[4] Originally funded by Prince Jefri Bolkiah and completed in 2000, the hotel encountered financial difficulties that resulted in government investment and a transfer of ownership.

[1] The financial strain on state resources led the government to invest in what was initially intended as a private enterprise.

[8] Construction commenced in 1994 and spanned six years, involving 220 architects and designers from the Australian firm McKerrell Lynch.

[10] The Empire Hotel and Country Club, developed over a period of six years with the collaboration of approximately 300 designers, technologists, and artisans, officially opened on 16 October 2000.

The updated logo incorporates the national flower, bunga simpur, surrounded by lilies and employs a gold and teal colour scheme to represent the sea and woods.

[18] Its first guest was United States President Bill Clinton who stayed there during the APEC Brunei Darussalam 2000 meeting.