Beautiful property, lovely staff, excellent service. We could not have been happier with our stay. Room service was quick and easy, the concierge arranged a babysitter, everything went so smoothly. It is well-maintained and tremendously located, right in the center of town and overlooking the water. It is famous for its afternoon teas, but I think its gardens rival the local Butchart Gardens and you should skip the latter if you are only in town for a day or two! Take a walk to the Fishermans Wharf, either by the water if you have a lot of time (45 mins) or the back roads (Belleville to Montreal to Oswego to Kingston) if you are on a schedule (about 15 mins) and eat at Barb's - amazing local halibut and salmon. And play with the seals who come bobbing up to the dock. Everything was very family friendly at the Empress too...they supplied a crib at no charge and the housekeeper kept our myriad of belongings very well-organized!

Stayed in the "Gold" section as part of a trip I arranged for my wife's birthday. Scheduled the dates to coincide with the Tall Ship Festival. The Gold section includes a personal concierge and a beautiful pair of lounge rooms with a view of the harbor that are used for various meals and relaxing. Unfortunately, the concierge and lounge were at the very other end of the hotel from our rooms, which made it quite a (confusing) hike. Did the tea, had a nightcap in the Bengal Room. The room amenities and service were top drawer, as was the attitude of everyone that we dealt with. Hard to easily judge however, since the locals were such a nice group of folks everywhere we went. The location is perfect for the activity that goes on in the harbor. We were unaware that the harbor entrance serves as a takeoff and landing strip for the multitudes of seaplanes that do business in the area, as well the corridor for the usual boat traffic. Warning to those who are reviewing places to stay in the Inner Harbor! Don't select a place next to the water at the neck of the harbor, you will hear the planes from early morning until nightfall. Anyway, my overall impression of the Empress itself is mixed but mostly positive. It's a beautiful old matriarch that is torn between exhibiting the grand old style that it's fame is based upon and accommodating a new generation of business-oriented travelers.

The Fairmont Empress is great if you like the grand old hotels. It feels elegant and traditional but it is old so if you like new you might prefer staying elsewhere. Our stay was very comfortable and enjoyable. We had a harbourview suite and it was quite lovely. The concierge on our floor was very helpful and willing to please. He had helped book an excursion for us prior to our arrival and was very good about emailing suggestions and making the booking. He also had a great restuarant suggestion for fish and chips which both my daughter and husband were craving for lunch. The hotel has a fantastic location which puts it in the center of things and makes it very easy to walk to a variety of activities. It also has some nice shops that I would have liked to have had more time to explore. One hint if you are checking onto the Gold Floor. The reception for that is on the Gold Floor so don't check in at the front lobby. I wasted several minutes waiting while a lady griped about not having her room ready. It was noon and they had upgraded her but she was not happy that the room still wasn't clean. Our room wasn't ready either but that was fine because they upgraded us and apologized. Downstairs they had already wisked our bags into locked storage, The bellman was wonderfully patient when I had to go back into the bag room twice to retrieve the video camcorder and then something for my husband. By the time we returned from lunch and our excursion the room was ready and our bags were brought up immendiately. It was time for hor d'oeuvres a nice little extra on the Gold Floor. Just a note if you stay in club level rooms, alcohol which is often included in places like the Ritz or the Disney Resorts is an extra charge. Not a big deal but that was a first for us. We weren't sure if this was because we were in Canada or if that is just a Fairmont policy. I would have liked to have had an extra day in Victoria at this hotel. It was so big and impressive that I would have liked more time to explore and perhaps try their famous afternoon tea.