Being a grand dame of this city, I was expecting a nice property and happy to announce that we had a good stay for the remaining weekend while in Seattle.

We had just returned from Olympic National Park and so it was a very pleasant experience when checking into this hotel. The staff were very professional (the front desk more so than the concierge).

See photos for the executive suite (bathrooms had been updated and I like the simple classic European design, very fitting for this hotel)

The gym feels like a sauna (due to it being July and this is one of the hottest week in recent history supposedly) as it is by the pool (yes the equipment are all lined up along the sides and all over). If it isnt that humid and warm, we would have enjoyed it.

Location of the hotel is perfect for any tourists, right in the shopping belt and so close to Pike's Place. It is definitely more central (the week before we had stayed at the Marriott Waterfront)

Overall, we would return but there are too many cool new and chic hotels (esp. the boutique ones) in this town.

Got an excellent deal thru Expedia on this hotel.

Arrival: confusion, bellhop spoke broken english, they asked if we wanted them to take all our bags up to our room, it was confusing and awkward so we just did it ourselves. They didn't help us getting luggage loaded onto the carts. I think they should just do it, not ask! We had a lot of stuff.

Check-in: smooth. No problems. Our room was near the health club though on the 2nd floor and there was a strong odor of chlorine. We asked to be moved immediately. Had to wait about 20 minutes for someone to show up and take us to the 4th floor. Our new room had view of the harbor (partial view).

Room: Our AC didn't work properly. 1st night miserable. They offered to move us but they had someone try to fix it the 2nd day and it was a little better but still warm. We decided not to move. We had a nice king bed, very comfy, nice linens. Rug in the room and hallways needs replaced but we still went barefoot (it wasn't THAT bad!). Nice marble floors in bathroom, nice shower, granite countertops, nice magnifier mirror on the wall, a nice amenity! tip: bring your own shampoo & conditioner and soap. The hotel supplied products are pretty bad (cheap).

ELEVATORS! Wow. Hope they have been repaired since we were there. The wait to go down took forever. We ended up using stairs most the time.

Overall appearance the hotel is beautiful, lobby is beautiful, friendly staff.

I thought complimentary coffee would be nice for the guests. There is no coffeemaker in the room. There is a nice coffee/espresso shop on the street level. They have fabulous looking sweets. Cappuccinos are delicious. Just wish we had coffee in the room.

Room was quiet, no noise from neighbors, hall, just occasional street noise but we had our window open because the AC broke and we shut it off and opened the window.

I was a little worried having read some reviews before staying here. The hotel has some worn items, but the service and care of its staff more than compensated for any worn carpet I saw. My in-laws and I stayed here on the night of July 4th. We arrived around 9:30AM from our cruise ship and they let us check in at that very moment, no added fees. My mother-in-law and I took High Tea at the Georgian. It was excellent and we were not rushed, but were encouraged to linger.
Upon check-in, we were given a little bag of toys (very cheap made in China), but a nice thought and a card to order complimentary cookies and milk from room service for our 2 year-old.
Both rooms were huge!! Ours was so large, and allowed plenty of room for our portable crib. The draperies were a little dated, but lovely as they were trimmed with bullion fringe.
We learned from an employee that the Georgian Room is about to be renovated-a shame, I liked the green upholstery. Everything is very elegantly decorated, but the bath faucets and fixtures show their age.
The hotel was lovely, one of the finest that I have ever stayed in while in a large city. Some things are worn, but I am sure that renovations are soon to follow. Never once did I see anything dirty or grimy, everything was neat and clean in our room. My overall opinion of the Fairmont is a high opinion of a classic hotel that knows customer service and care. Try not to be in a rush, be nice to the staff (anywhere you go), even if it takes a little more time. Many of the Fairmont’s staff are international and are sincere about guests' concerns. I would jump at the chance to stay at the Fairmont again and am blessed to have gotten such a great room at such a great rate for this trip.

TEA at the Georgian Room
Our waiter suggested I try the 1907 Fairmont blend tea-a wise decision. He was very nice and helpful. His name was Quoc (Asian guy). Another waiter was Alvis (Eastern European?) Both were humorous and answered any questions we had about the hotel or food, all-the-while remaining very professional. One could tell they enjoyed their work.
The decor of the 2 chandeliers (8 feet high each), green furniture and creamy walls was soothing. It is not the fanciest hotel that I have taken tea in before, but the food was superb and again the wait staffs made it seem grander than the Palm Court Tea experience that I had in San Fran. The Wait staff was horribly snobbish there!
At many other high teas I have had, the chef brings in certain finished pastries, etc. The waiters explained that the only items not made on the premises are bread and crackers. All pastries are made there and also supplied to their little patisserie.
The food was great, but the service by our two waiters as mentioned above was probably the best service I have ever had in North America and Europe!

I stayed in this hotel many times back in the days when it was the "Four Seasons Olympic". My spouse and I recently had the misfortune to stay there again under its new (Fairmont) sponsorship.

We arrived around 10 pm only to find that the room we had booked through American Express (and gauranteed for late arrival!) had been given away to a guest who had arrived earlier. The desk clerk DOWNGRADED us at the same price we had paid for the superior room that he had given away earlier!

We complained to American Express who apparently caused a stink with the asst. manager who grudgingly offered to move us to our original room the next day with a $30 credit for the night we arrived.

We declined the asst, manager's offer because we didn't want to stay around to monitor our luggage during the move and we were staying for only 36 hours anyway. We took the credit instead for 2 nights. At our age and after all we've been through, we weren't keen to stay in a below-par room, credit or no credit, but there was nothing we could do without destroying our leisure time the next day!

Apart from the bad check-in experience, contacting room service was difficult with many minutes spent on "hold". Some more experienced staff would be in order... and fewer shyster practices!

I've been traveling on business for over 40 years and so I know that hotels routinely give away their best rooms (even the GAURANTEED ONES!!!) if it appears that the guest may be a "no-show". Knowing that we would be a late arrival, I deliberately chose the Fairmont based on my earlier experiences from when this hotel was under the Four Seasons banner.

I'll never stay at the Fairmont again!! If we had want to subject ourselves to the shoddiest practices of the lodging industry we would have stayed at a cut price motel. At least they smile when they're ripping you off!