This a darling hotel in the heart of downtown La Jolla that is walking distance to many restaurants and other venues. I stayed here for a workshop at the theater which was 2 blocks away. The front desk staff was friendly and efficient when checking in. Rooms are a little small but for one person who wasn't in the room much it was fine. There is a coffee maker and mini fridge in the room. The bathroom is decent size with a walk-in shower. I thought the shower head was a little tall, but I am also only 5"2. The workout room was in the basement in a small room with no ventilation. We had to keep the door open to have some air come in. They have breakfast in a cute room on the 2nd floor with typical hotel breakfast food. Since the weather was nice the windows were open to give the room a breezy feel. I liked there was a restaurant onsite. I would stay here again if I am ever in La Jolla. read more

Absolutely would not stay here again. We stayed one night at the Empress Hotel in La Jolla on Valentine's Day, paying over $460/night, and the experience was bad considering this was not "exceptional service." Parking is in a public garage across the street. You pay $25 through an app and use a QR code to enter/exit. The scanner repeatedly failed. We had to get out of the car multiple times on a steep underground incline just to get the gate to open. We kept showing the QR code on our phones and nothing. We tried again and again. This would take 5 minutes every item trying to enter and exit. Finally it would respond. And the people in front of us and behind had the same problem Around 9 PM on a Saturday night (Valentine's Day) the garage gates were closed. The hotel staff should've warned us that parking closes early around here. Several hotel guests were standing outside with us , frustrated and confused. We called and the hotel told us to use an alternate entrance on another street. Once inside there was no way to find your car. You're on a different level having entered in a completely different side and at night. It took 17 minutes walking level to level to find our car. My husband is a Type 1 diabetic, so this stress and exertion became very stressful since his blood sugar started to drop. The microwave in our room also died mid-use, and the hotel had no replacement, which is odd since being familiar with hotel hospitality, they usually have back up coffee maker, microwaves, clocks, etc. We were in the area to visit our kid in college not for VD. We got frozen dinners at pavilions to have meal in our room since restaurants were booked. We had to heat our dinners upstairs in the breakfast area. Breakfast the next morning was awful -- mushy powdered eggs (they melted in your mouth like hot mush), strange bacon, warm milk, and soggy potatoes. Management offered a $17 adjustment, which does not cover the $25 parking fee. This dismissive and insulting given the extent of the all the things that went wrong. The front desk staff Hayley and Josh were friendly and professional. Not worth the price. We won't return. read more

Stayed here for a wedding and from the moment I walked in I thought I may have walked into the wrong motel. The entire place is an absolute dump of a motel (because that's what it is). I stayed here with family and we rented 5 different rooms for 5 days and 4 nights. It was 400$ per night. You would assume that at that price you would receive some sort of premium or quality experience. Don't get your hopes up. From parking that is 35$ per day that is not commentary - to AC that does not work - to waking up to the awful smell of their putrid breakfast because it seeps through every floor - to the service desk representatives - having to move rooms at 1am - not one time did we get room service in 4 nights - it was overall an absolute awful experience - they reached out after I left a poor review and offered a whopping 60$ back as an apology for the awful awful experience I had. They are a joke of a business and should anyone come stay in La Jolla you will be far better off staying at a holiday inn or motel 6 than staying here. Save ur money and don't spend 400$ per night for a dump of a motel such as this place. read more

Great boutique hotel in a great part of touristy La Jolla. I was soooo happy to be out of chain hotel purgatory--such a nice change of pace to not have that Marriott or Hilton smell/air freshener, and windows that actually open instead of perpetual, all-surrounding climate control. WARNING: this hotel has no pool. That was a bit of a shocker and let down, that's why I list it here in the comments. read more

Super location in a beautiful area. Walking distance to super shoreline. Hotel staff were excellent. Physical plant is getting a little tired, especially the breakfast room... read more

Needed a last minute reservation in La Jolla, saw the positive reviews and booked Empress. As many times as I have walked around the Village, I had never noticed the Empress. Pros: Staff is friendly Check-in smooth Room was spacious Room was clean Convenient location ( walking distance shopping, dining, walks along the Cove) "Free" breakfast (did not try) Restaurant/Drinks in lobby (Manhattan's. Did not try.) Cons: Resort fee $56 (which includes the valet parking) Drinks & snacks in lobby weren't replenished in the evenings (tried to get a soda and it was sold out) If on ground floor, it can be loud on a weekend night with all the revelers Overall, a pleasant stay. read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Queen room - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

