On our journey home from our Big Apple Adventure, we had a 21 hour layover in Seattle. And to rest our heads that night, I chose the Renaissance Seattle Hotel.
A 21 hour layover may seem excessive, especially for a domestic flight, but I love Seattle. So instead of a being a nuisance, this long layover was more of a blessing!
Why the Renaissance Seattle
The last time we were in Seattle, we stayed at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. It’s a great property, if you get an Elliot Bay view room, but was too expensive for this stay. Plus I wanted to stay somewhere closer to the downtown area this time. So, the two properties I considered were the Westin Seattle and the Renaissance Seattle.
The Westin looks nicer and is in a more central location, so it should have been a no-brainer. BUT, while you can now receive elite benefits and earn points at SPG and Marriott properties with either program, you can’t earn elite status during a crossover stay. And since I only needed a couple more nights to retain Marriott Rewards Gold status, I ended up choosing the Renaissance instead. Both properties, by the way, were priced the same.
Check-In Experience
Our Uber from SEA dropped us off on the corner, right behind the Chevy covered in snow. The bellmen standing outside immediately knew we were going to have issues with our bags rolling down the hill and rushed out to assist. They helped us into the lobby where we were then greeted by the warm and genuinely friendly front desk staff.
Having checked-in via the mobile app, the check-in process was actually a breeze. And, even better, my Marriott Rewards status was proactively acknowledged while we were given our room assignment.
While I didn’t take any photos of the lobby because we were in kind of a rush, the lobby area was nice enough. It was by no means modern, but it didn’t feel dated either. The same can’t be said about the elevators and the corridors, though.
The Room
It is my understanding that the Seattle Renaissance has recently undergone renovations. Unfortunately, like the elevators and corridors, our room was still quite dated looking in my opinion. I’m not sure why? Perhaps its because of the curtains and the carpet? Or maybe its because of the furniture?
For this stay, I booked us a Corner King Room, which has a separate sitting area closed off from the bedroom. It’s a fairly big room, like a partitioned off Junior Suite.
Upon entering the room, you’ll immediately find yourself in the room’s seating area. Here you’ll find a comfy love seat, a desk with phone and lamp, and a flatscreen TV.
Between the living area and the bedroom is a short hallway were you’ll find the only closet in the room.
The closet contains some extra bedding, an ironing board + iron, and a safe. Next to it is a small cabinet containing a fridge, coffee maker, ice bucket, cups, etc.
And across from the closet is the bathroom.
While the rest of the room felt a little dated to me, the bathroom feels a bit more modern. Large, the bathroom is not, but thankfully it isn’t claustrophobic either. Toiletries at the Renaissance Seattle are provided by Aveda.
Beyond the bathroom and closet lay the Corner King Room’s bedroom.
Similar to the bathroom, the bedroom is also on the small side. It’s also, uh, bare. All the bedroom contains is the king bed, a small flatscreen TV, a radio alarm clock, and phone. But that’s ok! As is usually the case at Marriott properties, the bed is very comfortable. The bedroom also has its own HVAC controls, so we could keep both sides of the room at different temperatures.
Check-Out Process
Since our flight home would be leaving later that evening, I requested late check out. My request was, thankfully, granted. And when it came time to check-out, the same associate that checked us in assisted us once again. She was still very warm and friendly, and even remembered who I was. There was a slight bump in redeeming my e-certificate, but it was minor. After graciously thanking us and wish our return, the staff sent us on our way. We hopped into our Uber, and headed back to SEA for our flight home.
Renaissance Seattle Final Thoughts
While the Renaissance Seattle isn’t exactly my style, its nice enough. And while not in the best location, the location is still good. Service at the property is also really great, and is reason enough for me to return. So if you’re traveling through Seattle and are looking for a more reasonably priced Marriott property to stay at, consider the Renaissance Seattle.
A BIG APPLE HOLIDAY ADVENTURE
- Introduction
- Alaska Airlines HNL-SEA
- Alaska Air N Terminal Lounge + SEA-JFK
- Renaissance New York Midtown
- Getting Around in New York
- Restaurant Review: Noreetuh
- CityPass New York City
- Big Apple Day 2: Rockefeller, Central Park, Times Square
- Review: Michale White’s Marea
- Review: Sushi Nakazawa
- Review: Jane Restaurant
- Big Apple Day 3: Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge
- Shake Shack
- Review: Ivan Ramen New York
- Review: Amtrak Northeast Regional NYC-DC
- DC Day Trip: National Zoo, Natural History, Aviation
- Big Apple Day 5: World Trade Center Sites
- Big Apple: Artichoke Pizza and American Museum of Natural History
- Review: Mentoku Ramen
- Review: My Belly’s Playlist (Renaissance Midtown Room Service)
- Review: Chelsea Market New York
- Review: Le Bernardin
- New York Sweets & Treats
- Papaya King + Alaska Air EWR-SEA
- Review: Renaissance Seattle Hotel