The Empress Hotel: In the grand style

Victoria's Empress Hotel, a hotel in the grand tradition, was built in 1908 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to attract and accommodate wealthy world travellers. Sited in a majestic harbour, surrounded by acres of gardens and offering every modern convenience of the day, the Empress quickly won international renown. It also became the centre of social life in Victoria, hosting everything from sedate meetings of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire to lively Policemen's Balls. Based on memoirs, interviews and archival records, this is the first full account of the glorious, occasionally scandalous, life and times of one of the world's legendary hotels. The colourful story is told with panache by social historian Terry Reksten, who has a gift for anecdote and a talent for bringing the past to life. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 black-and-white and 30 colour photographs, as well as some drawings, gathered from both public and private collections.