After spending 10 days at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, which turned into an absolute nightmare due to the appalling behavior of the front desk staff (including aggressive and abusive individuals) and the housekeeping team’s apparent lack of understanding of the standards and procedures expected at a hotel of this caliber, we eventually moved on to the FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM HOTEL — only to encounter yet another complete disaster.
We would like to acknowledge and thank Christian Scherping, the Front Office and Housekeeping Manager, as well as Ms. Pauline Suryana, Director of Operations, who personally took charge of addressing the disastrous experience we had during our stay at the Fairmont Olympic.
However, two and a half months after submitting our feedback through the hotel's guest satisfaction questionnaire, we have still received absolutely no response.
Once again, an unacceptable situation and another disgraceful example of customer service.
And here is our review of the Fairmont Pacific Rim.
AVOID FAIRMONT HOTELS WORLDWIDE!
Our 2/5 rating is a general assessment of the hotel:
• Understanding how the breakfast package works was a mathematical problem that had to be solved. A 5-star hotel simply cannot afford this.
• Having to wait 15 minutes every morning to get a table is not acceptable for a 5-star hotel.
• The breakfast restaurant is very noisy and chaotic (a large number of waiters constantly walk back and forth). It is unpleasant to look at, and this is also not what one expects from a 5-star hotel.
• The cappuccino is undrinkable. Again, this is not acceptable for a 5-star hotel.
• The breakfast restaurant offers à la carte service on one side and a buffet (The Pantry) on the other. The buffet is unacceptable, with very little choice (for example, only one type of jam — something I have never seen in a 5-star hotel). On several occasions, the plates for serving ourselves at the buffet were missing. One morning (August 18, 2026), one of your employees arrived with two stacks of plates that had just come out of the dishwasher, completely wet, with food still stuck to the bottom of the plate from the previous guest. This was truly shameful. This is not a question of whether the hotel is 5-star or 4-star; it is a very serious lack of professionalism and a clear display of indifference. We called the manager who was present in the dining room that morning. She offered to waive the entire cost of our breakfast. We refused and told her that we wanted to pay, at which point the manager charged us only for the beverages.
• On Monday, August 24, 2026, we arrived for breakfast and noticed that there was no buffet. We asked the waitress, Lorene, why there was no buffet. She replied that the hotel occupancy rate was low and therefore the buffet was no longer being offered. This is like going to a restaurant in downtown Vancouver, for example, and being told that because the restaurant is not full, wine is no longer being served. This is ridiculous and grotesque, and again, this is not what one expects from a 5-star hotel.
• On several occasions, we saw three or four waiters serving the same breakfast table. Again, this is not what one expects from a 5-star hotel.
Regarding our arrival at the hotel, after a catastrophic experience at the Fairmont Olympic in Seattle during the previous 10 days, and following a recommendation from the Operations Manager at the Fairmont Olympic, Ms. Pauline Suryana, who contacted Mr. Yurii (Assistant Front Office Manager), he came to welcome us. The following day, at the hotel's main entrance, we happened to meet Mr. Yurii face-to-face, and this manager thought it appropriate to avoid us in a very obvious and rather drastic manner. Mr. Yurii is a disgrace and should not be managing a hotel such as yours.
There were two types of problems in our room: the toilet did not flush adequately. We are a family of four adults, and the toilet became clogged twice. This is another ridiculous situation; even at summer camps for children, this does not happen.
Housekeeping made some special dental brushes disappear (they probably fell on the floor and, rather than reporting the incident, they simply threw them away).
Parking: We chose the self-parking option. On Saturday evening, August 22, 2026, there was a wedding celebration taking place. When we returned from outside the hotel, the parking lot was full. We lost half an hour having to entrust our car to the staff responsible for handling guests' luggage upon arrival. No one from the hotel had bothered to warn us in advance. Again, this is not what one expects from a 5-star hotel.
The reception staff is very professional.
The hotel itself is generally a beautiful property.
A great deal of emphasis has clearly been placed on the hotel lobby bar, which seems appropriate for your type of clientele, yet guests are then faced with a terrible breakfast restaurant.
We never dared to have dinner at the hotel restaurant; we did not want to take the risk.
Finally, after 20 days of staying at Fairmont properties, we were left with the feeling that the guest is not at the center of the experience, but rather that the employees of Fairmont are.
For us, after 30 years of travelling and nine trips to the United States, where we have stayed at 4- and 5-star IHG and Marriott hotels that have never presented unpleasant surprises, with consistently clear standards of operation and staff who make you feel at home, this was our first experience with Fairmont. After spending 20 days with Fairmont, we can state very clearly that it will also be our last.