The Empress Hotel La Jolla is a small hotel housed in an L-shaped 5-story building built in the late 1960's. It is located in the heart of La Jolla village and therefore close to several good restaurants, the village shops, and a short stroll to the La Jolla Cove and beach. A stay of one or two days is fine, but for a longer stay we would suggest someplace with more of a resort feel (i.e. with a pool, landscaped grounds, golf or tennis, large gym, etc. as this hotel had none of these). The $25 daily resort fee included valet parking in their small basement garage, wifi, and breakfast (nothing to rave about since it was standard breakfast fare like some of the inexpensive chain motels). The two elevators were functional. The on-site Manhattan steak house was fairly popular for a midweek in early Spring. Our Superior King Room had a pillow topped mattress, a sofa that opened to a twin bed, and designed in a beach aquamarine color scheme done pre-COVID. The shower tiles and glass doors were clean, but the bathroom was small. The closet doubled to also house a room safe, ironing board, the mini-fridge, the microwave, and a single serve coffee maker, thus leaving limited space for hanging clothes. But the best part of the Hotel was that our room was clean and comfortable for the relatively inexpensive price in a central La Jolla location. Early check in (before 2 PM) or late check outs are charged as add-ons. Some of the staff in the front counter at check in were friendly and helpful, the woman who greeted us was totally not excited about her job here. So overall, 4 stars for the comfortable and clean room at a fair price. read more

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Great experience. Located in the great area and the front desk was awesome. There was a small issue with being charged twice for incidentals but I just did a charge back with my credit card and it was no big deal read more

We recently stayed here this weekend and had a great experience. The front desk workers were incredibly friendly and willing to support us throughout our stay. The rooms were clean and well maintained. Requests were quickly accommodated and answered. We stayed on the 4th floor and had a great experience our room was great we did notice a odd smell in the hallway but the smell did not extend to the room so it was something noticeable but not something that was a problem for us. The breakfast exceeded our expectations and we appreciated the hot items that were available. We enjoyed the rotation of items and the fact that we had a waffle maker available too! We wished they had real crispy bacon and better maybe refresher baked goods but that was the only critique. The location is walking distance to many attractions in La Jolla, which was great! read more

We chose the Empress based on its good ratings and were pleased initially--the staff was very friendly, and we were able to check in 30 minutes early. The parking garage is multi-level and a bit tight, but we managed to fit our Yukon. Just be aware that you need a QR code to enter, and we had to re-enter after mistakenly pulling a ticket. During business hours, there's a staff member at the gate who can assist. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the elevator to take us to our room because holy 1 of the 2 was working, apparently it's been down for 2 days as of July 23rd. Our main issue was with the room temperature and humidity. The first room had a beautiful view but felt very muggy and humid. We contacted the front desk, and maintenance tried to fix the issue, but it didn't improve, so we were moved to a different room. Unfortunately, the air conditioning there was only slightly better, and the new view overlooked the parking garage. Despite the AC being set to 60°F, the room still felt hot and humid, and we even woke up in the early morning feeling overheated and struggling to breathe due to the stuffy air. None of us were using blankets, and yet it was uncomfortable. We did move rooms again the next morning. Staff was very apologetic and accommodating with our requests. There are no fans in the room, so I highly recommend bringing a fan if you're sensitive to heat or humidity. This was by far our biggest complaint and impacted our sleep. Because we were so exhausted from the early wake-up, we unfortunately missed breakfast and can't comment on it. Another point to comment on is the bathroom doors, the are slatted so you can hear everything from inside, no privacy to others in the room. So if you are a shy bathroom user you can go downstairs to the other bathroom on the 1st floor instead. Other amenities were decent--there's an onsite washer and dryer ($2.50 per load, dryer sheets $2.00 cash only), and the machines run through an easy-to-use app called ShinePay. The location is great: a 9-minute walk to Children's Cove beach, and plenty of restaurants and sights nearby read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Slatted bathroom door - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Nice boutique hotel in La Jolla. Staff were friendly and the hotel is ideally located so there are many walkable places to visit / eat / shop. The hotel is only 5 stories tall with complimentary breakfast included. And, they only charge $15 a night for valet parking (with ins/outs). read more

