Fairmont Empress Hotel

I’ve been in awe of the Empress since I was a kid. It seemed to me to be the epitome of Victoria. I was so excited to have the opportunity to stay there this month. However, it will most likely be the first and last time I stay there. For the amount of money one spends to stay at the Empress, there aren’t really additional perks or amenities to justify the price tag, aside from the beautiful historic building it’s located in and then the fact that you get to say you stayed there. My party and I planned to have High Tea and a Spa service while there. The tea service was adequate; it’s located in a very beautiful (albeit, very hot) ballroom-type room.

Before our stay, I booked the spa appointments online. I was able to book the desired service for the desired date for my sister, however, the service I wanted for myself wasn’t available on the desired date. I clicked the “back” button, found a service I liked, and booked it. I received a voicemail from the spa a few hours later asking me where I was and that they were waiting for me to arrive for my appointment. I realized what happened; when I clicked “back” to look at the services, the booking website defaulted to the day-of. I called the spa to explain what happened, that I made an honest mistake, but that our stay in Victoria wasn’t for a few more days. The associate reported that they have a very strict cancellation policy and that they already charged me for the service and if I still wanted to have a service during my stay, that I would be charged again at full price. I again explained to the associate what happened, but they remained firm. I asked to speak to the manager, however, the manager had left for the day. The associate told me the manager would call me the next day. The manager didn’t call me the next day, not until the day after. The manager reported that the best they could offer me was a 20% discount on another service. The manager reported that the room was set up for me, products set out, etc. In fairness, I offered to pay for that portion, however, the manager reported that it could not be done and the 20% discount was what she could do for me. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Not only was I charged for a service I didn’t receive, the customer service was nonexistent, inflexible, and uncompromising. Also, the spa service booking website isn’t user-friendly and seems that it WANTS the customer to mess up the dates by defaulting to the day-of.

We were so excited to stay at the Empress and experience the spa and tea, however, it left us disenchanted, underwhelmed and disappointed.

The location is brilliant. In the heart of downtown. Walking distance to the wharf.
The rooms were spacious, and the staff were very friendly. They have an awesome bar in the hotel that open out towards the front of the property.

If your not getting a suite stay in another hotel... Service is amazing here but if your only getting a room, the hilton might be a better choice. suites are kings ransom, but you do live like a king.