Where The Hill Are We Going? (Seattle)

Seattle remains a stunning place. I have come to Seattle a couple of times, but since my youngest brother now lives here, I have a valid reason to come to Seattle a couple times more.

My brother is an excellent tour guide so each visit is usually packed with fun, hills (unfortunately), food, and a ton of steps.

The hotel scene

I think I’ve made it an unspoken goal to expand my views when it comes to the types and brands of hotels that I’ll stay at when I’m traveling, so this time I managed to stay at three differently owned establishments and have notes on them all.

FIRST UP: EMBASSY SUITES DOWNTOWN POINEER SQUARE

This hotel was certainly a surprise. It was about a 45-minute train ride from Sea-Tac airport and then a 5 minute walk from the train station. Once there, check-in was seamless although I’ll always have an issue with the fact that check-in is magically getting later and later while check-out is getting earlier and earlier (like, just say that all we get is a night worth 6 hours and stop playing with us).

Either way, the hotel room was neat and clean. It was very spacious and accommodating. The room was a junior suite with a kitchenette, a living room space, a dining area, a separated room with double beds and a view and a very spacious bathroom. Not to mention, embassy suites is one of thee top hotel chains when it comes to breakfast service that’s included with the room fee. This chain definitely makes it worth your money! In addition to breakfast, they also offer light drinks, refreshments and opportunities to mingle at a daily, sunset “get-to-know-you” style event.

If I were to rate this stay and experience, then I’d have to give it a 4 out of 5. Here’s why:

Cleanliness: I am a bit of a germaphobe and have always been so when I go places, my mind is always ready to run for lack of cleanliness. But as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that there are some horrors one must bear. However, at a hotel that we’re spending TOO much money to stay at that is also only allowing us about 7 hours to stay anyway, no! You had better at least clean up and don’t forget these baseboards!
Guest service(s): is it me or has the hospitality industry forgotten that, implied within their name is the fact that they must be (or pretend to be) hospitable? Meaning “friendly and welcoming to strangers or guests”. Luckily this wasn’t a problem during this stay but keep this front of mind for further discussion. All of the staff that I encountered at this establishment treated me like they liked human beings, they liked their jobs and they get paid enough to do their jobs.
Location: unless I truly love a hotel chain or have a desired location during my travels, I don’t pay much attention to the location of the hotels, just the ratings. But this hotel was on the waterfront, super close to the metro station and a hop and a skip away from the stadium. It was truly central and worked perfectly for my recent visit.
Amenities: Again, they got me with the breakfast and the dinner refreshments but in addition to that, the gym was sprawling and very clean! This hotel was definitely made for those who needed a home away from home and I even believe that it’s made specifically for the businesswoman who is on the move because the building was set up like Pearson Specter were on the floor above it.

Price of stay: $588.60

SECOND: INN AT LAUREL POINT

Obviously this place is stunning which is a good piece of why I decided to stay here. I booked a double room with a view at this establishment and staying in line with my current ratings, I honestly have to give this hotel a 2.5. Here’s why:

Cleanliness: Now, the entryway of this place is stunning. It looks just at beautifully as this picture does and the hotel truly wants it to live up to it’s entryway, but in terms of cleanliness it just did not hit the mark for me. We had a beautiful room, on the water with an amazing view but again, the cleanliness of the place just took away from all of the other enjoyment. They definitely have to step it up in terms of cleaning and preparing rooms for guests. We waited about 2 hours for a room to be cleaned that was messy anyway… Was the focus solely the view? You just thought that people would be so enamored that they wouldn’t also need cleanliness? Not this person… Get it together.
Guest Service: The staff was amazingly friendly and even offered services in English and in French. They were also (obviously) super knowable about where were staying so they offered amazing suggestions for our stay.
Location: Excellent, everything was within walking distance but that may have been a testament to the town that we were in.

THIRD: THE WARWICK

We ended up staying here at the last minute because of our flight times. This hotel was originally not in the itinerary! However, the agent who booked our stay out of the country (who was amazing by the way) said that he books many people here and they usually like it. Well, I don’t know who those people are, but they aren’t me! I hated it and could not get out of there fast enough.

Hotels like this, and I say this knowing that it’s not tied to a major chain, are the reason that they have adequate examples of where to kill people in horror movies. This hotel truly looked like (on the inside) where you go to die. I probably slept 3 hours here and then immediately booked it to the airport. I couldn’t get out of here fast enough.

Not only was it dirty, it wasn’t well-kept, the staff was essentially useless (or just absent), the rooms and bathrooms were disgusting, the towels weren’t even clean. I would never step foot into this establishment or one tied to it again. It was awful.

This is not to deter others from going and trying this place out because you should form your own opinions, but wow! Never again.

Hotel rating: 0.1 out of 5.0

The main event

It’s hard to say what will be the main event with a trip like this one because everything was just so fun. The only thing that we didn’t do enough was sleep!

We walked a lot of Seattle and even added a sight that my brother hadn’t yet seen: the Smith Tower. Now, the Smith Tower is an old building with a lot of history and they set it out like a sort of museum! We walked through the exhibit and then down a beautiful hallway (pictured below) before getting to an old-school elevator that we all feared wouldn’t work. Once on the 35th floor, we had amazing views especially when we returned for dinner with a view. The Smith Tower is definitely a sight to see so if you haven’t already checked it out, then you should definitely add it to your to-do list.

This trip also allowed me a look inside of Paramount Theater! I love theaters, specifically the ceilings of theaters and am always excited when I have a ticket that will allow me a peak at a nice ceiling. The Paramount Theater did not disappoint. It was reminiscent of the Beacon Theater in New York (and maybe I say that because I just went, but…) which means that it was mesmerizing and filled with earthy tones. I suppose I’ll save my experience at the theater for another day, but boy did I have a good time (and realize how old I am).