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My experience again yet was horrible. You have fake GM who has that laugh? Who's so full of it who treats her help like they're living in a Third World country on a bread line I've known these housekeepers for 22 years. They still don't even get a raise, they make them clean a room in seven minutes other than that mold, mold, mold, mold, mold, mold, mold..Rea Denny such a dad Gm. Where is Larry . I had so much mold in my room avoid this hotel .Run down hotel read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Treatment by Gm Rea Denny . She runs the employees like they are on a line at 3rd world country. - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

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The bed was super uncomfortable. The shower didn't drain so you are standing in water and there's mold growing in the corners of the room. Also the ac barely worked so the room was hot and stuffy read more

Great location! you're walking distance to many restaurants in downtown la jolla. You're also a 5 min walk to La Jolla Cove. while the exterior of the hotel may look average, and the lobby is very small. But the rooms looked newly renovated and clean! Spacious too! i stayed here two nights and I have no complaints. Staffs were friendly. The website says that they offer free breakfast, when I asked them about it, apparently the free breakfast doesn't start until the next month. At the lobby, they have a water dispenser and only once i saw cookies out for guests to partake. I never saw free snacks again after the first night. I would highly recommend this hotel. Sure you don't have the front ocean view like some of the hotels closer to the water but you'll be saving a lot of money at Empress and you're really not that far away from ocean. And if you get the highest floor facing prospect, you will get to see ocean from your room! read more

My family booked a last minute 2 night stay at Empress. Everything there is superb. the hotel is very nice and clean and in a great walkable location to shops, restaurant. beach and to the famous sea lion area at the beach. the hotel restaurant was outstanding, the free breakfast was great. Staff were super kind and helped with anything that we needed. Thank you! read more

Shoutout to Anthony. Maverick, Kaya, and Anna: I totally forgot about my birthday (my biz partner had to remind me and it just didn't come up as I'm a single mom working a TON)- most of the staff were rockstars! From service staff to upper management (thank you, Larry!) - absolutely amazing & super accommodating/helpful. Anthony was super pleasant on the phone (when I booked 2 days prior), and he was the reason I booked for my birthday and La Jolla concours l'elegance. Maverick (doorman) and Kaya+ Anna (front desk) were very lovely as well. I also was pleased with the service at the restaurant. Chuy was awesome and brought my food up to my room in a timely fashion. Kaya and Anna were absolutely lovely during my stay- the service here is amazing. They were so kind, helpful, and accommodating. Maverick was also super sweet & helped me settle in when i arrived. It was a busy weekend at the concours d'Elegance, so it took me 3 hours to get to SD. When I arrived, I didn't have to lift a finger and my scotch neat was ready for me at arrival. I love... thanks for the stellar service and wonderful experience, guys! Larry will be getting a call from me shortly, and it'll be nice to speak with him (good things) I will stay here again. Oh! & I forgot about Patrick- thank you, Patrick! read more

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We stayed here over Labor Day weekend and I left three nice shirts hanging in the closet. Called them the afternoon of checkout and the front desk gentlemen went and found them. I followed up with an email, per the phone call, and they requested a mailing label. I provided the mailing label and box within a couple days. I called and emailed a few days later and spoke to the GM. She said they were busy, but would get it out later that week. After numerous calls and emails over the next few weeks I was told it would be shipped soon. After 5 weeks, I was told they couldn't find the shirts and would only reimburse me if I had receipts. Since the shirts are over a year old, I don't have receipts. They offered to comp a night, but we're not interested in a revisit. Would also like to note that the same GM "upgraded" us to a room directly across from the breakfast room. Early every morning we heard dishes clanking and loud talking for hours since the doors were left open. Too bad, since this is a decent hotel, but the general manager badly mismanaged our stay. read more

