SEATTLE, August 1, 2003 - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts today announced its entry into a key U.S. market with the official re-flagging of The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle. The coveted AAA Five Diamond hotel, located in the heart of the city’s fashionable Rainier Square, increases the number of properties in the Fairmont collection to 42 and joins other notable properties in the Fairmont portfolio such as the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs in the Canadian Rockies and the legendary Fairmont San Francisco. 
“The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle represents the very best in service excellence within the city, and we are extremely excited to be adding such a prestigious property to Fairmont’s collection of world-class properties,” says the hotel’s newly appointed general manager Dennis Clark. “We are equally delighted that the majority of the hotel’s exceptional staff elected to continue employment with The Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Adds Clark, “Fairmont looks forward to maintaining and building upon The Olympic’s long- standing reputation as a prominent business leader in the local community and as the premier hotel in the Seattle area. Through its myriad of travel and corporate partnerships, Fairmont hopes to attract a host of new business and leisure travelers to Seattle.”
The hotel, now owned by Legacy Hotels REIT and managed by Fairmont, gives the luxury brand a presence in one of the country’s principal travel markets. Built in 1924, the 450-room property, which includes 209 suites, blends classic ambience with state-of-the-art amenities. Located minutes away from the city`s arts & entertainment districts, the AAA Five Diamond hotel features two restaurants and two lounges, a fully equipped fitness center with indoor pool, high-speed Internet access in all guestrooms, and more than 20,000 square feet of versatile meeting and function space.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a unique collection of world-class resorts and city-center hotels that enjoy unrivalled prominence in the communities where they are located.  Operating 42 properties throughout six countries, Fairmont is committed to providing guests with exceptional service in distinctive surroundings. For more information on Fairmont or reservations please call 800-441-1414, or visit us online at www.fairmont.com.

——-