Fairmont Empress

Steamships from Vancouver and Seattle once tied up in Victoria's Inner Harbour a few yards from the Empress, and the hotel was built to greet them. The Canadian Pacific Railway opened it in January 1908, on mudflats at the head of James Bay filled in for the purpose, to designs by Francis Rattenbury. The Fairmont Empress has held its place at the head of the harbour ever since, its copper roofs and ivy-covered walls the first thing visitors see as they arrive by water.

History

Rattenbury had already made his name in Victoria with the Parliament Buildings beside the harbour, finished in 1898, and the railway wanted a hotel that would bring travellers across from the mainland on its ships. Wings were added in the 1910s and again in 1928, more than doubling its size. Through the twentieth century the Empress was the grand hotel of British Columbia's capital, and its afternoon tea became part of the city's image. Its architect's own story ended badly: Rattenbury left Victoria for England in 1930 and was murdered there in 1935. In 1981 the hotel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, and it was restored at the end of that decade. Fairmont took over its management along with the rest of Canadian Pacific's hotels. In 2014 the Empress was sold to a group led by the Vancouver developer Nat Bosa, which spent several years restoring it, and the hotel dropped the definite article from its name when the work was finished in 2017.

Architecture and design

Rattenbury drew on the château style that the railway used for its hotels across Canada: steep copper roofs, dormers, turrets and gables over walls of brick and stone. The latest restoration remade the bedrooms in lighter colours and with new bathrooms, but the great public rooms keep their period character. The Palm Court sits under a stained-glass dome, and the Crystal Ballroom keeps its chandeliers and high ceiling. The hotel keeps beehives in its grounds, and gardens run along the harbour side of the building.

Rooms and suites

The rooms follow the shape of the old building, so no two floors quite match. Some are compact, with sloping ceilings under the roofs; others are large, with bay windows over the harbour. Fairmont Gold rooms on their own floor share a private lounge with its own check-in. The best suites look across the Inner Harbour towards the Parliament Buildings, which are outlined in strings of lights at night.

Dining

Afternoon tea is the Empress ritual. It has been served since the hotel opened and now takes place in the Lobby Lounge, with a tea blended for the hotel, tiered stands of sandwiches and pastries, and scones with jam and cream. Q at the Empress, the main restaurant, opened after the 2017 restoration and cooks with produce from Vancouver Island and the waters around it. Q Bar serves cocktails, among them drinks made with Empress 1908, an indigo gin produced in Victoria and named after the hotel.

Wellness

The Willow Stream Spa offers treatments, and the hotel has an indoor pool and a fitness centre.

Weddings and events

The Crystal Ballroom and the Palm Court are the historic rooms for weddings, receptions and dinners. For larger events the hotel connects to the Victoria Conference Centre next door, which takes conventions and meetings.

Location

The Empress faces the Inner Harbour on Government Street, in the middle of downtown Victoria. The Parliament Buildings and the Royal BC Museum are next door, Chinatown and the shops of Government Street lie to the north, and in front are the seaplane docks and the whale-watching boats. Victoria International Airport is about half an hour away by car. Harbour Air seaplanes cross from Vancouver in well under an hour, the Victoria Clipper sails from Seattle, and BC Ferries from the mainland arrive at Swartz Bay, north of the city. For a luxury hotel in Victoria, the address is as central as the city allows.