Downtown Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel opens new speakeasy-inspired bar with hidden entrance

Get ready to step back in time: downtown Seattle's historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel is taking libations back to the 1920s with the opening of their new speakeasy-inspired drinker's enclave, The Founders Club.

Hidden behind a bookcase to liken back to Prohibition-era secrecy, the Founders Club features a luxurious, intimate bar and lounge area that seats just 30 patrons by reservation only. The bar's cocktail program features aged, vintage and limited-edition spirits with an emphasis on craftsmanship.

"At Founders Club we entice you to learn, experience and enjoy an array of fine spirits from around the world," said Beverage Curator Jesse Cyr in a news release. "Our expert team is ready to guide you through the journey and share their knowledge and passion of our curated selection."

The $25 million restoration project began in January 2020 and was the largest renovations the hotel had seen since in 40 years. Some historical elements in the lobby were preserved and given new life, including ornate chandeliers and Italian terrazzo floors which were laid in 1924 and covered by carpet for over half a century.

The project also included the a swanky new lobby bar, the Olympic Bar, which opened earlier in the spring and serves daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea service. A remodeled, reinvention of the hotel's flagship fine dining restaurant, the Georgian, is set to reopen later this year after closing in 2015.

"The Olympic's stunning transformation is a tribute to the timeless tale of this hotel — a living expression of the past, present and future of Seattle," said Fairmont Olympic General Manager Sunny Joseph. 

Much like the new speakeasy bar looks to the past for inspiration, the history of the Fairmont Olympic dates back to the Roaring Twenties. Following the end of World War I, city planners set out to create a world-class hotel that would attract more visitors and boost tourism revenue.

The lot on University Street, which at the time was owned by the University of Washington, was selected, and the hotel was completed in 1924, according to HistoryLink. Over the years the landmark hotel has hosted plenty of famous guests, from President John F. Kennedy — who might have had prostitutes visit his suite, according to an urban legend — to celebrities like John Wayne, Bob Hope and Elvis Presley.