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Empress hotel reno


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#1 amor de cosmos

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Posted 05 January 2008 - 09:16 AM

Empress Hotel on a tear for 100th birthday

Spending $1 million to renew tea lobby, ballroom and lighting

Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, January 05, 2008

The Fairmont Empress Hotel will spend almost $1 million this month, almost a quarter of that on a new floor for its tea lobby, as the venerable hotel spruces itself up for its 100th anniversary.

The hotel, which turns 100 years on Jan. 20, is undergoing a six-week renovation that will see the tea lobby and ballroom redone and new lighting added on the outside of the historic building.

"We're spiffing it up for the centennial," said general manager Roger Soane.

<snip>

http://www.canada.co...86d0c273&k=6403

#2 Phil McAvity

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Posted 06 January 2008 - 11:49 PM

Wow, sounds pretty minor considering they did a $4 million reno over 40 years ago and then 18 years ago they did another reno that cost $45 million.

#3 amor de cosmos

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Posted 19 January 2008 - 05:05 PM

longish article on the Empress, with some stuff on the renovation:

Fairmont Empress Hotel 100 years old, and still Victoria's favourite cup of tea
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
January 19, 2008 - 1:48 p.m.
VICTORIA - The winds blow up top at the widow's walk, a rectangular look-out point on the roof of Victoria's Fairmont Empress Hotel.

The tiny, fenced-off widow's walk provides an unobstructed 360-degree view of downtown Victoria and the Pacific ocean that surrounds the city.

It was built to provide an early warning of potential enemy ships approaching Victoria, says Paul Jeffery, the facility operations manager at the Empress, which is celebrating its centennial .

<snip>

http://www.canadianb...ontent=b011908A

#4 aastra

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Posted 20 January 2008 - 12:43 PM

The winds blow up top at the widow's walk, a rectangular look-out point on the roof of Victoria's Fairmont Empress Hotel.
The tiny, fenced-off widow's walk provides an unobstructed 360-degree view of downtown Victoria and the Pacific ocean that surrounds the city.
It was built to provide an early warning of potential enemy ships approaching Victoria, says Paul Jeffery, the facility operations manager at the Empress, which is celebrating its centennial .


The view of downtown and the ocean from there isn't really "unobstructed," of course. The peak of the Humboldt Street wing is taller than the roof on which the walk is situated, and the Empress is also in a low spot as compared to the taller buildings behind it and also along Douglas Street (downtown and in James Bay). I'm sure there's a great 360 degree view from there but my point is that the walk on the roof of the old wing certainly isn't towering over the city or anything like that.

Early warning? Was that tongue-in-cheek? If the military emplacements along the coast hadn't detected these hypothetical enemy ships by the time a hypothetical observer on top of the hotel had detected them, methinks the hypothetical battle would have already been lost.

(I presume the "potential enemy" was Imperial Russia, but if my history is correct, the Japanese victory over Russia in 1905 rendered Russia's Pacific navy impotent, in which case the lookout atop the Empress was obsolete before the first wing of the hotel was completed -- if the lookout was indeed expected to have strategic value.)



#5 Rob Randall

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Posted 23 September 2008 - 07:25 AM

Interestingly, the long-rumoured Empress expansion was briefly touched upon at last week's CrystalView discussion at Council.

When it was mentioned that a potential Empress expansion would block the Crystal Court redevelopment from being seen from the Harbour, one Councillor remarked that one bad development blocking another bad development is not good planning.

I found this criticism interesting because all previous Empress expansions, including the most recent one have been met favourably.

#6 Mike K.

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Posted 23 September 2008 - 08:52 AM

So this councillor has already made up his/her mind about the Empress expansion prior to (presumably) being presented with definitive plans?

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#7 aastra

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Posted 23 September 2008 - 09:28 AM

...one Councillor remarked that one bad development blocking another bad development is not good planning.


Here's a radical idea: demand good developments.

But I suppose carrying on like children is a lot more fun.

#8 aastra

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Posted 23 September 2008 - 09:49 AM

It's also not good planning to tar all new developments as bad, regardless of what the developments in question happen to look like.

