Hotel Review: W Seattle

I recently completed a 3-night stay at the wonderful W Seattle hotel as part of a business trip to the Seattle area.  I really enjoyed the hotel, and am happy to have the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.  I did not take any pictures as I only travel with my iPhone, which for all its greatness, is really lacking when it comes to the camera department.

Check in

The hotel was a $35 dollar cab ride plus tip from SEA, and traffic was no issue due to our mid-day arrival.  The hotel is located on the corner of 4th and Seneca with the main entrance being on 4th street.  The cab dropped us at the Seneca entrance which happens to be the most convenient if you have bags as its on the same level as the front desk.  This entrance also happens to host the valet parking entrance.

The only wait for check in was for the 2 colleagues I was traveling with, so no issues there.  The desk attendant was quite friendly, took the time to thank me for my Starwood Preferred Gold status, and had me checked into my Fabulous and Cool Corner Room within a minute or 2.

The Room

My room met the expectations that its “sales name” implied, “Fabulous and Cool Corner Room.”  Located on the 23rd floor, the room was typical W, equipped with the great W bed, functional and well-lit work area, and comfortable chaise lounge.  I had a city and partial bay view from my location.  Wireless internet access is $14.95 for 24 hours, and the desk offers a wired connection as well.  The bath was large and equipped with the standard Bliss products, but there was no “chi-chi trendy walk-in shower,” just a standard tub, but it did the trick.

The room was well taken care of by the housekeeping staff, and turndown service occurred like clockwork every night while I was away at dinner.

Dining

We made it out to some really great restaurants while in town.  I’m not a foodie, so I don’t know how to describe our restaurant experiences except to say that they were good to excellent.  Two were within walking distance, and one required a drive.  Just a few blocks from the hotel, you’ll find Brooklyn Seafood, Steak, and Oyster House.  Located at 1212 2nd Ave, Brooklyn was excellent.  All of my colleagues enjoyed their entrees, and my bone-in ribeye was cooked perfectly and loaded with flavor.  Our server, Nick, was the best!  Directly across Seneca from the hotel, was Shuckers.  Located in the Fairmont Hotel, Shuckers provided good food, good service, and it was of course, close by.  Salty’s on Alki Beach, was an easy drive from downtown, and well worth the effort.  Good food, friendly…really friendly service, and a great view of downtown combine for a great time.  Not to mention, I snapped this picture of a Boeing 787 flying over downtown.

While I didn’t try it, the hotel is home to Earth and Ocean.  I look forward to dining there on my next visit to Seattle.  We did try some lite snacks from the bar one afternoon which were prepared by the restaurant, and they were very tasty.

Around the Hotel

For me, the centerpiece of the hotel was the W Bar and Living Room.  Awarded “Best Hotel Bar” by Seattle Weekly, the slightly edgy vibe of the lobby bar and trademark W Living Room was the perfect meeting place to discuss the day’s events and plan for the next day’s business.  Great drinks, and great service.  Thanks Greg!  Note:  Unlike some other W’s, the hotel does not offer free wi-fi in the lobby “Living Room,” but there is an option for 1 hour of access for $4.95, which I took advantage of for a couple of quick email checks when the BlackBerry or iPhone just weren’t enough.  There’s also a Starbucks directly across the street from the hotel.

I made use of the hotel’s reasonably well equipped gym on 3 days out of my 4 day visit.  The gym had modern equipment, and an adequate amount of space.  While I was never alone, the gym was never crowded.

Random Observations

• The hotel is one of the older W properties, but that didn’t stop me from liking it a lot.  The most noticeable difference for me was the bathroom design.  Nothing wrong with it, just not the “trendy” kind of bathroom you might expect if you’ve only frequented newer W Hotels.
• There’s a very large sign by the hotel parking entrance advertising $37 dollar a day valet parking.  I do not recall if there was any mention of  “plus tax” on the sign.  When my colleague, who happened to be our assigned driver/car renter for the week checked out, he noted that he was charged $44.21 per night for parking. The front desk told him that “the price for overnight guests in the hotel was $44 dollars and not $37 dollars.”  Not sure what to think about that one.  I’ve been searching the hotel’s website to find what  it says about parking rates but haven’t had any luck.  I’m unaware of any self-parking options nearby.  If anyone from the hotel happens to read this, comment to the blog with a clarification, and I will update this information.

The Bottom Line

I liked the hotel a lot.  If a W is available at my destination, it is always my first choice.  The W Seattle is no different.  I will be back. If you have any questions, or have your own experiences at this hotel to share, feel free to comment to the blog.