Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Experience the Jewel of Southern California at the Empress Hotel, a Boutique hotel in the heart of La Jolla Village. Stroll to La Jolla Cove and take in stunning sunsets and breathtaking coastline views. La Jolla Village is home to fabulous restaurants, galleries and shops all steps from the Lobby of this Upscale Boutique Hotel. The Empress La Jolla is a short drive away from popular San Diego attractions such as The Gaslamp, Old Town and Seaport Village. Family travel to San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Legoland can begin here in large rooms with two beds, a short drive to attractions and a block from the Sea Lions at Children's Beach. Business Travel is also made easy at Empress Hotel with Complimentary WiFi and a Business Center just minutes from UCSD, Scripps Medical, Bio-Med Companies and UTC Westfield Center. The Empress Hotel La Jolla is the perfect location to embark on an unforgettable vacation or business trip.Check our website for special packages.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
7766 Fay Ave, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92037
Empress Hotel La Jolla
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The Empress Hotel La Jolla is a small hotel housed in an L-shaped 5-story building built in the late 1960's. It is located in the heart of La Jolla village and therefore close to several good restaurants, the village shops, and a short stroll to the La Jolla Cove and beach.
A stay of one or two days is fine, but for a longer stay we would suggest someplace with more of a resort feel (i.e. with a pool, landscaped grounds, golf or tennis, large gym, etc. as this hotel had none of these). The $25 daily resort fee included valet parking in their small basement garage, wifi, and breakfast (nothing to rave about since it was standard breakfast fare like some of the inexpensive chain motels). The two elevators were functional. The on-site Manhattan steak house was fairly popular for a midweek in early Spring.
Our Superior King Room had a pillow topped mattress, a sofa that opened to a twin bed, and designed in a beach aquamarine color scheme done pre-COVID. The shower tiles and glass doors were clean, but the bathroom was small. The closet doubled to also house a room safe, ironing board, the mini-fridge, the microwave, and a single serve coffee maker, thus leaving limited space for hanging clothes.
But the best part of the Hotel was that our room was clean and comfortable for the relatively inexpensive price in a central La Jolla location.
Early check in (before 2 PM) or late check outs are charged as add-ons. Some of the staff in the front counter at check in were friendly and helpful, the woman who greeted us was totally not excited about her job here.
So overall, 4 stars for the comfortable and clean room
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here for 3 days last month during a trip to visit cousins. This is the second time I've stayed here, the last trip about four years ago. The rooms are still lovely and very clean. The bed is very comfortalble and the bathroom is great also. Since covid, though, rooms are not cleaned on a daily basis, though the maids will change towels and clean more frequently, if asked. The biggest change is the lack of any sort of breakfast. Whereas, in the past, there was a buffet breakfast in a nice setting, now there is nothing, not even a coffee or hot water urn. There are signs about covid protocols ... but there is a restaurant open nightly on the first floor, so, apparently, those protocols do not apply at dinnertime. [Even my far less costly La Quinta at the SF airport had a pared down free breakfast.] Granted that there are nearby coffee shops, I got the feeling that the hotel was using covid as an excuse to cheap out. Aside from this, I was very happy with me stay at the Empress. The hotel staff are friendly and helpful and the hotel is very clean and the location is excellent, right in the heart of La Jolla village. I still highly recommend it.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lawrence Loy, General Manager at Empress Hotel La Jolla
Responded May 5, 2022
Dear morralkan, Thank you for your taking time to review the Empress Hotel. I have to agree with you, we have friendly and helpful staff. I am sorry we have fallen short of your expectations, regarding the free breakfast. The conversation has been mentioned to the management. We have the amenities in our rooms, coffeemakers coffee (Starbucks coffee) assorted tea, micro, fridge inside the closets, I'm sorry if the information wasn't mentioned to you upon arrival. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. until next time, Anna Flores- Operations Manager
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This was an excellent stay... The check in was friendly and helpful, with lots of information regarding the parking garage. Anthony was a great desk clerk, friendly and a wealth of information regarding restaurants and staying an extra day. We ate at the fish restaurant (El Pescador Fish Market ) Anthony recommended and it was wonderful
The room was lovely, we were so surprised and grateful as we had been traveling all day with a pet. The pet fee was only 20.00 dollars and you would have never known you were in a pet room. Felt like we were in a small suite. Thank you so much !!! Such a lovely, clean and well equipped room, with a mini fridge, microwave, safe, large closet, extra couch and chair. The bathroom was really large and we loved the shower area.This room made us choose to stay a second day and catch up on some rest.
The hotel garage is around the back but a gate comes down at 11 PM and they have camera's in the garage as well and you can enter the hotel from the garage area. The fee is 26.00 dollars a day to use the garage. But folks you may pay more than that keeping the meters fed or for parking at restaurants.
The lobby was decorated very nicely for the Christmas holiday and the maid staff was very friendly as well. They were not serving the morning breakfast due to covid and didn't offer anything in a to go bag. However, there are many places in walking distance like The Brick and Bell ( had really good breakfast sandwiches) or Girards Bakery.. And the living room has really good coffee and mexican hot choc.
We can't thank you enough for such a lovely stay. We got married here in 2005 and this is the first time we have been able to visit since then. You certainly helped make it a wonderful memory.
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Second Floor was lovely ....
