Victorians call the Fairmont Empress the Castle on the Coast, a nickname that has held since opening day on 20 January 1908. Designed by Francis Rattenbury in the Châteauesque style for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the ivy-clad brick landmark faces Victoria's Inner Harbour, copper turrets oxidised to soft green by over a century of Pacific air. A sixty-million-dollar restoration completed in 2017 brought the hotel into the present without disturbing its Edwardian bones. The 431 rooms and suites pair marble bathrooms with views of harbour masts or the Parliament dome. Eighty-eight Fairmont Gold rooms form a hotel within the hotel, with a private lounge, daily breakfast and evening canapés, plus a terrace overlooking grounds ranked among the world's 25 most magnificent hotel gardens.
Tea at the Empress has run without interruption since 1908, scones, finger sandwiches and pastries on a tiered stand, 21 teas including the house Empress Blend, all under soaring ceilings and harbour light. Q at the Empress, named for Queen Victoria, centres on Pacific Northwest seafood with a raw bar and a wine list rooted in British Columbia terroir. Q Bar pours craft cocktails and local draught; The Veranda opens in summer with the harbour's best sunset seats. Fairmont Spa draws on West Coast botanicals, with a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi and steam room. The Parliament Buildings stand across the street; the Royal BC Museum is two minutes on foot. Victoria International Airport is 24 minutes by car, or a 35-minute Helijet from Vancouver lands at the downtown harbour terminal, steps from the hotel.
