I stay fairly often at Fairmont on business and also pleasure. As an Alberta resident, JPL is our favorite weekend getaway. We also stayed at Mayakoba Mexico, for a few days on our Honeymoon, first week in January 2012. As always, the service and attention to detail is incomparable.

That is, until we talk about Room Service. My flight was late in arrival in Victoria...at 0100...so i ordered room service, only to be told there was little available. I opted for the curry...which was a microwaved congealed mess. I sent it back and settled for the "Ploughmans' sandwich. I ended up with 6 slices of dried bread. Several slices of dried Italian ham and congealed sauce. No butter...what am i supposed to do with this?

No attention to detail. An afterthought...i could have got a cab to 7-11 and had a better experience. I find it ironic that the general experience is let down by such an 'easy area to get right!

People don't like paying $$$ for bad service!

PS - i ended up with bread and jam...only 4 hours till breakfast :(

This hotel, like most of the former Canadian Pacific hotels, is a taste of old elegance with all the modern conveniences. Right on the water with gorgeous views, updated rooms, elegant dining and terrific meeting facilities, this is the be-all, end-all, particularly at the "low" time of year when it is also affordable.

I wish the room had a fridge/minibar.
Also, everything was great. Except that you should never ever forget to hang the DO NOT DISTURB sign on your doorknob. Housekeeping walked in on us TWICE. First time she thought we were out, she opened the door to leave the day's paper inside. Second time, she thought we had checked out.

Stayed at The Empress for one night on Saturday January 28, 2012 with my 4 girlfriends. We had all always wanted to stay there and have high tea so we did!
The hotel is a classic beauty. High ceilings, lots of wood finishes, old Victorian furniture, wide hallways with lots of historic paintings throughout. All of the common areas are beautiful to look at.
Rooms are just ok. Certainly nothing fancy or modern about them except the TV. Beds were very comfortable. Coffee maker with lots of tea and coffee choices. Robes for all 5 of us was a nice touch. Nice deep bathtub that was a terrible yellow colour.
Tea was fabulous! You get to pick your choice of 5 different house blends of tea. You get 5 different finger sandwiches, a scone with cream and jam and 4 different little desserts for each person. They will bring you additional sandwiches if you ask but it is quite filling when you add in the fact you end up drinking a whole pot of tea. You also get to take a sampler pack of the house teas home with you that costs $7.95 in the gift shop. Worth $48 per person not so sure, wouldn't rush back but am glad to be able to say yes I have done that. Service was excellent as you would expect.
Pool was fabulous, heated! Nice size hot tub and the best part is they are open until 1:00 am.
Went to the Bengal bar for a few cocktails. Nice...and expensive. Will Patton was sitting behind us which was fun for the girls.
Had dinner across the street on the water at Milestones. Beautiful views and less than a block away.
Glad we stayed and happy to get tea at The Empress off the bucket list. Would I stay there again, yes. Location for walking around downtown is excellent. Be prepared to pay more for the name of "The Empress" than for what you might have gotten in other hotels for the same price.