First, if you are a blue jeans, sneakers, sweatshirt sort of vacationer, this hotel is not for you. Stay somewhere else. If you're more comfortable in khakis and a nice shirt and enjoy the finer things in life, this is a great place to stay. You'll love it.

The Union Club is a private, members only club. They rent rooms to the general public to stay in, but it's still a private, members only club. Guests can avail themselves of all of the club's facilities, including a fitness room, dining rooms, bar, rooftop lounge, billiard room, etc., but guests must abide by the club's dress code. No jeans. No sweats. No shorts. No sneakers. Basically, you have to dress and act like a civilized human being. The dress code is relaxed for breakfast. I would not recommend the Union Club for people travelling with children.

The facility is beautiful and the staff was outstanding. The breakfast waiter was witty and fun. The front desk staff was helpful and arranged dinner reservations and reserved taxis for us.

Smoking is only allowed on the rooftop patio, where there is complimentary coffee in the morning and cocktail and wine service the rest of the day. Access to the Club is restricted to members and guests. Guests are provided an electronic pass key which unlocks the front door. No tourists wandering around gawking, like at the Empress.

Our rooms, two harbour view suites, were clean and large. We paid $159 Canadian per night, which is a great deal, given the location and amenities.

This is, without question, one of the nicer places I've stayed. It reminds me of those movies from the 1940's where people dressed for dinner and knew how to relax and have a good time in a civilized atmosphere. During our entire stay, we were treated like Club Members. The staff adressed us by name and always asked if everything was OK or if we needed anything. The level of service was superb.

If I ever return to Victoria, I would stay at the Union Club again. It's just across the street from the Empress in central Victoria, but miles ahead of the Empress in style and taste. We went to the Empress to have cocktails in the Bengal Lounge and found it crowded with curious tourists and scads of conventioneers. I even saw people wearing sweats and shorts at high tea in the dining room. You won't see that at the Union Club.

The Union Club has beautiful views of the harbour and is just a few short blocks to the central shopping district and restaurants. Five Stars in my book.

The Union Club is a great value with wonderful amenities and style. The Union Club isn't stuffy, it's civilized and refined. A welcome change from the normal hotel experience these days. If you're a person who enjoys that sort of thing, you'll love the Union Club.

We stayed at the club for two evenings and fortunately brought clothing that was approiate for the dress code. The atmosphere is one of an old British club with the furnishings and staff to compliment the building. The staff was wonderful and this is one lodging we will return to again and again. Not for everyone, but if you enjoy this atmosphere you will be back.

As we were travelling around Canada and would be staying in 10 different hotels, we were looking for something different, but not too pricey, in Victoria and we were not disappointed. As stated on other reviews the rooms do not have new furniture but our bed and linen were exceptionally comfortable and we had no trouble with housekeeping. We were aware of the dress code but as we didn't spend much time in the public rooms it didn't affect us. What made this hotel so nice was the rooftop garden (on the second floor) which overlooked the harbour. It was open Mon-Sat and had free tea/coffee making facilities from 7.30am. Very reasonably priced lunches were also served there. This is a gentlemans club and it was nice to gain the experience of staying in one as opposed to a chain hotel.

I had high hopes for the Union Club based on the description and previous reviews.

I was disappointed with several things. The club setting meant that all the niceties of a hotel were not there including signs where the complementary breakfast was or door signs to let the maid service know that your room was ready for being made up. As a consequence, the maid service only cleaned up my room one of the two mornings. When I checked out I asked about it and they said "Thanks for bringing it to my attention" but didn't offer a discount for the inconvenience of having wet towels to use a second morning.

The maids didn't knock before entering--you'd just hear a key letting themselves in to drop off a phone book or other various item.

Additionally, the bedding was thread-bare and the sheets had several holes.

On the plus side, the location was great and the rates were reasonable compared to the Empress.

Bottom line, if you want the location, go for it, but don't expect to feel like you are taken care of as well as any other 3 star hotel.