Empress Hotel of La Jolla - La Jolla 32.84435, -117.27505

Fantastic location! A little disapointed in the size of the room and the dated decor. Other than that, I would recommend this hotel for the price and friendlyness of the staff.

A very nice place to stay that would have been even nicer if it had been about 25% cheaper. Also, there is really no long term parking nearby, so you'll have to leave your car in their garage (valet parking only) for $13 a day.

Stayed here for 3 nights. Staff were amazing especially when our flight was delayed and we didn't get in until 2 am. We called ahead - everything was ready and waiting for us. Service was great, location great, room clean and comfortable. Couldn't ask for a better place to stay.

The internet connection was very spotty. As a business traveler I rely on wireless access. I had to call two separate times to tech services, but it didn't resolve the spotty connection. I would not come back to this hotel for that reason. For vacation, maybe.

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Coming from Europe, we especially enjoyed the good location that made it possible to walk around town easily. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The room was nice and clean - a little small for American standards maybe.

Nice cozy hotel, amazing location, clean and quiet, lovely lobby, very nice & friendly staff

Almost everything at this hotel worked smoothly, except we never woke up in time for breakfast. It is close enough to the beach that we could walk, but it was a few blocks. If I needed a decent room to stay in while visiting La Jolla and if the prices are still reasonable, then I'd definitely come back. Summer was particularly helpful in getting us dinner reservations. The one complaint is that their valet service is awkward. It works, but giving the keys to the person at the front desk feels a little weird.

We came in for a wedding and the hotel was perfect, only a block and a half from the reception site. Everything was great from check in to check out. We really enjoyed the self-service breakfast on the terrace. And for having 3 wedding parties staying in the hotel at the same time - the potential for noise level was pretty high but we were never disturbed. We didn't valet park and never had a problem finding parking on the street. Lots of good places to eat nearby and a 5 minute walk to the coastal walk. It was awesome!!

PROS: The staff is great. They are very friendly and helpful. CONS: While the rooms were nice, they were small. Also, the room doors are loud. Every time someone in an adjoining room closed their door, it sounded like someone was loading a canon.

The location is perfect for the La Jolla village. For a week at the beginning of May, I managed to park on the street the whole time; this might be more difficult in high season. The hotel is close enough to walk a couple of blocks to the boutiques, the beach, the grocery store, and some of the best restaurants in La Jolla. I especially enjoyed Jack's restaurant, about 1.5 blocks away; we found on-line coupons for dinner. Breakfast at the Empress is modest, but good - bagels, yogurt, fruit, cereal, juice and coffee.

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The entire staff was great to work with and very helpful. If you are ever in the La Jolla area this is a great place to stay for price, quality, and very close to everything.

Only 2 blocks to the beach at La Jolla was lovely. The hotel is a nice size and very quiet. Breakfast on the patio in the sunshine was very pleasant.

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Outstanding service in all respects: friendly and helpful front desk, comfortable room, excellent housekeeping, immediate auto retrieval from valet parking, more than adequate breakfast (outstanding coffee) and reasonable rates.

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The Empress is close to the beach, shops, restaurants, art museum. It is in excellent condition after the recent remodel. Staff were very helpful.

Hotel is right in the middle of downtown LaJolla, walking to all shops, coast. The front desk was helpful and the room is done just right - not too fancy, not sparse. A great value, will stay there again soon. Tip - go for on-street parking v. valet, there's plenty to be had in off-season, as long as you're up and moving by 8am.

The Empress was a nice stay we were only there for one night, however it was a nice 1 night. It was a clean, basic room. The hotel is old but they maintain it well. Certainly convenient to a plethora of restaurants all well within walking distance. Don’t miss out on the Cottage right down the street, for a lovely breakfast and warm service.

Location of the hotel is great (La Jolla Village) within easy walking distance of restaurants, shops and La Jolla Cove. Room furniture and decor was very outdated, but was clean and the bathroom had been remodeled and was very nice. Staff was very accomodating.

Ideally located in the heart of La Jolla. Within walking distance to shopping, great restaurants and the beach of course. I highly recommend a little place on the same block for breakfast called The Cottage--delicious! Also, the nice gentleman who checked us in informed us of the free, unrestricted street parking on the weekends.

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Staff was awesome!! Hotel is an older hotel. Rooms were clean but need to be updated. We defintely paid too much for the room and would look at another hotel if we were to go back.