This is one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed at. 1) The heat didn't work (I had it set to 90° and it never got above 68°). 2) Terrible breakfast. You pay a premium price for breakfast included in your hotel fee. When I complained about it at checkout the manager was unwilling to reimburse that cost despite me having to eat somewhere else. Everything is old and stale. Eggs were pre-packaged and sitting there for so long they looked gross. Milk was warm. Nothing was fresh. It couldn't have smacked harder of "how little effort can we put into this." 3) Unhelpful staff. Manager was not the least bit willing to help me with my issues. Check out, unlike most places that ask how the stay was when you check out, was not the time to address concerns. He was snotty and rude. There are many other options all within walking distance (and closer) to the ocean front. Will never stay here again. read more

Antony at The Empress Hotel was amazing! He truly made our trip a delight and was fully attentive to all our needs. Plus he was relatively new to San Diego and definitely an asset. The complimentary breakfast was perfect for us + my dog was able to vacation with us! read more

The Empress Hotel La Jolla is a very special place, and our favorite in La Jolla. We have many fond memories of stays throughout the past 20 years. It has been quite a few years since we stayed at this gem right in the heart of La Jolla. They have refurbished their rooms, and the ambience and hospitality has remained first class. From their car and valets Brandon and Tim to the front desk staff of Shawn, Megan and Larry and other fine and cordial staff whose names I didn't get, our whole experience was better than ever. We were given VIP treatment from the moment we arrived, and truly felt appreciated. We were upgraded to a Suite, and were so impressed with the cleanliness and nice invigorating colors of the sea throughout. Our suite was immaculate with an extremely comfortable bed. The climate controls were updated and so easy to use, and there was no draftiness. The amenities were first class with Gilchrist and Soames products. There were refreshments upon arrival, and a very easy to use coffee maker. A refrigerator in the room and microwave are very thoughtful touches. There was even a jacuzzi tub in our bedroom! Our only regret was that we were only staying for one night. There is no room service, but they do have water and snacks available in the lobby. You will want to remember to bring your wine and spirits with you. The bar downstairs opens at 5:00. Manhattan La Jolla is a magnificent New York style Italian restaurant which I have reviewed separately with incredible cuisine. We hail the Empress Hotel La Jolla, and cannot wait for our next stay. read more

Great location near the beach and town. The room was clean and larger than expected. We booked with the puppy package and a great dog bed was in the room waiting for our pups. There was a daily valet fee, but if your car is over 6'6" than they are unable to valet. I'm glad I asked where they planned on parking before actually giving them the keys or it could've been bad for my roof rack. There is a lot of on street parking but it's only not timed after 5pm and Sundays and some holidays. The only other downside was that the room was a little warm at night because the AC didn't really work well, which was fine with an open window in winter but during the summer could be a little uncomfortable. All in all a great hotel with a great location and reasonable prices. read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

On the phone and at the service desk, we were told that our car would be charged overnight. The next morning, the car was not charged at all. For the added fees and tip, this was not at all worth it. In retrospect, there were parking lots for cheaper with available EV charging within blocks that would have worked better, for cheaper. Also, the showers hot water never turned on. Breakfast in the morning was pretty mediocre, I'd advise against it since there's plenty of nice food in the neighborhood. Small pastries shipped in from somewhere else, standard hotel waffles without salt in the batter, dry biscuits and sausages. The room showed inattentiveness to cleanliness and guest experience. The tray inside our mini fridge had red residue on it when we checked in. The Kleenex box had like 5 Kleenexes in it. Overall, shocking how far of a departure from the expected Yelp rating, and a serious inconvenience as far as now needing to adjust our itinerary just to charge the car. read more

A wonderful find in the heart of the business area! Great views, on site bar and restaurant and personnel! Walking distance to the beach, many wonderful restaurants, coffee shops and shopping! Thank you so much to Ransom Fierro, the Empress's Sales Manager for making our stay wonderful and to Nancy owner of the Manhattan Restaurant and her crew at one of the BEST restaurants in the city! read more

