I recently stayed at the Fairmont Empress and was quite impressed with the very extensive renovation, however it still falls short of meeting my definition of "five star service". Some random thoughts:

(1) The hotel really did a great job with renovating the rooms and suites as well as the lobby and public areas. Many of the rooms had gotten rather tired, but it seems like the hotel really did go the extra mile to upgrade the rooms and suites to a 5* standard.^

(2) I used one of my expiring suite upgrade certs (R.I.P. FPC ) and stayed in a one-bedroom suite which was very well appointed and featured two full bathrooms. Definitely a great choice for anyone who wants a little extra space or for anyone who's travelling with family etc.

(3) Unlike most Fairmont hotels, there is no dedicated Fairmont Gold floor. Instead, the ~60 Fairmont Gold rooms and suites are spread across all floors. The Fairmont Gold lounge seemed nice, but the highlight definitely was the massive outside patio overlooking the Inner Harbour.^ I would definitely conside booking a Fairmont Gold room/suite at this hotel.

(4) Service was excellent for the most part, though there definitely were some staff who seemed very inexperienced and/or incompetent. Not sure whether it's a matter of staff turnover or inexperienced seasonal staff, but there were a few instances where I though "how did this person become a Fairmont employee?"

(5) Platinum recognition: pretty much non-existent

- welome amenity: not provided
- welcome drinks: not provided
- called the front desk on the day of departure regarding late check-out: "we no longer offer late check-out with the new Accor program"; after some back-and-forth my request for a 2p.m. late check-out was honoured as a "one-time exception", but it very much seemed lke I was asking for her first-born