Very polite & helpful staff. Nice hotel and great location. Would definitely stay there again at that price.

Staff very accomodating and friendly. Limited parking in a closed garage under the hotel. I was not aware that the hotel parking was an additional $13.00 per day. On the plus side, the hotel garage was very secure and had a locking, electric garage door. We didn't have any problems finding a spot the 3 days we were there, but if the hotel was full to capacity things could have been different. The only other parking was on the public street (if you could find a spot) for $1.50 per day. Contenental breakfast was good and fresh. good selection. I read reviews about outdated bathrooms. We must have had a remodeled room because our bathroom was modern and clean. Very quiet location, except for some noisey guests. That can happen at any hotel, though. Overall, I would happily stay there again.

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I read the reviews about the hotel being rennovated and I found the hotel to be very lovely! The location is wonderful, I walked to dinner every night and had quite a variety of places to choose from. My room was large and the bathroom was modern and clean. The breakfast in the morning was nice and had a good variety. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay and I would definitely come back to this hotel! :)

Great location. Nice neighborhood. Hotel was under renovation when we went 7/15/08 but we heard or saw no sign of it. Bathroom was brand new and redone, very nice. Only complaint is there is no parking. You either pay 13 for their valet, or you have to search for parking around the hotel, and play musical chairs with the spots since most only last for q or 2 hours. Other then that, great place

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Did not miss an opportunity to charge me full price for anything. They did not do anything wrong, but when one spends a fair amount of money on extras at a hotel, one expects to get a little favorable service. Did not happen here. Staff was pleasant and cooperative, though.

I read the reviews, stating it was great hotel, but the bathrooms need updating. When I got there, I know the area well, so I knew it was in a beautiful location. They are currently renovating all the bathrooms, and when I entered my room- my bathroom was one of the newly renovated! I don't know what it used to look like, but the bathroom I had was beautiful, very modern. The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. I stayed over memorial day weekend, and the price was still a bargain!! Definitely found the hotel I'll be staying at again when I visit my family in La Jolla.

The lobby is very nice looking, but the room was pretty cheap in my opinion. The bathroom is really dated as well. The hotel was under construction (which wasn't told to me before) so I had people hammering right above my room at 9am. I called the front desk and they said "Yeah, 9am is when they start." and then just sat on the phone until I said ok and hung up. When I checked out another guest was complaining that she did not have hot water at all. I would not stay there again.

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My wife and I arrived at the hotel after a long and difficult trip. We were met with a very friendly and courteous staff. When we got to our room we were disappointed with the location of the room to the entrance and other activities that were occuring at the hotel. We asked for a room change and were professionally accomodated beyond our expectations, given a new room no-questions-asked and actually upgraded significantly for our trouble. I travel a lot in my business and have gotten used to less-than stellar service, especially in hotel accomodations. The Empress went above and beyond as a matter of course. The only downside was the fact that I had to continue my busiess in Orange County at a different hotel and the service I experienced at the Empress made my latter stay less than satisfying! They set the bar too high.

The young man, Roberto, who welcomed us warmly and said he was going to "give you folks a really good room" then located us in the last room on the top floor, right next to the noisy ice and vending machines and below the air conditioning unit, when the hotel was clearly half empty, presumably because we had a four-and-a half year old with us. Maybe he doesn't appreciate how soundly a four year old sleeps and how lightly Grandad does !

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Excellent hotel for the location. Rooms were very clean, bathrooms just a little outdated. Hotel staff very helful! Great for business traveler!

We had a wonderful romantic get-away. The room was very nice. The complimentary Continental Breakfast each morning was also nice touch. Within walking distance to restuarants and shopping. We had a very nice stay.

The bathroom needs some updating.

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Very centrally located and within easy walking distance to the beach and shops

I was very impressed with the service at this hotel. The desk staff was friendly and helpful, and the valet parking was a steal (at $10 a day). The location right in La Jolla was perfect for walking to great restaurants and the beach. I thought the breakfast on the patio (complimentary) was a great touch too. The only neutral/negative observation I had was that the bathrooms in the room, alhtough nice, showed their age a bit more than the rest of the hotel. (I mean, still very clean and nice, just a bit older-looking in terms of the fixtures, etc. - Not a problem for me, but I did notice)