Tea has been part of the Fairmont Empress in Victoria since the day the hotel opened in 1908. This fall, a new person will lead the 118-year-old ritual.
On Oct. 19, the hotel named Demian Fuentes its director of food and beverage. Tea at the Empress is part of his job, along with Q at the Empress. Fuentes has led restaurant pre-openings and overseen multi-unit portfolios in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The Hotel Pours 500,000 Cups of Tea a Year
The Empress pours more than 500,000 cups of tea a year. Its Tea at the Empress menu lists 21 rotating teas, including a LOT 35 collection. Live classical piano accompanies service in the Lobby Lounge, and the lavender comes from the hotel’s gardens.
Why Tea Began on Opening Day
Tea has been part of Victoria’s culture since the 1840s, when Tourism Victoria says the British introduced the practice. The Empress’s own tea service began when the hotel opened on January 20, 1908.
The hotel was named for Queen Victoria, who was also Empress of India. Canadian Pacific Railway built it for affluent rail travelers, and Victoria grew up around it. The Empress calls afternoon tea “England’s most beloved ritual.”
The tea room became popular enough that a 1966 renovation costing $4 million was nicknamed Operation Teacup, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. The hotel says Winston Churchill once ordered gin in an Empress teapot during Prohibition.
What Changes Under Fuentes
Fuentes takes over a hotel Travel + Leisure named Canada’s #1 city hotel in 2026, the second year in a row. On tea, the goal is to preserve its sense of occasion while adding seasonal touches.
For Q at the Empress, the vision is a dining experience more closely connected to the coast, the seasons and local producers. Fuentes said Victoria has a distinctive culinary identity and that he wants to build on the property’s legacy with thoughtful cuisine and genuine hospitality.
His purview also includes the Bengal, the hotel’s breakfast room and one of Victoria’s largest private dining rooms. DASH, a new grab-and-go coffee shop, sits in the south wing.
Tea Service at the Empress Today
Tea comes with house-made strawberry jam and honey from the hotel’s own beehives. Service is on Royal China reproduced from a set King George VI gave the hotel in 1939, and reservations are recommended. Tea is a perfect way to spend a fall afternoon after exploring Victoria, which is a ferry ride from Vancouver or Seattle.