This is the third time we have stayed at this hotel. We stayed in an executive room (105), which was excellent apart from one problem. It is the nearest room to the kebab house located next door. This remains open until 3.00am weekdays and 4.00am weekends. The weather was warm so we had the windows open and the noise was excessive. Maybe partly due to it being so busy because it was Manx Grand Prix practice week.
Apart from this there were no problems. Breakfasts were good with a reasonable buffet although there was not a great deal of variety.
Not as good as the Sefton but then again there is a significant price diference.

Have stopped at the Empress for the last 5 years and have just returned. The Empress standards seem to be slipping initially we where offered a very small room (booked a standard double) only had one bath towel and one hand towel .Asked to be moved and was told by reception nothing was available until next day when we could be moved to a standard double , which was what we had booked. Reception and bar staff good but staff at breakfast looked miserable. Service not up to previous standards and coffee/ toast had to be requested several times each morning .

We arrived after having over one & a half hours delay on the ferry crossing so we were very tired due to the travelling. The Hotel were hosting a wedding and the disco was on, nice and lively when you enter the premises. We were greeted and allocated a room, we got to the room (106) and it was just above the disco, the floor was bouncing! I went back to the reception and asked to be moved, I admit I was irritable due to such a long journey, I was told by the man at the reception that they had no rooms empty, the disco would be finishing in about an hour and there was another one the following night and I was dismissed, not happy. I was ready to pick up my cases and leave when another gentleman managed to find another room on the third floor which was a lot quieter. After that we thoughly enjoyed our stay,even though the weather was lousy. The breakfast was average and boring same thing each morning, what they need is some variety.

Smart-looking hotel, but the entrance lobby is a mass of dangerous steps. Rooms are comfortable, but maintenance doesn't seem a high priority - it took 48 hours to get someone to fix the shower. Food was the main complaint. Although the menu looked interesting, the "fresh seasonal vegetables" were always carrots (6 nights in a row!). On one occasion the cheesecake toppings arrived on the bottoms of other people's plates - not pleasant.