Sharing is caring!

I’ve stayed at several downtown Seattle hotels over the years, but never had the opportunity to stay at the grande dame of Seattle hotels, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel…until now.   Plush accommodations, five-star service,  superb dining, and luxurious amenities make the Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle the perfect luxury hotel stay in Seattle.

Fairmont Olympic Hotel

Built in 1924, the Italian Renaissance-designed hotel invokes the splendor of yesteryear with it’s magnificent two story lobby, elegant wood paneled walls, and dazzling chandeliers. Situated on University Street, between 4th and 5th Avenue, it is located in the heart of the city, within walking distance to dining, shops, and theater.  Pikes Place Market is a brisk ten minute walk.  The hotel has a 10,000 square foot health club with indoor pool, locker rooms, and exercise facilities.

Accommodations

The lobby and ballrooms exude old world elegance, but the room accommodations are thoroughly modern.  Our 450 square foot deluxe executive suite was decorated in serene hues of cream, blue, and grey, featuring a sitting room and separate bedroom with king bed.  The living room included a  small sofa, wing chair, side tables, and desk.   The oversized marble bathroom featured a tub/shower with rainfall shower head and luxury Rose Le Labo toiletries.

Room amenities include:

• Sparkling clean down pillows and duvet
• Keurig coffee maker
• Two terry bathrobes
• Umbrella (Perfect for Seattle weather)
• Iron & ironing board
• Large closet
• Two flat screen televisions, one in the bedroom and one in the living room
• In room safe (Large enough to fit an ipad or small laptop)
• Plenty of USB and ethernet plugs
• In room WiFi service (free for Le Club members*)
• Rollaway beds, in-room refrigerator, and

Dining

We did not have time to try the famous afternoon tea while at the Fairmont Olympic, but did eat dinner at Shuckers, the downstairs oyster bar.  This mahogany wood paneled restaurant is cozy and casual, while still maintaining the elegance of the Fairmont.  Known for their extensive selection of oysters (we counted over 13 different varieties of oysters, prepared six different ways) the menu also included several other fresh seafood choices.  For those not fans of seafood, Shuckers had soup, salad, and meat entree selections as well, but let’s be honest, diners come for the the seafood!  I am not a fan of oysters, but my son tried his very first oyster here and liked it!  Shuckers has an extensive micro-brew and wine menu, highlighting many local beers and wines.

As Virtuoso guests, we also enjoyed the added amenity of a complimentary full service breakfast for two, which we enjoyed in our room.  The breakfast menu included typical breakfast fare, as well as signature dishes such as the apple fritter french toast and Dungeness crab and ham eggs benedict (benny).  Our breakfasts included hashbrowns and toast, as well as coffee, tea, or toast.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle offers fine dining in the AAA 4-diamond ranked  The Georgian, open for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea.  Other onsite dining includes 4th Ave Espresso Bar and The Terrace cocktail lounge.

Dining Tips:

• Reservations are suggested for all dining except 4th Avenue Espresso.
• The afternoon tea at The Georgian usually books up 2-3 weeks in advance and longer during the holidays.
• The Georgian also has private dining available, The Petite, with room for up to twelve guests.
• In-room dining is available 24 hours a day.
• 4th Ave Espresso Bar is open from 6am to 3pm

Things to Know

• This is a non-smoking hotel and guests will be charged a deep cleaning fee for smoking in their room.
• The hotel has a full-service business center with computer rental, printers, fax service, and conference room rental.
• There is a full service spa/wellness center onsite, with beauty services, face and body treatments, and nail service.
• Self & valet parking are available ($45 for self; $55 for valet.  A special early bird rate of $15 for self parking)
• The hotel is pet friendly with a $50 per stay cleaning fee.
• There are several shops available in the lower level, with jewelers, clothing shops, florists, and UPS.
• Rates can vary between $240-600 per night for a traditional room.

The Area

Seattle-Tacoma International airport is about a 20-25 minute drive, the Space Needle is 20 minutes away, and Pikes Place Market is a 15 minute walk.  The hotel is within walking distance of several well-reviewed restaurants, shops, and  entertainment.  Olympic National park is a 2 1/2 – 3 hour drive and Mount Rainier National Park is a 1 1/2 – 2 hour drive.

Thoughts

Our room was clean, well-maintained and comfortable.  I am “particular” (obsessed) about hotel bed linens, but not only was our king bed linens fresh and comfortable, our sons rollaway bed (more like a normal bed than a typical rollaway) also had nice fresh and comfortable linens and pillow.  The room was modernized with an abundance of USB and electrical outlets for devices, including plugs on each night stand in the bedroom, and at the desk in the sitting room.  The room had a nice beverage center with Keurig machine and electric kettle,  with coffee and tea, which my son utilized for his morning tea.

Our dinner at Shuckers was delightful; the seafood was straight-off-the-boat fresh and our server was gracious and accommodating.  The restaurant was busy and a little noisy, but since our reservation was later in the evening, by the time our entrees arrived, most of the crowd had cleared out.  At no time did we feel neglected.  Our Virtuoso complimentary breakfast by room service was a nice treat.  Our breakfast entrees were plentiful and quite tasty.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle is a gorgeous hotel with five-star service and we had such a lovely stay. The hotel was elegant without being ostentatious, luxurious yet comfortable.   From the moment we arrived at the valet parking area and were promptly greeted by a black-hatted bellman until we checked out of the hotel, service was five-star.  As a Le Club Accorhotels member, we received expedited check in, and as a Virtuoso customer, we received a complimentary upgrade from traditional guest room to suite. The handwritten note and a welcome gift of chocolates and cookies waiting in our room were a delightful touch.

For more information on the Fairmont Seattle Olympic Hotel, please visit their website.

(This post is not sponsored by Fairmont Hotels, we paid for our own stay.)

Sharing is caring!