I arrive in Victoria in British Columbia by fast ferry from Seattle. It’s a trip of about three hours. The first impression as I step off the boat is good. The city looks tidy and well maintained. I’ll be spending a few days here, and I’m looking forward to exploring this end of Puget Sound. 

Location

The Fairmont Victoria sits in what must be the best location in town and has a commanding view of the bay on which Victoria sits. The ferry terminal as well as the Harbour Air passenger terminal are both only about five minutes away on foot. Despite its central location, the hotel is very quiet.

Check-In

I arrive at the Fairmont Empress just after eleven in the morning. I’m obviously way too early for check-in and there’s quite a queue for reception. Many faces I recognise from the boat. Opposite reception, on the other side of the huge Christmas tree, is the concierge. I go up to the counter and ask if I’m in the right place to check in for Diamond members, or if I should go straight up to the Fairmont Gold Lounge. The lady tells me she can quickly check me in so that at least I have access to the lounge immediately, even if the room isn’t ready yet.

The Staff & Service

The staff and service at the hotel are truly impeccable. The very helpful lady at the concierge’s desk sets the tone for a very nice and enjoyable experience at the Fairmont Empress. All the staff are friendly and engaging and very obviously have been trained to take a can-do attitude towards hotel guests. They’re just brilliant! For example, on the day of departure I contact reception to inquire about the possibility of a late check-out. Without hestitation I’m given a late check-out at 13h00. The lady at reception even volunteers to send somebody up to collect my bags.

Deluxe Harbour View Queen

I’m staying in a Deluxe Harbour View Queen room on the seventh floor. My room is in an annex that was built later. That is why I have to take the lift up to the sixth floor first, and then change there to another lift going up to the seventh and eighth floors.

They’ve given me a corner room, which gives me a pretty sweet view of the entire bay. From one window I can see the sea planes ploughing their trade, and from the other I can see the ferry landing and the government building with it’s vast dome behind it.

The bed is quite large and spacious. It’s also very comfortable and firm. What’s more, lying in the bed I can still see the bay outside my window, which is pretty cool.

The bathroom is a good size and features a shower and bath. There’s something rather old fashioned about the whole space that I find rather endearing. The cosmetics in the bathroom are by Le Labo, who created a signature rose scent specially for the Fairmont Hotels. I like it, even though it is quite a heavy scent.

The Knight of Malta shower test gets minus points for the weakish water pressure. Other than that, though, minor spillage and good temperature control.

Amenities

The amenities in the room are stupendous. There is a Nespresso machine with capsules that are replenished daily. Small tubs of milk are in the minibar. In addition, there’s also a kettle and a nice selection of Empress branded teas, which can also be purchased as a souvenir from one of the shops in the lobby.

At around 14h00 on the day of arrival I receive a message from the Fairmont Gold reception, informing me that my room is ready and my luggage has been sent up already. I finish up in the lounge and then make my way upstairs to my room. A few minutes later there’s a knock at the door with a delivery from the kitchen. The waiter hands me a card, and places a bottle of red wine and a cheese and fruit platter on the small table by the window.

The amenities in the bathroom are extensive, and include dental kits, nail files, cotton buds etc.

The Fairmont Gold Lounge

Even though the room isn’t ready when I check in to the hotel, I have immediate access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge on the first floor through my diamond status. The lounge receptionist has already been informed by the concierge that I’m on my way up. She greets me at the lift and then takes me on a brief tour. Apparently, this is the biggest Fairmont Gold Lounge in all of North America, which is hardly surprising because the place is enormous!

Complimentary breakfast and dinner snacks are served in the lounge. The selection they have is quite impressive.

Conclusion

The Fairmont Empress of Victoria is a very grand, lovely hotel. I really like the Fairmont lounges, which are not something you get very often in hotels in Europe. And if you do, the offerings are usually quite meagre and certainly can’t keep up with the other American hotels. The room I had on this visit wasn’t really remarkable in the sense that it has any special designer furniture or was particularly modern. Nonetheless, I thought it was a nice and very comfortable room. The kind of room you enjoy coming back to after a long day out and about exploring a new city. All in all, though, the hotel’s selling point for me really were its staff, which were truly outstanding without exception and just lovely. They immediately made me feel welcome and at home. I thought it was rather nice that they all seemed to enjoy working at the hotel.