WA Seattle Red Lion Bellevue

[AEmgee]

I'm just completing my one-night stay at the 3* Red Lion Bellevue which was won on a $54 bid.

The hotel is located just next to I-405 along with multiple other hotels. On the exterior, the hotel looked a bit old but it appeared that the rooms and lobby have been recently renovated. The theme is definitely "home/country". If you are sensitive to noise, be sure to request a room facing AWAY from the highway, since it is very noisy, even at night.

Upon check-in, there was no mention of Priceline. I had called weeks in advance and requested a king non-smoking room and was assigned room 230. Of note, there are no elevators in the buildings - so if you cannot carry your luggage up the stairs, ask for a first floor room. The front desk staff were friendly. Parking was free.

The room itself had a small bathroom but was nicely furnished with an entertainment center, a wicker chair, and desk. The Zenith television displayed 56 channels and the room had free wireless internet. I inquired about printing but this was not available. I ended up going to the Kinko's 5 blocks away to do my printing.

The showerhead had excellent water pressure. The bathroom was stocked with conditioning shampoo and body lotion. The bed was extremely soft with dips and I could feel the coils! It obviously needed to be replaced.

I found that the air conditioning unit only functioned as a fan. I called the front desk about this at 8:45pm and was told that someone would be up to fix it. However, 1.5 hours later, still no one had come. I called the front desk again and inquired about the possibility of a room change. I was informed that the only rooms available had two beds. As it was not very hot anyway, i just opened up the balcony door and it was adequately cool. It would have been a bigger problem if in the summer.

Overall, I would classify this hotel to be 'adequate'. For the price it was not a bargain but for a one-night stay, it was good enough.

[AEmgee]

I just completed another one-night stay at this hotel over President's Day. My winning bid was $55. I last stayed at this property in June 2005 and was not too impressed, but this time I was! I'm not sure if it's because I spent the previous two nights at the dreadful Four Points Sheraton Portland downtown, but the Red Lion Bellevue felt like the Four Seasons in comparison.

I called in advance for a quiet, king nonsmoking room and was informed that only second-floor rooms were available (see my comments above re: no elevator). I checked in very late - almost 11:00pm - and was assigned room 252, which fit the bill and was very quiet because it faces the courtyard. I noticed that the lobby now had a computer and Lexmark laser printer - but the charge was something like $4.95/15 minutes of use!

The room was fairly roomy and seemed that the carpets were new. The bed had relatively comfortable linens (regular blanket, not down comforter) and many soft pillows. Free wireless internet was a big bonus as well.

The bathroom, while still cramped, now had upgraded toiletries compared to my last stay. The soap was either Bath & Body Works Cool Citrus Basil and Cucumber Melon, and there were seperate shampoo and conditioner bottles (Bath & Body Works Bio). The water pressure was good once again. My only complaint was that the hair dryer was really anemic.

Overall, I was quite pleased with this stay and felt that the new upgraded Red Lion Bellevue Inn is better than the Coast Bellevue, but not quite as good as the Doubletree Bellevue. I would definitely stay again.

[mbstone]

8 days here on PL (bid for 4, extended for 4 at $16/day extra charge). Two-story property with interior corridors, no elevators but bell service available. Room service 6A-11P, 18% service charge incl. Free parking. Flat screen TV with ample TV channels. Good shower head. Coffeemaker, refrigerator, microwave. Free wireless internet. Nonsmoking king bed request granted with no hassles. Restaurant, lounge. Pool 9A-10P, seasonal. Near downtown Bellevue and I-405. Internet workstation and printer in lobby, free. Rated 3* by PL.