Indu Brar, who made history as the first female general manager of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, is leaving the post after five years.
Brar is heading to Toronto, where she is taking a senior leadership role at Accor Hotels, the company that manages the Fairmont Empress and dozens of other luxury hotel brands around the world.
“After five excellent years in a city and Island that I have fallen in love with, I am definitely leaving with mixed emotions,” Brar said Wednesday.
A replacement hasn’t yet been named.
Brar will stay on to oversee the April 1 reopening of the Empress, which closed in December for extensive mechanical upgrades.
Brar joined the Empress in March 2016, becoming the 24th general manager of the then 108-year-old hotel — and the first woman in the role.
The Calgary native has spent more than 32 years with Fairmont hotels, including stops in her hometown, Edmonton, Lake Louise, New York, Winnipeg, Boston and Vancouver.
She helped to oversee a $60-million renovation of the Empress under new owners Nat and Flora Bosa, repositioning the historic property as a world-class destination and ushering in a new era of modern luxury while maintaining many of its timeless features.
Under Brar, the hotel received numerous accolades, including Best Historic Hotel in the Americas as well as being recognized as one of the top 21 hotels in the world by National Geographic Traveler Magazine.
She also worked on numerous local and national charitable initiatives, and served as a board member with Destination Greater Victoria, the Victoria Destination Marketing Board and the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
“I have so enjoyed calling Victoria my home, a place filled with incredible energy and amazing people, all with the most breathtaking scenery,” Brar said in a statement. “However, the repositioning of the hotel is complete, and an exceptional management team is in place that is supported by our highly committed owners, the Bosa family. It is now my time to move on.
“The Empress stands proud and ready for its next chapter in history with new leadership at the helm. I will be cheering on the Empress, always.”
An Empress spokeswoman said Wednesday the 465-room hotel is halfway through an extensive $3-million capital-improvement project that includes mechanical-system modernization and energy-efficiency upgrades.
The project includes the replacement of the steam heating system with a high-efficiency hydronic heating system, replacing two 1960s-era steam boilers with three high-efficiency hot-water boilers, replacing domestic hot-water tanks with high-efficiency tanks, and upgrades to the automation system.