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Fairmont Olympic Hotel
Seattle, Washington, United States · Fairmont · Core Luxury
A Seattle Times naming contest helped christen the Olympic before it opened in 1924 on the old downtown University of Washington campus, George B. Post & Sons wrapping the Italian Renaissance hotel around the Metropolitan Theatre until the playhouse's last night in 1954. The land is still held in trust for the university. National Register since 1979, Historic Hotels of America, and Travel + Leisure's No. 1 hotel in Seattle for 2025.
- 450 rooms
- Opened 1924
- Neighborhood: Central Business District
- Rooms from 320 sq ft (30 m²)
- Architect: George B. Post & Sons
About Fairmont Olympic Hotel
- The hotel wrapped around the Metropolitan Theatre until 1954, when the playhouse's last performance closed a Seattle institution on the property.
- A Seattle Times contest helped name the city's new luxury hotel before construction.
- The George serves French-influenced regional cuisine; a wood-paneled oyster bar sits in the same house.
- AAA Four Diamond in 2025, plus Washington State's Leading Business Hotel and Leading Hotel Suite at the 2025 World Travel Awards.
- An early-2020s renovation refreshed public rooms around The George, the culinary flagship.
History
Fairmont Olympic Hotel opened in 1924 as Seattle’s grand downtown showpiece, a project born from a Seattle Times contest to name the city’s new luxury hotel and from the city’s early-1920s push to signal its arrival as a major Pacific Northwest destination. The hotel has long occupied a central place in Seattle’s hospitality story: the property is repeatedly described by Fairmont as Seattle’s Grand Dame, and the brand says it has offered more than a century of iconic hospitality in the heart of downtown Seattle. The hotel’s current identity still reflects that inherited role, but recent years have layered in a fresh chapter, including a multimillion-dollar renovation in the early 2020s that refreshed public areas and re-centered the food-and-beverage program around The George, the hotel’s culinary flagship. Fairmont also says the property now offers refreshed, newly designed spaces for gathering and connecting. The hotel’s significance is not only historical but current: Fairmont states that Fairmont Olympic Hotel was named the No. 1 Best Hotel in Seattle in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards. That combination of longevity, civic prominence, and ongoing reinvestment has kept the Olympic at the center of Seattle’s luxury-hotel narrative for a century.
The setting
Fairmont Olympic Hotel anchors 411 University Street on Seattle's historic Metropolitan Tract, the downtown parcel that served as the original University of Washington campus before the university relocated in 1895. Designed by George B. Post in Italian Renaissance style and opened in 1924, the 450-room landmark occupies an entire city block, functioning as Seattle's civic gathering place for a century. The Seattle Art Museum is five minutes on foot, Pike Place Market nine minutes, and the waterfront Great Wheel ten minutes by foot, placing guests at the intersection of culture, cuisine, and Seattle's storied harbor. 1.2 miles from Space Needle.
Restaurants and bars
- The George — Restaurant
- Olympic Bar Lobby Lounge — Bar
- Founders Club — Restaurant
- Shuckers — Restaurant · Seafood
Experiences
- Afternoon tea in Olympic Bar Lobby Lounge — Traditional afternoon tea in the hotel main lobby and lounge, a tradition since 1924.
- Behind the Bottle at Founders Club — Culinary series event with rare spirits and cocktails.
- Winemakers Dinners at The George — Seasonal pairing dinners featuring Pacific Northwest wines.
- Shuck-It Sundays at Shuckers — Interactive oyster shucking with Champagne or martinis.
- Nutcracker ballet viewings with afternoon tea — Special experience pairing Nutcracker ballet viewings with elegant afternoon tea.
- Sustainable fashion showcases and grooming and fragrance events — Year-round special experiences including sustainable fashion showcases and curated grooming and fragrance events.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Washington State's Leading Business Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Washington State's Leading Hotel Suite 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- National Register of Historic Places
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