Empire Hotel

I recently stayed at the Empire Hotel in Queenstown for three nights and found it to be a mixed experience. From the outside, the hotel is visually stunning—especially at night, when the historic façade is beautifully lit and quite eye-catching. Inside, the building has a very rustic and historical charm that speaks to its past, which I appreciated. Check-in was straightforward, and my room was a pleasant surprise: spacious, cosy, and comfortably warm—a real plus in Queenstown’s cooler climate. However, the dining experience left something to be desired. The dining room feels tired, with a patchy ceiling and a lack of atmosphere. It operates more like a pub—you have to order food and drinks at the bar, and the menu doesn’t quite match the hotel’s historic character. A more refined or locally inspired menu would have made a better fit. Breakfast was included in my rate, but it was very basic—a simple continental spread that felt more like a convenience than a feature. Overall, the Empire Hotel offers charm and warmth with its historic character and comfortable rooms, but the dining experience and breakfast could use improvement to match the building’s potential.

The wait was acceptable but the food was great. Perfectly seasoned and cooked. The log fire in the pub was a nice touch. The rooms were clean and tidy. It is ideally located to catch the west coast railway.

Stunning old hotel in the centre of Queenstown. The inner staircase is magnificent! Relaxed and friendly service. Room was clean and comfortable. Shower was excellent.

Friendy and helpful staff. Hotel old, but nice. Rooms are more suitable for overnight stay, not for a long stay. The food is really good, but waiting time is insane. Kids, after requesting, received their meal after 1hr, we - after 1hr20min. They should inform people before ordering, about waiting time, because there were a lot of unhappy people. Some tables received their meals earlier than we, though they came much later than we did.

Lovely heritage building. Big shout out to Shirley and Gypsy who do a great job. In house laundry appreciated but not the price of $ 2 per 5 minutes ($16 to dry my load) so perhaps wait to wash somewhere else🤷‍♀️.

We went here for dinner and ordered the roast beef and a garlic bread. The beef fell apart at the slightest touch and the burnt ends were so delicious, it came with caramelised pumpkin, potatoes and heaps of peas and the gravy was good too, the garlic bread was awesome. This roast dinner was the best we've had in Tasmania so far. I recommend this place so much, the staff are friendly and welcoming too.

Food is pretty bad. We came in here after the taking the rail, very old place, smells a bit musky, but we wouldn’t have minded. Ordered the beef bolognese, got overcooked pasta in a bolognese sauce that is 99% out of a can. We got the three cheese garlic bread too, nothing special, rather salty but edible, when dipping it into the tomato sauce from the liquidy bolognese it was okay. Paid 40 dollars for that and a Pepsi, didn’t find it justified price for this food quality,

Beautiful hotel, rich in history and with some of the most fabulous architecture I've seen. Let me outline something--this hotel is OLD. It has old walls, creaky floors and a wonky staircase. But it is solid and clean and the staff obviously love this place and hold it with deep pride. I loved reading about the staircase and seeing Queen Victoria's porosity up. I could see this place as the bustling building it was in the 1900's. It's not got modern fixings but it has warm, clean beds and nice bathrooms. If I could add any feedback, it seems like the worst of your issues may come from the kitchen (from reading the lowest scoring reviews). My own experience was pleasant--I was only sore because there was a lack of chairs. Someone stole the 2nd chair to my table of two 😅😂 to fit their family. But look, the meal I had was fine, if a bit pricey. Lastly, the only addition I would ask for is some more privacy for the shared bathrooms (take comfort everyone else, there were four of them and each had a lock) The glass doors are a bit uncomfortable, even if they are frosted or wobbly. But, the room was great and clean and comfortable and the bathrooms were clean and comfortable. Just make sure you're not trying to compare this beautiful gem with a luxury hotel in Melbourne and I think you'll fine it charming, cosy, clean and fairly priced!

It had started to snow. We were in the mountains on the road known as the western wilderness. Darkness fell and by my reckoning we had around 45 minutes before the sun sank for the night. I kicked it down another gear and pushed more firmly on the gas. The truck laboured on winding its way through the Tasmania winters dusk. Surely it wouldn't be good to get caught out here at night. Our only navigation device being a box of Cheezels and a tourist map with some hand scrawled instructions from a Hobart pub the night before; we identified the next metropolis to be a place called Queenstown. Night had fallen and the road wound on, we changed from an ascent into decline and we started to see the lights of civilisation twinkling through the pitch night. We hadn't passed a car for the last three miles and it was a comforting sight to again see electricity. First impressions on Queenstown, well have you ever seen the Lara Bingle tourism Australia ads? The tagline yes, the images no. We ground to a halt outside the Empire Hotel, looking forward to a beer after the long drive. pushing open the doors and stepping inside on that classic red and gold hotel patterned carpet, dark wood work and solid bar. Looking around you wonder if only these walls could spin a yarn oh the stories it they could tell. There were a few people scattered around some eating in the bistro out the back, a couple chatting in the middle bar, but we made our way through to the bar at the front and grabbed a pint of the liquid black gold and settled at the pool table. It would of been about two or three games in ( they do say history is written by the victors, but in this case its written by the author and let's just say I was winning by a significant margin in quite a care free and stylish manner) I had my back to the bar and I hear a drunken dulcet Tasmanian twang sing out, "Where are youse blokes from?" given there was myself and my associate playing pool and only one other group of bloke's sat at the bar, my quick risk assessment surmised that in all probability the question would of been sang out from the blokes at the bar and was most likely to have been directed at myself and my associate, given that probability dictates they would of known where they came from themselves (in most scenarios at any rate). I turned in what I would describe as a tepid manner, I mean let's face it we're in the mountains, in the western wilderness, its night time, there could be Tasmanian devils anywhere, I'd seen a dead wallaby mere hours before and we were in an alcohol consumption cabaret or more commonly referred to as a pub. Tepid seems an appropriate approximation of the manner in which I turned (especially given the thoughts racing through my mind, am I wearing hair product, why yes , yes I am wearing hair product... Is hair product considered offensive to men who work in mines?), to be greeted by a row of quite drunk and inquisitive faces. A sideways glance and an air of suspicion was the response to my "Alright Lads?" enquiry and to my return question of "So where are you blokes from" to which one promptly responded "I'm from here Born and bred..." (and when I die I'll be Queenstown dead) . True locals. But here started one of the finest most inebriated evenings I have had the pleasure to enjoy. We joined forces and attempted to drink the pub dry, within the hour no one could hold a pool cue straight enough to play. The rain lashed down outside and we ploughed on through with the jukebox pumping out the classics Midnight Oil, AC DC and Cold Chisel, past that who knows what happened, all I can remember is everyone was having a great time the Empire Hotel is fantastic. It's a great example of a proper old pub, its worn, its huge, its steeped in character and spirit. I'm quite sure if you go you may well not have the same experience as we did, but I know this; its people that make a place and those Tasmanians are a bloody good sort.

Decent meal with basic service. We were hungry after a long drive from Launceston, it was a public holiday and virtually the only thing open. It had a simple pub menu, cheap drinks, and we didn't get food poisoning - so can't ask for much more really!