I admit it. I'm a sucker for trendy boutique
hotels. The best of these smaller, stylish hotels are
design-forward hipster havens, with modern art, post-modern
furnishings, and futuristic toys that control music and
lighting. Flat-screen TVs are often installed
in gigantic bathrooms, and the mini-bars are stocked with tasty
stuff you'd never find in a vending machine.
I also admit that I easily tire of boutique
hotels. Many such hotels have a cookie-cut
look and feel, as if straight out of a West Elm showroom.
The 1000-thread count sheets don't always make up for the chilly,
often inept service. Worst of all, some hotels
seem to have forgotten that they're in the hospitality business.
For instance, there's nothing like getting ”˜carded' just to get
to your room. In one hotel in Barcelona, where a velvet rope
separated the hotel from the trendy bar, I got harassed on my way
to the elevator bank, until I produced my key card.
When I've had enough of these sorts of
flubs, I tend to crave a grand luxury hotel. While I'm often
tempted by a boutique hotel's cool-factor, I'm always charmed by
warmth. Seattle's most famous hotel, The Fairmont
Olympic, embodies old-fashioned fussiness and impeccable
service in the very best way.
When it opened in 1924, The
Olympic Hotel introduced a new level of quality and luxury to the
Pacific Northwest. Originally funded by a community bond drive,
the Olympic happens to be a unique civic landmark in Seattle. Its
Italian Renaissance style architecture and public spaces
immediately made the hotel Seattle's primary venue for civic,
social, and corporate gatherings. The hotel
has been home to a multitude of distinguished guests over the
years, including Charles Lindbergh, Prince Phillip, Bob Hope,
Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Tom Cruise, and every
president from Herbert Hoover through Jimmy Carter.
The hotel is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and
a member of Historic Hotels of America
Amassing an entire city block
in the center of
downtown Seattle, The Fairmont Olympic is an entire
universe of services and amenities. The Jeremy Todd Wellness
Spa & Salon offers spa treatments, as well hair care and
makeup. The well-equipped
fitness center is full service, and features an
indoor pool, which is encased in a solarium. An outdoor sun deck
is available for soaking up Seattle's summer sunshine. Fourteen
street level shops at the hotel feature local and international
specialty goods, such as Coach, Jeri Rice, who stocks Michael Kors and Zach Posen,
Luly Yang,
and Papyrus.
The Fairmont Olympic's rooms are decidedly old-school. The thread count
is low, but the attention to detail to high. There's nary a
flat-screen TV in sight (room updates are scheduled for this
fall), but you will find complimentary wi-fi and your Q-tips in a
crystal jar. Deluxe rooms are designed to accommodate business
travelers with a work area, a separate dressing area, and views
of downtown Seattle or Elliot Bay.
Executive suites offer extra privacy, with French doors that
separate the sleep and work areas. Twenty-two
Corner Suites are a whopping 1250 sq ft, feature 2 full baths,
and feature a dining area for six, with adjoining pantry and bar
area. High-rollers: check into the Cascade
Suite. This ultra-luxe, 3000 sq. ft. suite even made its cameo in
the 1994 film Disclosure, starring Michael
Douglas.
The
hotel is a 5-10 minute walk from Seattle's noteworthy attractions, including
the Pike
Place Market, Seattle Waterfront, and
Space Needle, plus museums, theatres, shops and
restaurants. If you don't feel like walking Seattle's steep hills or enduring the “liquid
sunshine,” the hotel offers complimentary Town Car service
throughout downtown.
While it's tempting to forage for every
meal at the nearby Pike Place Market, consider The Fairmont
Olympic's two very distinct restaurants. The
Georgian, the hotel's award-winning signature restaurant, evokes
the luxury of a bygone era. Walking in, it's
impossible not to marvel at the 30-ft ceilings, 20-foot Palladian
windows, and 1920s crystal chandeliers. Tables are spaced miles
apart in an elegant room with shiny marble floors, buttery yellow
walls, and potted palms. It's opulence without
stuffiness.
Gavin Stephenson's French-inspired Pacific
Northwest cuisine is superb, and the extensive wine list reads
like a best-seller. Of course, the service is warm and friendly.
The waiters coo a list of seasonal and local specials, and then
coddle you with unobtrusive attention during
dinner.
For informal dining, try
Shuckers, a casual pub downstairs. A former haberdashery, the
room boasts original tin ceilings and carved oak paneling from
the 1930s. The restaurant's daily fresh sheet-style menu
showcases glorious glistening seafood. Every May, Shuckers is one
of the first restaurants to serve Copper River Salmon, a fleeting
fish available for three to four weeks out of the year. Fifteen
different oysters are prepared eight different ways to pair with
local artisan microbrews. A dedicated staff, many of whom have
been with Shuckers for an average of 18 years, are happy to tick
off the nuances of each oyster.
Big luxury, coupled with the tiny nuances, keep guests
coming back to The Fairmont Olympic year after
year. A few days after I'd checked out of
the FairmontOlympic, I was in downtown Seattle again, and decided to consult the
concierge for local directions. As I passed
through the revolving doors, the doormen greeted me with a smile
and actually said “welcome back.”
Of
course, a warm welcome never goes out of style.
Rates start at $299 per night.
The Fairmont Olympic
411 University Street
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: (206) 621-1700
www.fairmont.com/seattle
Hyong Jung Lee is a New York-based freelancer who also
writes for Forbes.
