problem and that the jacket would take only one day to courier. It is now September 16th, and despite my efforts to follow up, Manager Pari is on holiday. I have since spoken with Manager Casper, who would only provide a Purolator tracking number. Unfortunately, the tracking information shows that the jacket is still at the hotel, with no indication that it has been shipped. We have stayed at many Fairmont Hotels and have always appreciated the exceptional service and amenities associated with the brand, however this has been a particularly disappointing experience especially given the importance of our upcoming trip and the assurance we were given. I hope the hotel will take this opportunity to review how this situation was handled and ensure that guests receive the level of service and follow-through that Fairmont is know for.

Outstanding experience with the Empress Gold status. Classy hotel in the middle and heart of Victoria. Never did the high tea, but everything else was excellent!

We reserved 3 rooms. My experience was 5 stars but my parents experience was 4, primarily because the rooms were different and they had a very small window & had a silverfish problem in their room. According to the front desk the silverfish is something they experience. The gardens at the hotel are very beautiful and it’s worth staying here for this reason. We stayed here on the fine hotels & resorts res and the breakfast was great! They had awesome gluten free options. Concierge was great and gave my parents some berries and bubbly to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We did afternoon tea which was quite expensive per person & I’ll be honest, it was an underwhelming experience and not worth the price. We had 5 different teas and the only one that wowed me was the “Peppermint” which says very little. My room was at the other end of the hotel so when I took the elevator down it took me to eating area but not the front desk. It’s a large beautiful property but it’s still something to be mindful of if you are traveling with multiple rooms booked.