VICTORIA -- The iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria has set a tentative reopening date of late June.
While the exact date is subject to change, the Empress says it will be welcoming back guests for overnight stays and will be providing limited food services upon reopening.
The food services will include in-room dining as well as seated dining along the hotel’s veranda for lunch and dinner.
“After all the time spent indoors, this will come as a welcome spot for Victoria to enjoy the summer weather and take in the harbour views and activity,” said the Empress in a release Thursday.
While the hotel has a total of 474 guest rooms, only a limited amount will be available to guests upon reopening. The exact number of available rooms will be determined closer to the hotel’s official reopening date.
To ensure guest and staff safety amid the pandemic, the Empress will be employing a new “Allsafe” program which was developed by the Accor Hotels organization.
The “Allsafe” program includes sanitizing each touchpoint that a guest may interact with throughout the hotel. It also includes mandatory screening for all guests and employees, which may include temperature checks. Non-medical masks will also be provided to each guest and will be worn by employees at all times.
Meanwhile, all guest rooms will have a 48-hour “settling period” before new guests will be allowed to stay in a suite.
“Equally important, hands-on training for all employees and a formal Allsafe audit program will be executed by operational experts to ensure our guests and staff are continually kept safe and well,” said the Empress.
“Canada’s Castle on the Coast has been an iconic part of Victoria for more than 112 years. Closing our doors was a sad day, and we are so looking forward to opening again and welcoming our local community and our beloved colleagues back to Fairmont Empress.”