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Lawrence Loy, General Manager at Empress Hotel La Jolla
Responded Apr 10, 2022
STAFF: We appreciate you taking the time to rate The Empress Hotel La Jolla. Thank you for highlighting our staff member Anthony for his outstanding service and for choosing to stay with us. We hope to have the chance to welcome you back for a more satisfactory experience. Until Next Time, Anna Flores- Operations Manager
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Great location, central to local La Jolla cafes and restaurants, short walk to the beach, very quiet. King size bed was THE most comfortable, firm but soft pillow top, slept like an angel, best bed we’ve had in any hotel for a long time. Good size room with seating area separate from the bed. Excellent choice.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Besides the location (which is all it has going for it) , this hotel is in desperate need of a renovation. Our room on the 3rd floor was above the kitchen and beginning in the afternoon each day the smells of all food prep wafted through the ventilation system and just landed in our room. The carpet is old and dingy and absorbs all the smells.
For what you pay a stay here, this should not happen.
We asked for a room change and they could have cared less and did not follow up to see if we wanted to move when a room was available.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great location within walking distance from cafes, grocery store and CVS. Free breakfast with eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles and usual pastries was nice accommodation. Parking was simple on the street during free parking hours then hotel valets car when needed included in destination fee. Hotel was clean, updated, checkin service was good. Only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is due to low pressure in showers but otherwise enjoyed the stay at very reasonable cost.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The entire team was amazing! We received so many compliments from our guests about how wonderful and accommodating everyone was. We had a fantastic stay, and the staff was incredibly helpful and attentive throughout.
We worked closely with Ransom from the sales team and Spencer from the hotel management team, and they were both exceptional. The front desk staff and the entire team went above and beyond to make our experience memorable.
Everyone in our group had a wonderful time during their stay, and we will absolutely recommend the Empress Hotel to any friends or family for future travels. The included valet parking was a huge plus, especially since parking in La Jolla can be challenging. Additionally, the hotel’s location is perfect, within walking distance of all the highlights La Jolla has to offer.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:La Jolla has so much to offer! We loved the incredible variety of restaurants and charming shops.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Earlier in the year, we had a pleasant stay, but a lot fell through the cracks this summer. BTW, we were informed the hotel had new owners by someone at the front desk. Before arrival, we requested a room not next to an elevator, then upon check-in was given a room across from the elevator. We called from the car to ask for courtesy early check-in, which they said was possible, only to learn that they charged $20 after reviewing the bill. Then there was a plumbing problem where all the water was shut off. No one said anything to us as we walked through the lobby. We only learned about the issue when we tried to use the shower.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joel Majors, General Manager at Empress Hotel La Jolla
Responded Aug 8, 2023
Dear Kaylaartt, I am very sorry that we did not meet your expectations. I apologize that at the time of your check-in there was not rooms available away from the elevator. It is typical that we charge a $20.00 early check-in fee. We did have a emergency where we had to shut off the water for a short time. My apologies that we could not reach you. I would like to speak to you regarding your stay should you want to contact me. Thank you for staying with us and I hope that you will give us another try. Kind Regards & Safe Travel. Joel Majors General Manager
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The best things about the Empress are the location and the beds which are divine. Otherwise, the hotel is a bit tired and not particularly well-cared for. The breakfast room is dreary with a few random half-dead plants and old musty furniture. Breakfast is the usual motel-type affair with disposable cutlery and plates - a bit of a disappointment in a hotel with an upmarket restaurant.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I enjoy staying here and have several rimes, but they are really off their game. The hotel is very clean and the staff top notch, but broadly the hotel's owners are mailing it in. When you arrive (first impressions, right?) the planter along the front is just gross - not cared for at all and full of leaves, cigarette vutts and trash. It'd take somebody 10 minutes a day to clean it, so what's the problem? This is 2021, yet their wi-fi is very 1993. You CANNOT stay on it for longer than 10 minutes w/o losing signal. It's infuriating and inexcusable! Also, they're taking the, "Well, you know, COVID" excuse to the extreme. Gyms are open in CA, but theirs is closed, as is their business center. Many small restaurants surround them, all of which are open, yet their breakfast room is NOT. Why? Lazy? Don't care? I mean, really. You cannot even get a cup of coffee in the morning, and not a single bottle of water available at the front desk. Pathetic, really. Remember, this is in La Jolla, which means "the jewel." The hotel is no jewel, and certainly not befitting of its name, The Empress. Theiy're paying managers and general manager for what, exactly? Do they not have eyes? Can they somehow not see what every guest sees? Or do they just not care? We're REALLY disappointed in how far this hotel has fallen. 😡 The owners need to get their sh*t together or sell the place to someone will!
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Date of stay: May 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi! I would say Uber. We had a car & this was our 2nd trip to LaJolla, loved staying at the Empress! Great staff & the location is just perfect! Have a great time!
There are more places to choose from in the La Jolla area.
PRICE RANGE
$216 - $321 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
empress hotel la jolla, empress la jolla
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Empress Hotel - A Greystone Hotel
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSan DiegoLa Jolla
NUMBER OF ROOMS
73
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Empress Hotel La Jolla
Which popular attractions are close to Empress Hotel La Jolla?
Nearby attractions include Children's Pool (0.3 miles), Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church (0.1 miles), and Cuvier Park - The Wedding Bowl (0.2 miles).
