There are hotels that accommodate travelers.

And then there are hotels that hold history.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle is not simply an address in downtown Seattle — it is an architectural and cultural landmark that has shaped the city’s identity for nearly a century.

Opened in 1924, the Olympic was built on the original grounds of the University of Washington’s first campus. Long before the grand lobby, marble staircases, and crystal chandeliers, this land was home to Seattle’s earliest academic institution. When the university relocated north in 1895, civic leaders envisioned something extraordinary for the site — a world-class hotel that would signal Seattle’s emergence as a cosmopolitan destination.

They succeeded.

Today, nearly one hundred years later, the Fairmont Olympic remains Seattle’s grand dame.

 

From University Grounds to Renaissance Revival Masterpiece

The hotel was financed by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, whose goal was clear: create a European-inspired luxury hotel to rival those in New York, London, and San Francisco.

When it opened, it was the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest.

Designed in the Renaissance Revival style, the building features:

• Imported Italian marble
• Austrian crystal chandeliers
• Hand-carved detailing
• Ornate ceilings
• Grand staircases made for evening gowns and formal galas

It quickly became the setting for debutante balls, presidential visits, wartime gatherings, and Hollywood arrivals.

The Olympic has hosted U.S. Presidents, dignitaries, film stars, and generations of Seattle families celebrating weddings and milestones.

It has witnessed the Great Depression.

World War II.

The Boeing boom.

The tech revolution.

Through it all, the building has remained steady — dignified, refined, enduring.

 

The Fairmont Era: Preserving Heritage, Elevating Experience

In 2003, the property joined the Fairmont family — the same distinguished portfolio that includes The Plaza in New York and The Savoy in London.

While renovations modernized the interiors, the spirit of the Olympic remained intact.

Walk through the lobby today and you will feel it:

• Sunlight stretching across marble floors
• The quiet hum of polished service
• Velvet seating beneath historic chandeliers

It is theatrical, but never ostentatious.

It feels anchored in time.

 

A Full-Day Ritual Inside the Olympic

A visit to the Fairmont Olympic is not a single reservation. It is a sequence.

Morning coffee beneath chandeliers.

High Tea at The George.

Oysters and champagne at Shuckers.

A martini at the Founder’s Club speakeasy.

And, tucked quietly within this landmark — fifteen years strong — is PENELOPE and The Beauty Bar.

 

PENELOPE and The Beauty Bar: 15 Years Inside Seattle’s Most Historic Hotel

In 2011, PENELOPE and The Beauty Bar opened inside the Fairmont Olympic. Since then, we have blended advanced skin science with historic elegance.

For fifteen years, we have offered:

• Advanced Customized Facials in Seattle
• Hydrafacials with Peptides
• Lymphatic Drainage Massage
• Structural Facial Massage Treatments
• Luxury Body Treatments and Body Polish
• Russian Dry Manicures and Pedicures with Dazzle Dry

But what elevates the experience is not simply the service list. It is the setting.

There is something transformative about receiving a facial inside a building that has stood for nearly a century.

Guests step from marble corridors into softly lit treatment rooms. Outside, downtown Seattle hums. Inside, there is precision, calm, and intention.

Many clients design an entire day:

High Tea.

Facial.

Champagne.

Massage.

Martini.

This is not an errand

It is ritual.

 

Why History Elevates Luxury

Luxury without history can feel temporary.

Luxury inside history feels anchored.

When guests visit Seattle — especially during cruise season — they often choose the Fairmont Olympic not only for location, but for atmosphere. It feels authentic. Enduring. Cinematic.

Receiving a facial before boarding an Alaska cruise.

Unwinding with a lymphatic massage after travel.

Polishing nails before a wedding in the grand ballroom.

Beauty feels different when it unfolds within architecture that has seen nearly a century of stories.

 

Visit PENELOPE and The Beauty Bar

Located inside the historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel

411 University Street

Seattle, WA 98101

https://www.penelopeandthebeautybar.com

Phone / Text:

206-438-1750

We look forward to welcoming you into a century of elegance — and fifteen years of beauty inside its walls.