First off let me start by this was a FREE night. This was my first stay at the hotel after getting over the sticker shock of a $30 parking fee per night. (Parking is privatly owned by a different company) I entered my room which was very tiny but extremely clean as was the bath room. I had 1 King bed. The wireless internet worked excellent (But at $16 a day I was glad I am a Presidents club memeber as for me it was free) I looked over the pool area etc and it looked inviting but I never used . On a Sunday night Dining choices are very limited in this property As there was a curry buffet or exspensive pub fare both in the lounge no dining room open on Sundays after lunch. Never did room service. I had a large flat screen TV in the room but the remote was VERY spotty working at best. No A/C if needed in room for summer time use but there was a fan in the closet. The inroom tea and coffee service was great but I found odd that the seperate kettle was plugged in (Kettle is a great touch) when I went to use the coffee maker I had to move the table it was on as well as the curtains in order to find and plug in the coffee maker. The room was Very quiet no noise from anywhere. I did recieve an odd voice mail on my inroom phone that was an advert. for the spa? Never heard of this before. once in bed I was up every hour try to find a comfy possition to sleep in. I think the bed was way to soft for my comfort. Nothing wrong with the bed if you like them soft. I found the small in room fridge and it did not seem very cold if infact cold at all. The shower had great pressure and temp. But later on when running the hot water in the sink it took almost 20 min of continuous running for the water to become warm??
All in all a very pricey place to stay if it was not for the free room I may have stayed elseware.
But I will add that ALL staff that I encountered were very friendly and proffesional and when on the phone even called me by name.

We stayed with my brother and sister in law at The Empress hotel early in 2012 and found the hotel very good. The rooms were very spacious and comfortable, the staff were excellent and very polite. The only thing we found dissapointing was the "Bengal Lounge" the evening buffet meals were very expensive and served only lukewarm dishes, needless to say we only visited the restaurant once! but apart from that the hotel was very elegant with lots of history of past visitors including The Queen and Prince Phillip and ex American presidents. There were lots to see within walking distances, lots of coffee shops and eatery places and lots of other shops too.
We would most certainly make a trip back there again.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude in the way we were welcomed & treated at the empress . Your staff on the 2nd floor should be commended.
The lounge was excellent , the food lovely and varied. My wife & kids loved it plus the understanding & attention payed to them by dillon,taylor , & Stephanie in particular.
I was very impressed with Dillon when he found part of our suite for us at 7.30am , when we arrived very early & then arranged for the other parts to be expedited. Nothing was too much trouble. Similarly, Taylor who posted out mail for us and answered many queries including providing a map of the local establishments we could take our kids. Most of all he should be commended for organising a table in the tea room for my family to access the "Bengal lounge" buffet. It was excellent with fire on & the area to ourselves , plus Will was a great waiter , the kids loved him .
It was also very pleasing for both the Director Edward & Gold Lounge Manger Duane to introduce themselves & explain about not being able to provide 2nd bed in the 2nd bedroom. Sorry about the trouble this created, but we appreciated that they had measured the room etc to try & accommodate us.
Edward spoke well to us, helped with kid friendly pubs & arranged for Vegemite to be there for breakfast.
Duane was also very nice and informative this morning. He made us feel part of the community & gave us some good insight & was just great to talk to.
Overall this is the best we have been treated, the best comfortable accommodation we have ever had. The facilities were all good as was decor & rooms. Housekeeping looked after us well as well. Keep up the good work .
Thanks for having us Aussies .
Great spot for Christmas , & we will be back, as will our friends.

The Empress is impressive. An older hotel with much charm. Rooms are on the smaller side however they are very well appointed. The staff is TOP NOTCH! and location would be hard to beat. Directly outside your hotel you can find the harbour, Provincial Museum, conference centre, ferry terminal and of course shopping right downtown. While you are in Victoria, make sure you check out the cute breakfast places within walking distance. A couple of my favourites is John's and Cabin 12- Love the story of the humble beginnings here and the gang there is amazing.
High tea is pricey yet so English. Takes you back to elegance years ago when you could slow down the pace and enjoy the company of the people you are with.
On a much more casual note, if the weather is nice, you may want to go whale watching. This is a highlight!
I will travel back, you can never go wrong with a Fairmont hotel