Background:
I needed a place to stay in the Seattle area to attend the Freddie Awards, and I’ve always liked the Bellevue area. A good weekend rate at the Hilton Bellevue + my Diamond status with Hilton, and I was sold! I really like having Diamond as you automatically get Executive Lounge Access! I have Diamond Status due to my Hilton AMEX Aspire Card.
MY OVERALL SCORE: 4
5: Excellent, Highly Recommend
4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider
3: Ok, Check Other Options Before Booking
2: Below Par, Try to Avoid
1: Terrible, Run Far Away
Quick Summary: The Hilton Bellevue has enormous rooms with comfortable beds for a good night’s rest. The Executive Lounge is nice, and I will definitely consider staying here again if my travels bring me back to the Seattle area.
Mobile Check-In Experience:
I wanted to see if I would get upgraded to an Executive Level room when mobile check-in opened the day before my stay. Sadly, I was still assigned to the standard room that I booked, so I just exited out of mobile check-in. I do love how Hilton shows the entire floorplan of the hotel and room locations on mobile check-in. I noticed a lot of people say that the hotels don’t really process upgrades until the evening before or the morning of your stay. So I checked again in the morning, still nothing.
I then got a text from the hotel when I was getting ready to board my flight, asking if there was anything they could do. I asked if executive floor rooms were available and they said yes! Fast forward to landing, then on the app it showed my upgrade as processed.
So, my experience is that they really don’t process upgrades when mobile check-in opens. And, I’ve heard mixed experiences on whether to check-in early or to wait. Sometimes it’s good to wait because some hotels don’t want to “remove” you from a room you chose, but sometimes if the hotel gets full, you might as well pick a room location you prefer. Again, this is going to vary by property. 🙂
Arrival:
Check-in was quick even though I never did mobile-check in. The hotel looks a bit old from the outside, but they did a good job in renovating the lobby. I have a thing for atriums, and I just love how massive the hotel looked!
Since the Executive Lounge doesn’t serve hors d’oeuvres, they compensate by giving 2 free appetizer vouchers a night which is redeemable in the Lobby Bar. A really nice offer!
The Room:
The first impression I got from the room was that it is huge! The hotel does have 550 sqft rooms, and it really feels roomy! The room was recently renovated which is nice! The queen-sized beds were also very comfortable, and I got a good night’s sleep. My room was facing the parking lot and was very quiet so I recommend facing the parking lot as the other side is facing the 405 freeway.
As a Diamond Member, I got complimentary Premium Wi-Fi and it was really fast.
I would have to say the worse part of the room was the bathroom. The sink fixture was a bit broken and the toilet handle was very rusted. Thankfully, the shower was fine but just a bit hard to control. The shower curtain had definitely seen its better days.
The Executive Lounge:
Interestingly, the executive lounge isn’t really its own room but rather the large elevator landing outside the 9th floor. The positive aspect of this is the open access as it’s easy to grab a snack or drink before heading out. Also, you have 24 hour access to sodas, tea and water which is really nice as well. The only quirk I see is guests from other floors accessing the 9th. The hotel makes you insert your key if you want to access the 9th floor to keep access to Executive Level guests only but the funny thing is that there’s a 10th floor with standard rooms so it’s a bit interesting that they technically can access the floor and lounge if they get off with you lol.
All day you can access snacks (The trail mix is good!) And there’s a soda dispenser as well as sparking flavored water and bottled water. Sadly the Coke broke on the 2nd night.
Breakfast is served in the lounge from 6-9AM on Mondays to Fridays and from 7-10AM on Saturdays and Sundays.
I found the breakfast to be pretty good for an executive lounge, with eggs, bacon, cereals, pastries and fruit.
Amenities+Service:
There’s a fitness center, which looked decently nice! There is also an outdoor pool and jacuzzi. And, right next to the front desk there are 4 computers for boarding pass printing.
In terms of service, Karen at the Executive Lounge was AMAZING. She was so kind and an absolute joy to see every morning at breakfast!
Housekeeping was interesting, as our toilet paper didn’t get replaced…
And, I did hit a bit of a snag with regards to late check out. On the app the night before checking out, I messaged to ask if a 3 PM check out was possible and a front desk agent said it was! Awesome right?! But at check-out the agent asked if I was told there’s a half day fee. I told her I wasn’t informed and then she said “Oh not to worry, I will remove the charge. Usually we only extend check-out to 1PM.”
So, not completely sure how late check-out works, but according to the check-out agent it is 1PM. Hilton Honors doesn’t make it clear either by just stating Diamond’s get “Late check-out”…
Also, parking is $20 on the weekdays but free on the weekends!
Food at the Lobby Bar:
I used my complimentary appetizer certificates at the bar and they were really good! The menu is pretty extensive, with like over 10 appetizer options. (But I happened to order the same 2 appetizers each night because they were good!)
The Verdict:
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton Bellevue. The Executive Lounge was a nice treat, as well as the over-sized rooms! I will definitely consider staying here again if my travels bring me back to Seattle.
Happy travels,
theresorttraveler
MY SEATTLE WEEKEND TRIP REPORT:
Stay tuned to see the rest of my Seattle 2018 Weekend Trip here!
- My Experience Flying Alaska A321 Premium Class
- Priority Pass Review: Alaska Lounge at LAX
- Alaska Airlines 737-900 Premium Class Review
- Priority Pass Review: The New Alaska Lounge at SEA
- Hilton Bellevue Executive Level Review
- Boeing Everett Factory Tour Review
- Silvercar Seattle Review
- Priority Pass Review: The Club at SEA Lounge
