Spent a night here before departing from Victoria on business / the ONLY thing positive about this hotel is the harbour front location. Be warned...the pictures online of all the flowers and sidewalk cafe/tables in front of the Empress Hotel is NOT your view. You also have NO AIR CONDITIONING in most rooms or a fridge...just a fan.
You also have to leave the hotel and walk down the street and cross over and head towards the harbour to see that view. I'm going to guess that view they posted was off of a boat...so yeah bring a boat lol!
Our view was half a view of the ferry between Canada and the US. Still nice location and we saw the odd float plane taxiing off and the H20 Taxis were cute.
The parking for the hotel is behind the hotel and confusing (small signage) and if you don't find a spot, you're on the street!
Bonus....wine and beer shop next door! Their indoor/outdoor lounge was nice and we got an evening drink while watching the NHL playoffs lol - we are Canadian after all :)
You are close walking distance to shops and restaurants along the harbour but if you want to pay a little more money per night, then I suggest to look around or at least ask ahead of time which of their rooms has air conditioning and a fridge.