Seattle hotels

This trendy Los Angeles brand brings a sense of comfortable cool to Seattle, forgoing some classic hotel features (like a gym) in favor of practical touches that make traveling with kids easier: for example, usable common spaces and bunk rooms that fit the whole family. The prime location, just across the street from the Pike Place Market, makes for a short walk to the kid-friendly sites along the waterfront, such as the aquarium and Great Wheel.

Luxury fits all sizes and the Seattle location of this swanky chain comes with a location convenient to the Downtown attractions. Suites and large rooms with options for extra beds or cribs help keep the family together, and the outdoor pool helps keep kids entertained. The hotel aims to have child-size versions of every amenity, including a “children’s welcome” that makes kids feel special on arrival, and kid-friendly options on the restaurant and spa menus.

Part of Hyatt’s upscale brand, The Thompson’s sleek service makes for seamless stays, taking the friction out of a work trip. Digital check-in and a 24-hour gym make sure no time is wasted, while the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto First Avenue give a taste of the city even if you’re stuck at a desk. While the central location makes it easy to pop down to the Pike Place Market for a meal if you get a break, the creative restaurant and rooftop cocktail bar more than suffice if you don’t.

High-minded design meets effortless luxury in this Phillipe Starck-designed building. Mid-century modern furniture, spacious rooms with amazing views, and a century-old Beaux-Arts church as the ballroom set this hotel apart from anything else. The location sets it apart a bit, too – it sits closer to the city’s office buildings and the convention center than the touristy waterfront.

In the heart of Ballard’s lively restaurant district, this small-scale boutique hotel works well on a one-person budget and puts guests just steps from shops and bars. Built as a bank in the early 20th century, the hotel trades some amenities (central air conditioning and an elevator in the two-story building) for quaint charm, and some rooms have a shared bathroom. However, the furniture, décor, and features are all updated and modern, and guests get access to the full athletic club with pool and spa attached to sibling property Hotel Ballard, which is just up the street.

This European brand gives its crisp, efficient style the Pacific Northwest treatment. The small rooms, fully controlled by smartphone, cater to folks that plan to spend most of their time elsewhere – but still want a clean, comfortable room for the night. Not unlike the hostel model, CitizenM focuses on creating inviting, social spaces in its bright lobby, with both a bar and a dedicated co-working area, fitting for its location in the middle of South Lake Union’s tech hub.

The suites at the Hotel Ballard bring a romantic feel with fireplaces, elegant soaking tubs, and tufted headboards, and all the rooms have upscale modern furnishings. Blackout drapes block any noise from the restaurants along busy Ballard Avenue, right outside, and those same places offer significantly better options for dinner a deux – or a couple than Downtown’s corporate offerings. Guests get access to the attached Olympic Spa (and, less romantically, the athletic center) for dual pampering, and the in-room dining comes straight from the excellent restaurant.

Sophisticated, modern rooms look out over Elliott Bay from right inside the Pike Place Market, and even the city-view rooms on the backside get to take in the crisscrossing ferries and sparkling lights reflecting up from the roof deck. High-end touches include Sferra linens and plush bathrobes, and in lieu of a spa, the hotel arranges for in-room massages. The hotel’s three restaurants include the French cuisine at long-running, beloved Café Campagne and Sushi Kashiba, helmed by Seattle sushi pioneer Shiro Kashiba.

From behind an eight-story mural by Shepard Fairy, in the center of Downtown, the fun and casual State Hotel immerses guests in Seattle food culture, taking enormous pride in the Pike Place Market – just a block away. The lobby wallpaper features hand drawings of local seafood, mushrooms, and produce, and the restaurant serves many of the same ingredients in their “Market Fresh” dish. The hotel encourages guests to get out into the market and neighborhood, and guests can bring their meals back to the rooftop deck, which – like much of the hotel – showcases art by a local artist, in addition to the panoramic view of Elliott Bay.

Built with Scandinavian style in a historic Seattle building, the Andra feels sophisticated and timeless and is the only hotel in Seattle with a cooking school inside. Though it sat on the edge of Downtown when it opened, the tech boom in South Lake Union means that the neighborhoods now converge here, and guests at the Andra can take advantage of the dozens of cool restaurants catering to young, food-savvy crowds. But the hotel itself also holds two culinary treasures from the city’s first celebrity chef, Tom Douglas: Lola – one of his oldest and most beloved restaurants, and his cooking school – The Hot Stove Society.