Double Decker Gray Line Tour Bus parked outside the Empress Hotel on Government Street at Victoria Harbor (August 1988).

The blurrs of light and ghost images of the motor vehicle is caused by a long exposure with the camera attached to a tripod.

The Fairmount Empress Hotel, located on Victoria, British Columbia's, inner harbour, was named for Queen Victoria, Empress of India. Designed by Francis Rattenbury and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Victoria Fairmount Empress Hotel has enchanted guests to Victoria BC since its opening in 1908.

One of the main attractions of the Victoria Empress Hotel is Afternoon Tea, enjoyed by over 100, 000 people every year. The Victoria Fairmount Empress Hotel serves its own special blend of tea in fine Royal Doultan china. Tea is had in the magnificent Victoria Fairmount Empress Tea Lobby surrounded by handcrafted tapestries, lovely moldings and polished, hard wood floors.

Another historic attraction inside the Victoria Fairmount Empress Hotel is the colonial India themed Bengal Lounge. The lounge boasts elegant decor, twelve foot windows looking onto the garden, and a huge wall mounted tiger skin donated to the hotel by the king of Siam.

There was some consideration in the 1960's to tear down the aging hotel and build a modern high rise, but public outcry over the idea lead to a four million dollar restoration instead, called "Operation Teacup." The "Royal Restoration" was completed in 1989 at a cost of forty-five million dollars, and added modern facilities such as an indoor swimming pool as well as refurbishing all the guest rooms. Today the Empress hotel retains all of its old world charm and grandeur with antique furniture and opulent decor, while at the same time offering modern luxury.