While “hipster” hasn’t been used to describe me for a couple of decades, I almost felt like one again during my stay at the Motif Seattle. Located in the heart of Seattle’s downtown core, on Fifth Avenue between Pike and Union, the 319 guestrooms offer views of downtown, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains. Given its prime location, it makes a great hotel for business or pleasure travel.
Partnering with local artists and designers, the hotel takes the Seattle experience one step farther, drawing on partnerships with local artists and designers for design, fabrics, and artwork found in the guestrooms and common areas. Community partnerships with the Seattle Art Institute and Seattle Art Museum further strengthen their ties within the community, providing truth to their tagline of “Authentically Seattle.”
Guest rooms offer the expected amenites, including iPod docking stations, robes, and upscale bathroom products. Some nice extras include sort of free wifi, Keurig coffee makers, pillow top beds, and refrigerators. The room feels spacious, with plenty of space to spreak out and work, and the windows provide lots of natural lighting.
Start your authentically Seattle experience than with the sights and attractions that are within a few block radius of the hotel. Within a 10-15 walk from the hotel are major Seattle attractions like the Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and the Seattle waterfront. Theaters, performance venues, and museums are nearby, as are restaurants, bars, and shopping. The International District and the sports stadiums are farther away, but still quite walkable, and the Seattle Center Campus (which includes the Space Needle, Chihuly Musuem, and EMP) are just 10 minutes away via the monorail. This is a great location for spending time in the downtown area and having an authentically Seattle experience.
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In keeping with the hipster vibe, Motif Seattle is pet friendly and offers a special amenity package for four-legged guests. The $20 pet fee gets your pet a plush bed, food and water bowls, and welcome snacks.
If that’s not hipster enough, the hotel also offers a Tesla and Electric Vehicle charging station on site. You don’t really need a car – the hotel is a short walk from the light rail – and the $32/day (plus tax) parking rate is better spent on cocktails and appetizers at Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails, located on the fifth floor.
Frolik offers regional American cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night. I’ve sampled from the dinner and late night menu and can recommend the steak frites, pork belly BLT, and the popcorn with truffle oil. Enjoy nice weather on the deck, concerts will be offered there this summer, but take a moment to step outside – even if it’s raining – to soak up the Seattle hipster vibe.
One very unhipster thing about the hotel is its $12.95 (plus tax) resort fee. It covers wifi (which is why I referred to it as sort of free), two bottle of water in the room each day, wine tasting, and a few other non-essential things. Hipster guest aren’t hip to these mandatory add on fees no matter what they are called.
Motif Seattle is located at 1415 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, Washington. Rates start at about $200/night, plus the resort fee, and run higher in summer. During high season, a minimum stay may be required. Children stay free in the room but there is an additional charge for more than two adult guests in a room. Themed packages are available that include partner cultural events with overnight and weekend stays. If you’re having problems getting a tickets for an event, this might be another way to get one. Motif Seattle also has attractive pre- and post-cruise packages. Check rates at the Motif site, at Hotels.com, or at Booking.com.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary stay at the Motif Seattle for purposes of this review.
