Fairmont Olympic Hotel

Character and identity

Behind an Italian Renaissance facade on a quiet downtown block, this 1924 grande dame has been brought confidently into the present by a 2021 Lázaro Rosa-Violán renovation that preserved its hand-painted ceilings and Jazz Age bones while warming the lighting and sharpening the arrival. The 450 rooms run to classic refinement: muted Pacific Northwest palettes, marble baths, Le Labo, and proper soaking tubs. The circular Olympic Bar is the social engine, The George handles seafood-forward brasserie cooking, Shuckers covers oysters, and Founders Club hides behind a bookshelf. Penelope & The Beauty Bar and a 42-foot indoor pool round out the wellness offer. Service is polished and old-school.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is atmosphere: a properly restored 1924 landmark with one of the West Coast's best hotel bars and a lobby that doubles as Seattle's parlor. Book a corner king on an upper south-facing floor for the extra light and peekaboo Olympic Mountain views, time your returns around rush hour, and use the $10 housekeeping-skip credit at Olympic Bar.