Jen W.
Yelp
We stayed here for one week in early May 2022. At that time there was no breakfast offered and before we arrived we asked about the shuttle and were told it wasn't available to us, so we knew in advance what to expect.
The room was a good size, king bed, full bath, one side chair, desk area with lamp and desk chair. The bathroom sink is right by the door and 'in the room' across from a closet, over a set of two drawers. The tub and toilet are behind a door. Across from the bed, there is a TV on the wall over a small fridge under the desk, coffee pot, ice bucket, plastic cups, and a shelf to place your suitcase. It can be a tight squeeze into the room when you have all your 'stuff' on that suitcase shelf. I popped my backpack under the bedside table to get it out of the way and my carry on size suitcase fit in the closet under the clothes. The window had room darkening curtains. The heat worked well. Typical hotel heater/ac. Iron/board in the closet.
We filled the drawers with our clothes, used all the hangers in the closet and some of the many shelves in the shower area where housekeeping stores the bath towels. There were two full rolls of TP. The room and bathroom truly could have been a bit more clean, but it wasn't flagrantly dirty. It was one of those moments where I am glad I travel with disinfecting wipes. The shower surround was newer and the tub and floor older. The heat lamp in there is much appreciated!
Maintenance had done a good job repairing some holes in the wall where I'm guessing shelves once were, and matching the wall paper pattern over those holes. Sadly, the old wallpaper was no longer the same color as the new, so it was an obvious repair. Still, they did do an excellent job trying to disguise the work, so kudos to maintenance. The room carpets would benefit from a nice shampooing.
There is some good real-estate around the sink for your personal care items, as well as a small shelf above the sink. We unloaded our toiletry bags here. There was no hook to hang them. There is also no hook for your hand towel, so we created one using the design holes in the wall next to the sink. A wooden structure with a series of cut outs. There was one small bottle of shampoo, condition and shower gel here as well as a soap.
We asked housekeeping for some towels and a plastic bag to return the wet/old towels to them. The housekeeping staff we encountered were all very nice. The hotel allowed us to schedule housekeeping during our stay if we needed it, but other than towels, we really did not, so it was all good. If you like housekeeping, be sure to check with the hotel regarding how to schedule service.
There are two elevator banks, one to each side of the lobby. Some of the rooms have interior hallways, others you exit to an outdoor hall way. This is the way to the guest laundry. Off the lobby is a large room with microwaves, vending machines, tourist pamphlets and a water machine with enough height to fill your water bottle. Ice machines are on the even numbered floors and next to the ice machine is a soda machine. I found it odd that this soda machine took credit/debit cards and did not show the price of your purchase, so good luck there.
There is a pool that was closed at the time of our visit. The restaurant on site is just OK. Use care with what you order (check out the reviews). Better for just a drink, there are a few other restaurants in the vicinity. Guest laundry was ok. The price per load was a bit high and the room could have been cleaner, especially the floors.
We walked from the hotel to Bellevue Botanical gardens (which are beautiful), Bellevue downtown park, historic downtown and Maydenbauer Bay Park on Lake Washington. These walks included a couple of steep hills and to access the downtown area, over the highway. There are pedestrian cross lights at the on/off ramps. There are quite a few cute shops in historic downtown and worth a look.
Budget/Avis Car rental is directly across the street. An extension of the Light Rail is under construction very close to the hotel and should be open sometime in 2025 from what I was told. Trader Joes is on the block across the street. Whole Foods is across the four way intersection near the hotel. Woods coffee is in the hotel building at the far end from reception.
We did not interact with front desk staff too much, but they all seemed nice, listening to us when we needed something (towels, information) and answered politely. There is free parking at this hotel that is shared with the restaurant and coffee shop.