Such a great value for a beach town hotel that is about a quarter mile from the view of La Jolla cove. I was very impressed with the pricing and value of the rooms here. The customer service was excellent, and checking in and out was easy. What's also noteworthy is they practice COVID guidelines such as wearing masks, contact less check-in and encouraging social distancing with signs posted throughout the hotel. The concerns that I did have was first and foremost they advertise in their website that they don't have any hidden fees. When I checked in and swiped my card at the hotel the price was higher than what i booked with my credit card online. I'm hoping they honor the price listen on my receipt versus the amount i saw at the concierge. My next concern was checking into the room and immediately seeing a full trash can from the guest previously in the room, which was immediately taken care of upon my phone call. Also there was a few hair strands left in the shower and bathroom. I understand that staffing may be short at this time with housekeeping but sometimes those little things make me feel like the space isn't thoroughly cleaned. It's human error so I understand that too. The central air/AC is a bit on the humid side as well. We turned the thermostat on the lowest and put the fan on high. I booked the spa suite and the space was excellent complete with dining table, living room, microwave and fridge! The actual whirlpool spa was great. One or two of the jets did not work and the tape grips on the bottom Need some reinforcement. All in all I would still recommend this hotel if you're stopping by the area. Great value near the La Jolla village with a handful of restaurants around within walking distance! read more

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The hotel has hardly been updated in the past 30 yrs. The shower was updated but nothing else in the room looked updated. I asked the front desk person & the manager for a room near the elevator. My husband is ill & I walk with a cane. We were given a room far from the elevator. The hotel only has valet parking. It would not been a problem if they had help. When we left our room at 5:00 PM there was no valet. The front desk person also does valet & gets the cars when he is not busy. He was busy with guests at the front desk so we had a long wait for our car. I see this as poor customer. I used to love this hotel. Now I would never go back. I will say that the manager is very nice. I told her my complaints. read more

A sweet surprise, great location. Walking distance to good food and the ocean. Clean and affordable during the off season.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Empress! We originally didn't receive a confirmation email for booking and we gave the hotel a call and they let us know there have been some email issues. They confirmed our room and manually sent us a confirmation over email. They stayed on the phone with me to make sure I received the email and helped answer some questions while we waited. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful! It was very hard to find a hotel in the area that would allow us to bring three (3) small dogs and empress was more than happy to accommodate us. The pet fee is only $35/night and not per pet per night which is great! When we arrived, there was a street fair happening down the street and we had to circle around the hotel a couple times to be able to get to the valet. Other hotel guests told us they had to do the same. Wasn't a big deal but a minor inconvenience. The check-in process was quick and efficient and we were in our room quickly! The rooms are just fine, nothing special. The beds are comfy, the bathroom is spacious, and the AC worked pretty well. It takes a little while for the AC to cool the room, but it definitely worked well and we slept great. In some rooms the Wifi does not work well when you sit close to the window, but as you move closer to the door it's much better. We usually bring our own wifi repeater so we set it up next to the door and we had no issues. The empress is close to everything so it was just a short walk to eat or go to the beach. I highly recommend the Italian place across the street (piazza 1909). The food is affordable, delicious, and they allow dogs! Overall we will definitely be back! read more

Just a hotel but you can't beat the location. Conveniently located with many restaurants nearby. Our room was very clean. Luxury rates but not a luxury hotel. ‍ Also great that there is a Pavilion market with 5 fast charging stations be EVgo. Unfortunately, same old problem, 3 of the 5 chargers were not working. read more

We stayed at this hotel during our short weekend trip to San Diego. My two favorite things about this hotel are: the location is unbeatable, and the dog policy is great. You can truly park your car for your whole stay or Uber to the hotel, and then walk everywhere you may want to go. The ocean is 8-10 minutes walking distance from the hotel. You also have a variety of cafes and restaurants nearby. CVS and the Vons grocery market are also super close. As for the dog policy - the fee is $25 extra a day, and dogs feel welcome here. We travel with our little pup a lot so this is a major plus for us. A few cons to consider - you do need to pay for valet parking each day, and this certainly increases your overall vaca stay. Also, the rooms are pretty nice, but... I have stayed at cheaper hotels and experienced a more comfortable bed and sheets. I was a bit surprised how hard the bed felt, and how scratchy the sheets were. I am usually not too nit-picky with this hotel component, but for this hotel it is worth mentioning. Overall though, this hotel location and its general accommodations are great, so for sure consider staying here. There is also a fantastic-looking fancy restaurant on the first floor with a lovely cozy vibe. We did not have time to try it, but it certainly seems worth a dinner visit!! read more

