I am amused at the previous review since it could have been written by me for the most part. If you were there between March 2-8, we were part of the seminar groups housed in Empress Hotel. There were definitely lots of tour groups during our stay.

We had just checked out of the Holiday Inn CM & joined our group for a week long conference. Requested 2 interconnecting Non Smoking rooms for our family of 5 as we have severe smoke allergies. Checked in at 10 AM & were very graciously given---- rooms in the smoking floor !!! SInce it was also on the 5th Floor, it was overlooking a moat of green water where there should have been an aborted construction. Had to leave for the day with Sgt Kai & intended to straighten up the error upon our return. After a LOT of back & forth, given 2 rooms in separate wings at the 8th Non Smoking Floor- when we moved in, noted the adjoining room was empty so they again moved our kids to the next room.

Stayed in the room overnight but noted that my son was sneezing incessantly & had severely itchy eyes- I then noted that there was a lot of mildew in both our bathrooms' grout. Requested Housekeeping to come & clean it which they did & still it could not be removed. Asked the HK supervisor to meet with me in the room & she denied that the remaining spots were mildew !!! I offered to clean it myself but by this time, our travel agent associate who was in house taking care of us already inspected our room herself. Spoke to them & I was more than willing to pay for a Deluxe room move. We were finally given the upgrade at no cost with apologies from our agent. As noted in the previous review, it was a world away from the standard rooms. It was only about $15 more but it was over all nicer & newer than the 16th Floor 1 BR suite that my friend was in. Advised our agent to suggest the Deluxe over the Standard when they stay in this property. BTW, son's respiratory symptoms resolved overnight.

We had our meals in the reserved 2nd floor Chinese restaurant & they were adequate with variety & taste. Fitness Center barely had any equipment. Kids enjoyed the swimming pool with their friends a lot. Housekeeping did a good job with cleaning but some were marginal about their attitude. Flooding in the BR was an everyday affair since the bath tub seams ran off the sides. Had to call them to remove the drain cover. Front desk were very pleasant with the exception of the Desk Managers who were very difficult during check in.

If you have to stay here, book the deluxe at least - ask for the 12th floor- they have newer rooms there. It will be worth your $20 . Management will sell you their grungy rooms if they can get away with it. I believe prices were cheap so our NPO booked in this property. If you do your research, I believe you can get better accommodations elsewhere.

I will personally return to HI CM as they have better facilities & service there.

We spent 2 weeks in the Empress in late June/early July. As part of our deal we ate breakfast and lunch in the hotel and both meals were very good. Cooked to order omelettes each morning as well as pancakes, waffles and french toast cooked right in front of you. Very good.

The rooms were a nice size and were cleaned immaculately each day. The bathrooms were a decent size although not what I would call large.

We were in a corner room so had windows on two walls with a beautiful view of the mountain. The pool area was nice although a hot tub would have been nice.

The staff were incredible. The front desk people always gave a smile and a wai and a greeting when you walked by. The housekeeping staff did a great job.

I'd stay here again in a heartbeat - about a 10 minute walk to the night market.