#9 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 23 September 2008 - 09:26 PM

But I suppose carrying on like children is a lot more fun.


Lol, that's a bulls-eye!
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#10 Bingo

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Posted 18 August 2016 - 08:46 PM

IMG_4351.jpg


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#11 Bingo

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Posted 29 August 2016 - 05:27 PM

Nearly 500 staff at the Fairmont Empress hotel are set to strike Thursday over what they say is growing frustration with working conditions related to the recent renovation of the hotel.

Shields said the union — Unifor Local 4276 — served the company management with a 72-hour strike notice this morning. 
He said the issue stems in part from renovated rooms having more elements like glass surfaces and mirrors to clean. To meet Fairmont standards this is taking extra time. The company can mandate overtime to staff so they are forced to stay to keep their jobs, he said.
“While the renovations are beautiful, they are creating health and safety issues for staff,” Shields said.

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.8X6ludVU.dpuf 

 


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#12 Bingo

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 05:11 AM

I suppose Empress management could hire more staff and then reduce everyone's hours to 3 days a week with no overtime needed.

They should also get rid of all those mirrors to clean, as that is real back breaking work.



#13 spanky123

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 06:15 AM

I liked the part about the union being upset because managers are topping up coffee and clearing busy tables.


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#14 tedward

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 07:14 AM

I liked the part about the union being upset because managers are topping up coffee and clearing busy tables.

 

I would be upset if, on an ongoing basis, my management staff was wasting their time doing such work. Shouldn't managers be doing, you know, managing?

 

Occasionally lending a hand is one thing but chronic understaffing is indicative of poor management.


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#15 Mike K.

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 07:24 AM

Or it could be indicative of difficulty finding enough qualified, motivated workers, perhaps. I'm sure management is not thrilled to be topping up coffee but as a customer I don't care who does what, just do it and make my experience memorable.
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#16 Bingo

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 07:32 AM

Or it could be indicative of difficulty finding enough qualified, motivated workers, perhaps. I'm sure management is not thrilled to be topping up coffee but as a customer I don't care who does what, just do it and make my experience memorable.

 

Sometimes it takes more time to talk about it than doing it, so leading by example can help motivate your staff and bringing around the coffee pot while the workers are trying to look busy is fine with me.


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#17 Dietrich

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 07:59 AM

Consider that some of these folks have been there for years, cleaning the same old English grandmother style rooms, and the standard was set that so many rooms could be cleaned in such and such time. Now modernize those rooms, add more details that take more time - such as extra polishing and glass cleaning, etc.  You can't expect them to do the extra work - or at least a good quality job - in the same amount it took to do a room with less detailing. This seems to be a theme in many fields of work these days - expecting workers to do more with less or in the same time as when they didn't have the extra stuff to do. The fault here is the hotel in their scheduling and not hiring more staff. 


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#18 todd

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 08:05 AM

I liked the part about the union being upset because managers are topping up coffee and clearing busy tables.

 

^The definition of pathetic.

 

Wouldn't trust the cleanliness of my room.

 

At this point just tear down that black eye, formerly known as The Empress.

 

Now even the staff are jumping on the boycott.


Edited by todd, 30 August 2016 - 08:08 AM.


#19 spanky123

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 08:14 AM

I have had the pleasure to eat at some of the most remarkable restaurants in the world and you know what, management often drops by the table and tops up my water or coffee or asks if I want another drink. It is called outstanding customer service and most reasonably wait staff would realize that by management elevating the customer experience there will be bigger tips and more repeat business.



#20 todd

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 08:19 AM

I have had the pleasure to eat at some of the most remarkable restaurants in the world and you know what, management often drops by the table and tops up my water or coffee or asks if I want another drink. It is called outstanding customer service and most reasonably wait staff would realize that by management elevating the customer experience there will be bigger tips and more repeat business.

Okay, I'm guessing those managers didn't complain to the local media after the fact?

 

 

Excuse me Mr. Bosa, can I top up your bank account for you there?


Edited by todd, 30 August 2016 - 08:25 AM.


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