Royal Boutique Hotel

The room was filthy, and I would never have paid if she had let us see it first. The bedsheets had hair and dirt on them, and the towels smelled so foul and looked so dirty that I felt like vomiting. The toilet hadn't been flushed or cleaned, and there was no toilet paper. When we asked, she told us to get some from another toilet. We couldn't find parking on the property and had to leave the car on the road. There was no real customer service: when we asked for fresh towels, she told us to get them ourselves from the cabinet by the kitchen, but those smelled bad too. She asked us to leave a good review and pray for good customers. The woman seemed suspicious to me. She told me to sit away and my husband to sit beside her. The property looked more like a ghost house than a palace. The lighting was very poor, and leaves and garbage were scattered around. We left early, so we didn't see the sunrise. Maybe empress needs to be contacted about these complaints. Best of luck finding a clean, peaceful place to stay.

My family was left outside late at night for almost 1 hour and 30 minutes, with a 6-year-old child and no idea where they were in the city. The staff shut the door on them and ignored us. I had to drive from Vancouver to Surrey in the middle of the night to help. When I tried to talk to someone, nobody was there, and one man called out to me rudely and refused to help. I'd booked a $250 stay on Expedia for the family while they were visiting Vancouver, and I'd paid in full through Expedia. Still, the receptionist said payment hadn't been made. I called more than 15 times without an answer. Eventually staff messaged that there was a “New listing on the other side for $599, cash only.” This is clearly a scam. The whole thing felt disrespectful, unprofessional, and dishonest. Do NOT book this place. They scam people. The owner should be reported.

I called to confirm the price I'd seen on booking.com, and the woman was rude from the start, even though I was speaking politely. She kept talking nonsense and seemed to treat customers differently depending on what room price they chose. When I said I didn't understand the shared bathroom arrangement, she asked how many times I needed to use the washroom and said I had my own room, then told me to take the 2++$ room if I wanted better facilities. Who talks to customers like that? It made my day worse. I work in customer service myself and can't imagine behaving that way.

I was struck by how clean and pristine the place was. The manager was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. It's a lovely spot in a great location, and I'd highly recommend it.