W Seattle

Hotel description

At the height of the WTO riots, two guests at the W Seattle decided to get married… with one day’s notice. As there were no judges, justices, or ministers handy, concierge Daniel Petzoldt got ordained on-line. Actually, he says, becoming a minister was the easiest part. Compared to arranging the flowers, restaurant, and tuxes on a twenty-four hour notice. Or learning how to passably speak in French in a day (the bilingual couple wrote their own vows). Or breaking through screaming mobs of people to get into the courthouse. Not surprising then that the Seattle branch has been voted as the W with the best service.

Despite the fact that the building is twenty-six new stories of black granite and concrete, it is cozier than the rest of the W’s. Well, we suppose you need to be a little warm and fuzzy, if you’re in the city that always rains. The lobby, which, as in all W hotels, is called the Living Room, comes the closest to living up to its name, with a fireplace, a black oak floor, and weathered coffee tables with books and games. Similarly, the most popular conference room is a lounge with sofas on the 25th floor-business travel the Seattle way.

There are many reasons why devoted guests check in here on almost a weekly basis. There’s Daniel, the superpower concierge, there’s the downtown location near Pike Place Market, and, from the suites, there’s a fantastic view of Puget Sound over the rim of the tub. There’s the Drew Nieporent restaurant serving typically Pacific food-seafood and fresh farmer’s market produce. But the best thing about W Seattle is the pet service. Even Eddie from Frasier-another regular and arguably Seattle’s most famous dog-agrees. And like their owners, the pooches keep coming back for the feather beds, the truffles at turndown, and a staff that are at their bark and call.