The Empress (Hotel)

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The Empress Hotel

The Fairmont Empress (most commonly known as The Empress) is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria, British Columbia. It has become an iconic symbol for the city itself due to its premiere setting on Wharf Street facing the downtown Inner Harbour.

A closer view of The Empress

1 History
2 Afternoon tea at The Empress
3 Other information
4 External links

[edit] History

The Edwardian, château-style hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury for Canadian Pacific Hotels, as a terminus hotel for Canadian Pacific's steamship line whose main terminal was just several meters away. The hotel was to serve businesspeople and visitors to Victoria, but later as Canadian Pacific ceased its passenger services to the city, the hotel was successfully remarketed as a resort to tourists, which similarly coincided with Victoria's emergence as a tourist destination beginning in the mid-to-late 1920s.

The hotel was built between 1904 and 1908, finally opening for service in that year. Two additional wings were added between 1909 and 1914. During this time, The Empress (as it was known then) played host to kings, queens, movie stars and many famous people. In 1919, Edward, Prince of Wales waltzed into the dawn in its Crystal Ballroom - an event considered by Victorians to be of such importance that almost 50 years later, the obituaries of elderly ladies would appear under headlines such as, 'Mrs. Thornley-Hall Dies. Prince of Wales Singled Her Out.' In the 1930s, Shirley Temple arrived accompanied by her parents amid rumours that she had fled from California because of kidnapping threats, a story borne from the presence of two huge bodyguards who took the room opposite hers and always left their door open.

For many years the hotel did not even have a sign above the front entrance. The strong emotions the hotel evoked in Victorians and its guests and protectors is exemplified in the statement made by an irate gentleman, as workers raised the sign above the front entrance: 'Anyone who doesn't know this is The Empress shouldn't be staying here.'

The Empress in the morning light

In 1965, there was much debate on whether to tear down what was becoming a faded, dowdy hotel, to make room for a more modern, functional high-rise hotel. One local newspaper warned that, 'Without this splendid relic of the Edwardian era, literally tens of thousands of tourists will never return. This is the Mecca, this is the heart and soul of the city.' A decision was announced on June 10, 1966: The Empress would not be demolished. Instead she would embark on a $4 million campaign of renovation and refurbishment, playfully dubbed 'Operation Teacup.'

In 1989, over $45 million was spent in additional restoration. All the guest rooms were renovated, and a health club, indoor swimming pool and guest reception were added. With an emphasis on craftsmanship, no attempt was made to give the hotel a new image. Instead, the goal was to restore The Empress to its original, pre-war elegance.

In 1999, Canadian Pacific spun-off Canadian Pacific Hotels, along with all its properties. The new company was renamed Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in an effort to reflect its growing global presence and ambitions. As such, all former CP Hotel properties were to be renamed and rebranded with the prefix 'Fairmont'. This led to a loud uproar and consternation by Victoria's newspapers and its citizens, a decision they viewed as sacrilege. Although the new name stuck, Fairmont made no changes to the hotel's original exterior signage, as a compromise to soothe local anxieties and respect its iconic heritage.

Fairmont later sold the hotel on October 31, 2000 to the Legacy Hotels REIT for CAD $120 million. However, Fairmont has a long-term management agreement with Legacy Hotels, and as of August 2005, held an 11.14% ownership in this REIT.

[edit] Afternoon tea at The Empress

The hotel is well-renowned for its tradition of serving afternoon tea in the classic, Edwardian tradition. During the summer months, the hotel serves tea (along with fresh scones, preserves and Jersey Cream) in its 'Tea Lobby' to more than 800 guests and tourists. According to Fairmont, this apparently is more than most hotels in London, England. Although not cheap (afternoon tea is approximately CAD $50 per person), reservations are often required one or two weeks in advance.

[edit] Other information

The hotel has 477 rooms, with most either overlooking the Inner Harbour or the hotel's rear courtyard gardens. It has four restaurants, including The Bengal Lounge, which is decorated in Victorian-era, Colonial Indian style (when Queen Victoria was the Empress of India) or Kipling's, which is named after its once frequent guest and visitor, author Rudyard Kipling. In 2005, Kiplings closed it doors to the public in order to generate more space for private functions.

During the 1989 renovation, the Victoria Conference Centre was added on, and incorporated the hotel's historic Crystal Ballroom. As well, the hotel has gym facilities, a whirlpool and an indoor swimming pool.