WA Seattle Downtown Springhill Suites

[WillTravel]

This is a great property.

I had phoned ahead to confirm the reservation the day before, and we were booked into a suite with a king-size bed and a pull-out sofa. I didn't complain as we could manage with that, and I had seen on the site that 2-bed rooms were more expensive. But when we arrived, the desk clerk noted that my daughter and I would probably like 2 separate beds and so she changed the assignment (or rather showed the trainee how to change the assignment).

We got a room with a small kitchen area, a sitting room area, a bedroom area, a separate sink, and a bathroom with toilet, and bathtub/shower.

The kitchen area had a small fridge and a microwave and sink, plus some disposable dishes and utensils.

The sitting room area had an easy chair with ottoman, a sofa, a coffee table, and an end table.

The bedroom area had two double beds separated by a nightstand.

The sitting room was partially separated from the bedroom area.

There were two phones and two TVs.

Everything looked new. The building was finished in 2000.

There was a complimentary breakfast. There were pastries, bread, bagels, make-your-own waffles, various types of dry cereal, cooked oatmeal, yogurt, milk, hardboiled eggs, cheeses, juice, and coffee.

There was a shuttle that ran to the convention center, Westlake Center, and Seattle Center.

There are a bunch of buses that you can easily catch near the hotel.

We didn't actually explore the neighborhood much, and I don't think there is much to see, although there is a Starbucks and Subway very close by. It is an easy (uphill) walk to the Capitol Hill district. It's also about a mile walk into the heart of downtown (or you can take the shuttle or bus).

The staff are very friendly.

The taxi fare from the Amtrak Station is about $6.

There is also a bistro attached to this hotel, but we didn't check it out.

Room service food was good and reasonably priced.

We forgot to bring out swimsuits so couldn't use the pool and jacuzzi, but the pool, although small, looked fine.

There is a little traffic noise, as this hotel is very close to I-5. It didn't bother us, but I suppose that could vary.

=========

The main question I have is why this is only a 2* hotel. Maybe the breakfast is not substantial enough to bump it to 2.5* level. Or maybe the attached restaurant isn't enough for the 3* requirements. Or maybe it's a marketing decision by Marriott to distinguish it from the 2.5* Residence Inn and the Courtyard. But whatever reason, I think most people would feel quite fortunate to get this hotel on a 2* bid.

[WillTravel]

We had two separate stays at this hotel over the Labor Day weekend. In both instances, we could not get a two-double-bed room, in one case because the hotel was full and in the other case because the desk clerk said he couldn't get the computer to allow it. But we made do quite well with the king bed and the sofa bed (which folds out as a double bed). The staff was friendly as always.

Among other things, I really enjoyed visiting the new library at 4th and Spring. This is a great building and probably the nicest public library I've seen. Several times I walked over to Bauhaus coffeeshop at 301 E Pine St., and I quite enjoyed reading the various old books there. I also saw the Stoppard play "Jumpers" at the ACT Theatre, and just generally enjoyed walking around. My daughter had a great time once again at the Bumbershoot music festival and the Experience Music Project.

[WillTravel]

Another great stay here. Nothing new to add.

[WillTravel]

Another great stay. This time the clerk said she was giving us a nice room, and we did indeed get one with two double beds plus a sofa bed (which was good as it was me, my daughter, and her friend). The breakfast is better than it used to be.

[The_Real_Jake]

I stayed at the Springhill Suites in the Seattle City Center in October, 2010. I believe this is an underrated property and could be 3* rather than the 2.5* it's listed as!

ROOMS:

All rooms are suites. I got a king bed suite and they also have the two-bed option. The suite includes a sofa w/ coffee table, chair w/ ottoman, desk, kitchenette (sink, mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker w/ coffee).

Bathroom is spacious with a very nice and CLEAN shower. Sink is outside of the bathroom.

Nice flatscreen tv on a dresser with the ability to swivel towards the bed or the sitting area.

Good wireless Internet.

Room service but I didn't order it.

HOTEL:

Free guest access to 24 HOUR FITNESS right across the street :)

Business center with 2 computers and printers.

Complimentary breakfast (eggs, potatoes, sausage, cereals, oatmeal, pastries, waffle maker).

Coffee throughout the day.

Bistro on site (didn't try it) open till 10pm with a bar open till 11pm.

Nice sitting areas in the lobby.

Friendly staff--no mention of priceline.

Little area to buy candy bars, water/soda, toiletries.

Valet parking $20. Actually pretty convenient unless you try to leave when a bunch of people are checking in.

LOCATION:

I liked the location. Safe area. I originally wanted the "Downtown-Pike Place" region but I now prefer this hotel.

Right off the I-5. Traffic noise from the roads was evident but not too loud.

10 minute walk from really nice Westlake Center shopping area--indoor mall as well as stores alongside the road (i.e. Macy's, Nike).

20 minute walk to Pike Place Market.

Try the Market House Corned Beef-2 minute walk from hotel. Great corned beef and pastrami sandwiches.

Subway right across the street.

Top Pot Doughnuts 15 minute walk.

Inside the "free fare" zone for buses (until 7pm).

All in all I LOVED this hotel. Scanning the Better Bidding Forum I couldn't find any other 2.5* properties in the Center-Space Needle region, so it seems like bidding on a 2.5* in this region is a lock. Also, since all the rooms are suites they can't put the priceline guests in a tiny, cramped room.