Fairmont Olympic Hotel
COST: $$$
If your preferred aesthetic is grande dame rather than high design, this historic property—which has hosted black-tie galas since 1924—is your only choice in Seattle. Afternoon tea in the Terrace Lounge, outrageously expensive shopping in the adjacent arcade, and elbows-off-the-table dining at the vaunted Georgian all create a sense of old-world glamour that’s rare in this city. Extensive renovations, started this year, will refresh all 450 of the rooms, and will replace the dated pastel color scheme with a richer palette of cranberry, gold, and robin’s egg blue accents in others. Designer Jinnie Kim plans to update the hotel’s elegant interiors without turning them into a postmodern hodgepodge; a dark wood chair with classic Biedermeier lines may be upholstered in lime green, while the modern marble sheen of the bathrooms might be tempered by delightful trompe l’oeil wallpaper.
Tip: Corner suites ending in -42 and -44 are particularly large.
Room to Book: A renovated room; 100 of them should be redone by late 2008.
As Featured In...
From Travel + Leisure, Nov 2005
“Fresh oysters and prawns begin the feast at Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Choose between turkey with dressing or prime rib with truffled mashed potatoes....” MORE>>
From Travel + Leisure, Jun 2003
“Chef Robert Carter of the Planters Inn ships his classic seven-layer cake, drenched in coconut simple syrup, direct from Charleston. Serve it with a scoop of Choc-Olympic-Cherry ice cream—studded with chocolate-covered Rainier cherries—from the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle's secret supplier....” MORE>>
From the T+L 500
Italian Renaissance-style 1924 landmark, blocks from the Seattle Art Museum; the hotel will be under renovation (but will remain open) through mid-2009.
- Stats:
- 450 rooms; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.
- Competitive Edge:
- Thoughtful service (towels await guests who go for a run).
- Rooms to Book:
- Corner suites ending in 42 and 44 along Fourth Avenue, for their size and lovely lookouts.
- Don't Miss:
- Penn Cove oysters at the hotel's casual restaurant, Shucker's.
lastArticle = 11/2005 and lastAward = 01/2008