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Great hotel but I would not book online. We reserved online direct because it had a slightly better price with a 25% off special. Unfortunately after I reserved I never received a confirmation. I called the hotel to confirm my reservation and ask that the confirmation be sent, but I never received the email. When I arrived the total price was higher than I had remembered booking. The front desk staff told me there was a $50 hold for incidentals. I asked if all the charges/tax were included in that total they said yes. We were tired and I couldn't pull up any confirmation so I just accepted it and gave my card. When we checked out, the total statement was another $150 higher than when I checked in. It looked like the room rate was higher than what I had reserved. The front desk person was very nice but couldn't do much to help. I regret not just prepaying through a booking site that has up front pricing. Other than the issue with the bill, the hotel was a great location. It is located right in the heart of downtown La Jolla with plenty to walk to. Beaches, restaurants, and other attractions were all a short walk away. The rooms were a little dated but adequate. The included breakfast was ok, mostly microwaved egg dishes, make your own waffle station, and cereal/oatmeal. There is no pool on the property, however they do charge a daily resort fee above the nightly rate. read more

DON'T READ THIS REVIEW! I say this partly in jest because I don't want this WONDERFUL hotel to be booked up for my next stay. Sorry I'm late in reviewing, but this is a well deserved review. Stayed here once again during the holidays. I love how friendly and attentive the staff is and how accommodating they are. I added one more night at the last minute and they had no problem with my reservation. As always, the rooms are clean, roomy, and cozy. The hotel is in the best location (2 blocks from the beach), and near all the shopping areas, but not right in the middle of things, so it is quiet. It's more of a boutique hotel so because it's not too big, they staff is always quick to be of service. The rooms are very well maintained and quite. You can't really hear the people next door. The beds are very comfortable, and because I'm a writer, I used the lounge chair and couch a lot too. I also took advantage of their patio area (very serene), and they lobby area to write. I have been coming here for over 10 years, have written 3 books here, and will continue to come because they know how to make every guest feel special and important. I've stayed at the Estancia, La Valencia, Hilton, Marriott, and Hotel Parisi, and this is by far my favorite. So DON'T STAY HERE, PLEASE!! Sorry, Empress, I want you for my own. read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

Highly Recommend this hotel! It's in a perfect location and it's also such a pretty, clean and well kept hotel! The front desk staff was always kind and very helpful and Jason, on the night shift staff was incredibly helpful getting us into our room and so very kind! Thank you so much! We look forward to coming back and staying here again! read more

I can only rave about this wonderful hotel and the staff. We have stayed here many times since the pandemic and have not only seen the hotel come back to life but get better which each stay. The are back to full service daily housekeeping, breakfast buffet, valet parking and the Manhattan where you can get the best Caesar's salad ever. This past weekend we hosted an engagement party in the area and the Empress was the perfect place to stay not far from the restaurant and a few blocks from La Jolla Cove and many many wonderful restaurants, Gift shops , bakeries , and the beach. Everything is literally walking distance. I had the wonderful fortune of working with Ransom Fierro Sales Manager and he was very diligent in following up and making sure we got a block of rooms set a side and a wonderful rate for our guest. Highly him recommend for your next event as it makes things seamless and one less thing to worry about. They are very responsive to your comfort and will go above and beyond to make sure your complaints are addressed promptly. Again the team from the valet to the front desk , to housekeeping to the sales team and manager (Larry) are excellent at what they do and truly appreciate your visit. All our guest just had rave reviews about their stay. They are also pet friendly which was a big draw to many pet lover as myself. La Jolla is a very friendly pet city and you see people walking their dogs all the time and most restaurants are pet friendly. Looking forward to our next visit. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

To start with, the valet here is so amazing! Also the lady who works at 10pm on Sat night. Just lovely human beings. My room was very clean and quiet. The bed was extremely comfortable. The hotel is in a perfect location for everything. You can walk a block to all the shops and restaurants in La Jolla, also the Cove. I will definitely stay here again! read more

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Excellent location and amazing hospitality! The free breakfast is also a plus. The room was clean and tidy, bed and pillows are super comfortable. read more

