Hotel Review: Fairmont Olympic Hotel (Executive Suite), Seattle, WA

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite Introduction

I booked this hotel as our first stop on our road trip to Portland, which included a stop in Seattle in both directions. Seattle, like Vancouver, is a highly seasonal market, and rates were quite reasonable just before New Year’s Eve. Opened in 1924, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel is rich with history, and easily one of the most recognizable hotels in Seattle. We were able to book The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite for just under $275CAD inclusive of taxes through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, which came with a lot of extra benefits including daily breakfast for two and a $100USD property credit.

This was actually the rate for the basic Fairmont room, but we were generously upgraded to the Executive Suite as part of the FHR package. Generally speaking, Fine Hotel and Resort bookings are comparable to the best available fully flexible rate being offered by the hotel. However, when I went to book, the FHR rates were actually significantly less than The Fairmont website or any of the other online travel agencies, and those rates were non-refunadable!

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We left Vancouver shortly after 9am with the intention of getting into Seattle around noon (we have guaranteed early arrival through our Platinum status in The Fairmont President’s Club), but unfortunately, there was an ice storm the night before, and roads were a disaster. Furthermore, the border crossing was without power for a bit, and the line-ups were atrocious. We ended up arriving later than expected, right during peak check-in time.

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite Arrival

We arrived to the hotel shortly after 2pm to a very hectic valet situation. The horseshoe driveway was completely packed with vans checking in, and the staff seemed a bit ill-equipped to handle it. Despite making eye contact with one of the valet staff, nobody came to us, and after 30 minutes we went and tracked someone down. Even though we were holding two dogs and carrying a few bags, there was no offer for assistance, and instead we were just directed up the escalator to the check-in counter. The parking fees were waived proactively prior to checking out, which seemed like a very reasonable gesture.

Once up the escalators, we were immediately greeted by a host and walked to the check-in area. The lobby is fantastic, with rich woods and beautiful lighting.  It was explained to me that although the guest rooms had been completely renovated, the common areas were restored, with careful consideration of the historical significance of the building.

Shortly after settling in we made our way back down to the lobby where we enjoyed a couple of cocktails, which were delicious, and entirely taken care of by our $100USD food/beverage credit through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts.

Downstairs from the main lobby is a shopping area and meeting rooms. It definitely felt like being transformed to another era (in a good way).

It was during check-in that we were advised of our upgrade to an Executive Suite, and were thanked for being Platinum members in the Fairmont President’s Club. I assumed the hotel would be quiet due to the low rates, but it was actually quite busy, which made the suite-upgrade even more appreciated!

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite

At just 450 square feet, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite is actually quite small, and not much larger than a standard luxury hotel room (compared to the enormous suite I received at The Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai). The door opened into the living room, with a hallway to the left featuring a large closet and marble bathroom. Directly ahead was the living room with office desk, sitting area and television, with a bedroom separated by a sliding door. Despite the small size, the suite felt fairly spacious and I always appreciate a separate bedroom.

The living room lacked a lot of natural light due to the small windows and neighbouring buildings and featured a chair, sofa (pullout), television, coffee table and office desk.

Shortly after arriving housekeeping came by with pet amenities and our Fairmont President’s Club Platinum amenity. The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle is very pet-friendly, though they do impose a $50USD cleaning fee per stay, not per night.

The office area was tucked in the corner and featured a nice desk with comfortable work chair, along with the usual stationery, pen, notepad, and phone.

The bedroom was separated by a sliding pocket door and featured a comfortable king bed with luxurious linens and pillows, reading lights, and bedside tables with lamps. There was also a window overlooking the city and a wall-mounted television.

The hallway inside the suite featured a minibar with coffee maker, kettle, and mini-fridge, along with a selection of snacks and beverages for purchase.

Opposite the minibar was a decent sized closet with plenty of space for luggage and for hanging clothes. There was also in-room safe, extra pillows and ironing board.

At the far end of the hallway was a large marble bathroom, featuring a tub/shower combo, vanity with single sink, and a semi-private toilet area. While it’s clear the bathroom had been recently renovated, I was a bit surprised they didn’t add a walk-in shower to replace the tub/shower combo. Although functionally it was dated, the finishes, cleanliness and hardware quality were top-notch.

We were fairly tired after the long drive and mainly stayed in the room outside of grabbing a few cocktails in the lobby and going a walk. The hotel does have an indoor pool and fitness centre, along with a spa (not a Fairmont Willow Steam spa), though we didn’t get to experience those amenities on this stay.

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle Executive Suite Bottom Line

Overall this was a really great stay, though I can’t say anything was particularly memorable. The location is great for visitors to Seattle, and the hotel exterior and common areas are impressive but other than that it felt kind of like any other business hotel in the world. The guest room improvements felt a little ‘cookie cutter’ and very similar to the finishes used on the recently renovated Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. It’s not that the rooms are bad in any way, they just feel a bit bland and don’t quite fit the grandness of the hotel.

Things I loved about this hotel:

• The central location is ideal for visitors to Seattle
• Historically significant building with charming common areas
• Competitive rates during the offseason
• Participation in American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Pet-friendly, with a very nice welcome amenity for dogs
• Great lobby lounge with delicious cocktails

Things I didn’t love about this hotel:

• Valet was disorganized
• Parking is expensive at $55USD  for valet and $45USD for self (waived on our stay for the poor arrival experience)
• Guest rooms, while nice, lack the charm found in the common spaces

A luxury hotel in Seattle for $275 including a $100USD food/beverage credit and daily breakfast through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts is tough to beat. Although the guest rooms felt a bit bland to me, they were perfectly nice and everything about the hotel was good (save for the parking during peak check-in times). Money for value, I don’t think this could be beaten, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return the next time I’m in Seattle!

Have you stayed at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!