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Reviewed 2 January 2011

I have been working in Brunei for almost 5 years now and I have been in and out of this Hotel many times for meetings, evening dinners, events etc. Although some may take them for granted but I must say they are serious about improving their standards, products and services.

I have been many occasions surprised by the little touch of service that their staff provide. They take comments and complaints seriously and have been keeping up with my expectations at the end of the day.

I have no doubt, it is still the best hotel in Brunei!!

Date of stay: November 2010
Trip type: Travelled on business
Thank RubberDuck11
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 January 2011

I had a splendid time staying at the empire.beautiful place and away from the stressful city life.i could say the empire and brunei itself is the perfect place to relax, detox and rehabilitate oneself. I just feel that they need to train on customer service, other than that I'm utterly satisfied.

Date of stay: December 2010
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Thank KayLittlePrince98
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 January 2011

The hotel's facilities are top notch, but the food is just so-so. One will be impressed with the hotel's lobby upon arrival since it's grandiose. The rooms are also opulent in that sense. I love it that the property has its own cinema, unfortunately, the seats are quite horrible!

Date of stay: January 2010
Trip type: Travelled on business
Thank boohain
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 29 December 2010

I have stayed at The Empire on and off now for nearly 10 years - since it opened; probably at least 16 times in total. My wife and I, who have travelled extensively throughout the region in some of the best hotels, have felt for sometime that this hotel no longer merits the high star recognition it is granted. It is by no means a 6 star hotel (never was), and today, is struggling to match a normal run of the mill 5 star in the SE Asian region. Granted it is the best hotel in Brunei (no accolade at all for those who know the area). It would be impossible to list all of the complaints just from this last trip but here is a sample: lost luggage for 45 mins on arrival; room tatty and shabby; sun-shade at pool positively dangerous from weather damage; staff un-attentive and often asleep (indeed we walked into Spagettenis on our first night and found a staff a member lying on the floor asleep!}; room cleanliness appalling - mirrors broken, tatty sofas; mini-bar not re-stocked once in 5 days; no room service menu; hairs left in sinks etc etc. Food overall really is terrible - with the absolute exception of Li Gong - an excellent Chinese - but elsewhere truly unforgettable and way, way to expensive - London prices. Kids food too salty, all fried; parents food - tired and worn. Altogether underwhelming to say the least. Almost forgot - we found a caterpillar in one our salad one night - 6 star hotel - i do not think so. As for the rest of the estate; the pools are shabby and unclean, the slide in the kids area is in urgent need of repair (look out for the men cleaning the kids pool with an electric plug dangling in the water - we thought we were about to see a mass electrocution); the general cleanliness is not good at all. We have no idea what the other people who posted positive reviews on here are on about at all!

A final mention for the staff....with the notable exception of one or two; those who worked in the e-club lounge and the kids club; the local staff are awful. Poor communication skills; unable to use initiative, zero understanding of customer service - no urgency, no desire - no real care. I few years ago it was mainly non-local staff at The Empire - now it appears to be more local; poorly educated and poorly trained. Oh - and did i forget to mention - there are no shops at all to write home about (dreadful tat - and in a 6 star hotel too!?) and of course, no alcohol at all. Mocktails all round!

The plus points - good beds and linen - at least that has not changed over the 10 years. Excellent gym. Great Cantonese food.

I have written to the General Manager to hear his response to this steady, apparently irreversible decline in the The Empire. It really is today a shadow of its former self - more is the pity. The only reason we will continue to go there is that quite simply there is nowhere else in Brunei to go at all. Would I travel from overseas to stay there - absolutely not. Do not do it. Would we recommend it to a friend - no chance. For the same money try any Shangri La in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong; or the Sukhothai in Bangkok or the Ritz Carlton in Bali, Singapore or the Mandarin Oriental anywhere! Do not waste your money coming to the Empire - or even coming to Brunei.

Date of stay: December 2010
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
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4  Thank jamie75_10
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 27 December 2010

Have recently returned from a pre christmas short break to Brunei. Had an excellent deal on Royal Brunei airlines and as such chose to stay at The Empire. Sure it was one of the first 6 star hotels in the region . That was the main reason for staying as had never stayed in a 6 star hotel before.
Was somewhat wary of the property after having read some of the previous reviews. Was delighted that when we stayed it was excellent. The standard rooms are a huge 60m2 with one of the best balconies /bathrooms I have ever come across in any hotel anywhere in the world. The food ( choice, quality, presentation ) exemplary. The onsite cinema was an added bonus for when it rained. The bowling alley was also good. As the resort is so large ( over 150 hectares ) there are golf buggies that take you everywhere you would wish to go. We were stuck in the cinema during a torrential downpour and they sent a 4WD to collect us which was excellent.
If you want something special then contact your local Royal Brunei Airlines office to check what deals they have. Having been there once will most surely return

Date of stay: December 2010
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Thank SaigonPhil
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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