Stayed over on a Saturday night recently. Very good accommodations, but the reservation process and aftermath was unnecessarily complicated and no one seemed to talk to one another or even make notes in their system. Made reservation a couple months in advance and was told they offer early check-in for guests in town for a wedding (which I was). So I called a few days before arrival to request early check-in and they said "no problem, although it is a $20 fee." OK, fine. Next was the online check-in. They sent a link the morning of arrival day and the process itself was fairly smooth, although there was no option to specify the previously agreed-to early check-in time (earliest selection was 4pm). Another phone call, and their response was "What? Who did you speak to? Nothing is noted in the system." Further, was advised the fee is $25 (not $20) and they do not confirm early check-ins until the guest actually arrives. Finally, they said the time chosen in the online process doesn't matter. What the actual hell is going on here? After the check-in process, received a confirmation e-mail. Then another...and another...and another...and another... Total of NINE identical confirms sent in a three-hour period. Why? Who knows? Perhaps they figure if you're going to send eight, might as well send nine. Deducting a star for the reservation clown show, and another for the multiple confirm spamming. read more

First time back at the Empress in about 20 years and it seems it hasn't changed much at all. That's not a good thing. When we checked in, the front desk attendant was a young guy who seemed like he was asked by someone to fill in while they were on a break. He just didn't seem that professional. He said he ran out of the $10 cards for the restaurant. We didn't try the restaurant but looked inside... it has that old school, dark, Frank Sinatra vibe. The menu is extensive. But, there are so many great restaurants in town I'd probably never try it. The lobby felt messy and the carpeting all throughout looked dated. The overall place is in need of a refurbishing. The room was ok, but nothing special. There are no notices in the rooms about lack of housekeeping. In fact, there are no notices there about anything. It just didn't feel fresh. There is some construction in the area and it woke us up one morning, so we decided to leave and checked in elsewhere. $24 for self-parking.... we easily found street parking for free. The best feature of the Empress is the location. It's centrally located in town and a quick walk to just about anywhere. A big-time renovation is in order here. Change the restaurant, update the lobby and furnishings, and bring the guest rooms up to date and it will be restored to its former glory circa 1999. read more

Came here hoping to try something other than the standard Marriot/Hilton hotels. Instant regret. Booked the "Pampered pet package" that was supposed to come with a bed, bowl and treats. Absolutely nothing in the room. Called down and was told they simply forgot to tell us that they were out of beds and bowls. Someone then came to the door to apologize with a handful of treats in a plastic trash bag telling us they might have some beds/bowls by tomorrow morning. Far from "pampered." The manager was nice enough to give us a discount on the rate, but immediately off to a terrible start with meeting expectations. On top of this they gave us the room directly across the hallway from the second floor restaurant which means CONSTANT kitchen noise and foot traffic - not something that our dog enjoys, let alone us. The room itself is mediocre at best. I'd say slightly below a standard Marriott/Hilton and not quite what we were expecting based on pictures. Walls are thin, you can hear footsteps above/below as well as toilet flushes in surrounding rooms. Also, wifi was not great, poor signal even in the rooms. Locations is definitely the draw, but definitely don't expect luxury. No views, no balconies. Nice that they allow pets, but I wouldn't say it's something that they actually care/focus on. read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

This hotel deserves 5 stars or more. The staff were very friendly, helpful, and attended to our every need. Larry, the hotel receptionist was so kind. He assisted us with our valet purchase and did not seem to be bothered about bringing our car to us. The hotel room was the perfect size for my husband and I. The room was small, but we were only there to sleep and shower. Our trip was strictly to go to the beach, relax, and get away. Most of the time, we were at the beaches, which were about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. So the small room was perfect for what we went for. We will definitely be staying here again soon! Note, due to COVID, housekeeping is not cleaning the rooms until after you leave. If you need more towels or trash thrown out, the staff ask that you call the front desk and request it. read more

Empress Hotel La Jolla - Our hotel room. Superior king. Perfect for my husband and I. - Hotels Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Perfect for my staycation. Close to everything you want - restaurants, the beach, Warwicks book store. Room was spacious and comfortable bed. Try to get a room other than one ending in 00 or 01 as those two are right across from the elevators. But nothing a white noise machine can't help you with! Front desk personnel were helpful and friendly. I would definitely stay here again! They have a restaurant on the lobby level that looked like a fun place to be on a Saturday night. I had other dining plans but it looked like a good time! read more