The Empress (hotel)

Fairmont Empress
Map
Former namesThe Empress
(1908–2001)
General information
Architectural styleChâteauesque
Location721 Government Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 1W5
Coordinates48°25′19″N 123°22′05″W / 48.42185°N 123.36797°W / 48.42185; -123.36797
Construction started1904
Opening20 January 1908
OwnerBosa Development
ManagementFairmont Hotels and Resorts
Height35.4 metres (116 ft)
Technical details
Floor count8
Design and construction
Architect(s)Francis Rattenbury
DeveloperCanadian Pacific Railway
Other information
Number of rooms412
Number of suites52
Number of restaurants4
Website
www.fairmont.com/empress-victoria/
[1][2][3]
Official nameEmpress Hotel National Historic Site of Canada
Designated15 January 1981 (1981-01-15)

The Fairmont Empress, formerly and commonly referred to as The Empress, is one of the oldest hotels in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located on 721 Government Street, it is situated in Downtown Victoria, facing the city's Inner Harbour. The hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury, and was built by Canadian Pacific Hotels, a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The hotel is presently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, part of AccorHotels since 2016. It is owned by Nat and Flora Bosa of Vancouver.

Opened on 20 January 1908, the Châteauesque-styled building is considered one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Since its opening, the hotel has undergone two expansions, the first from 1910 to 1912, and a second expansion in 1928. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in January 1981. The Empress underwent a significant restoration between 2015 and 2017, which cost more than $60 million. The hotel commemorated the restoration efforts on 28 June 2017.

  1. ^ "Emporis building ID 113497". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "The Empress". SkyscraperPage.
  3. ^ The Empress at Structurae