Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle

Rooms and decor

Picture a grand stone building that has anchored downtown Seattle since 1924. Step through the doors and you meet a soaring Italian Renaissance lobby — towering marble columns, a wide curved staircase, glittering chandeliers, and intricate plasterwork across the ceiling that feels like an old European palace. That's the first thing everyone mentions about the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. A major renovation in 2019–2020 set out to add contemporary comfort without losing the original classic feel, so the 450-plus rooms and suites are done in warm, soft tones that mix traditional luxury with updated, quality furnishings and beds. Ceilings are high in the way old buildings do them, large windows pull in the light, and many bathrooms have been brought up to date. Plenty of reviews praise how soft the beds are and how refined the rooms feel. Wake up in a room with woodwork and high ceilings that newer hotels just don't have, then walk down through a historic lobby Seattle families have loved for generations — that atmosphere is what brings people back again and again.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here, beyond the building itself, is the indoor pool under a skylight, where natural light hits the water so nicely that many guests say they never expected an old hotel to hide a corner this relaxing. There's a whirlpool, a fitness center, and a spa that reviews credit with good treatments and a quiet, uncrowded feel. On the food side, the main restaurant is The George, serving in a refined classic setting under high ceilings, good for a special meal, while Olympic Bar is lively and full of life — well-made cocktails in a setting that's elegant without being stiff, and a popular meeting spot for both guests and locals. Breakfast comes up often too, with fresh pastries, eggs cooked to order, and good coffee, fitting for the city that helped start American coffee culture. Families and pet owners like that it's pet-friendly, and many reviews agree the staff are warm, attentive, and helpful beyond expectations, the kind that make you feel like a special guest.

Location and getting there

Location is another strong card here. The hotel sits in the heart of downtown on University Street, where you can get around the city on foot with barely any need for a car. University Street station (Link Light Rail Line 1) is about a 3-minute walk away, so you can hop a train straight to Sea-Tac airport or other neighborhoods. Walk a short way downhill and you reach Pike Place Market, the city's iconic old market with the first Starbucks, its famous fish stalls, and views over Elliott Bay. The downtown shopping district, the Seattle Art Museum, and the theaters are all within walking distance too. If your idea of a trip is ditching the car, exploring the city on foot, stopping for coffee, then coming back to a historic hotel downtown, this location nails it — and it suits business travelers heading in and out of the financial district and convention center.

Things to know before booking

To be straight with you and help you decide — the first thing to weigh is price and add-on costs. The Fairmont Olympic sits at the premium end for the city, and extras like breakfast, drinks, valet parking, and various fees run fairly high for the brand, so anyone on a tight budget should do the math first, especially if you're driving — scoping out public parking around downtown is worth it. The second is room size and layout, because this is an old building from 1924: some entry-level standard rooms are smaller than many expect from a 5-star, the layouts vary, and a few rooms face the wall of the building next door rather than a city view, so ask about a wider room or a better view, or upgrade, when you book. The third is the decor style, which is classic traditional luxury; some reviewers who prefer modern boutique hotels find it a bit formal and grown-up rather than trendy. Parts of downtown Seattle also go fairly quiet after working hours and a few corners call for the usual big-city awareness, though most reviews confirm the hotel and its surroundings feel safe.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real reviews, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle is a hotel that sells the charm of a historic landmark — the grand Italian Renaissance lobby, a downtown location you can walk everywhere from, the indoor pool under a skylight, and Fairmont-level service that reviews praise almost unanimously — and it does it proudly enough to be voted the No. 1 hotel in Seattle by Travel + Leisure World's Best 2025. If the trip in your head is sleeping in a building that has been the heart of the city for nearly a century, walking out for coffee at Pike Place Market in the morning, coming back to soak in the skylit pool in the afternoon, and closing the night with a cocktail at Olympic Bar, this is about as perfect a fit as it gets. But if you're on a tight budget, want a big room that's worth every square foot, or prefer a lively modern boutique, the classic luxury and room sizes of this old building may give you pause. Overall we give it 9.0/10 — best for couples, luxury travelers, and business travelers who want historic grace in the middle of Seattle.