Victoria’s Fairmont Empress hotel is eyeing a late June reopening after being closed for weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hotel, a landmark in downtown Victoria, was closed on March 23 to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Now the hotel is working toward a late June 2020 reopening, but says it is tentative.
“As with every hotel emerging from closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority is to ensure the hotel is set up to welcome guests and patrons back in a safe way and in compliance with provincial health orders,” the Empress said in a statement Thursday.
The hotel would first be allowing guests for overnight stays, with limited food services. Those food services would include in-room dining and in the summer, the harbour-facing Veranda for lunch and dinner.
“Initially, a select number of our 474 guest rooms will be available upon reopening. How many will be determined closer to our opening date and based on tourism in the city, and consumer demand,” the Empress said.
The hotel will only be open for hotel guests and restaurant patrons for safety. Entrances to the Fairmont Empress will also be limited for physical distancing and cleanliness.
And the Fairmont Empress will be using a new ALLSAFE program, developed by the Accor Hotels organization, which the Fairmont Empress is part of.
ALLSAFE includes measures to protect guests and employees, including physical distancing and mandatory screening for all guests and employees, which may include a temperature check. The measures also include providing masks to guests and all employees, the latter of whom will be required to wear them, and a 48-hour “settling period” for occupied rooms post-departure. There will also be increased frequency of cleaning & disinfecting, with a focus on high-touch points and continued use of EPA registered disinfecting chemicals, proven effective in preventing the transmission of COVID-19.
.A diagram describing the ALLSAFE program. Photo courtesy of the Fairmont 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,” the hotel said.
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