The W Hotel (Seattle, Washington, USA)

What a treat: the W Hotel Seattle is across the block from Rem Kolhaas' Seattle's New Public Library. Originally I was given a room that faced a parking garage (nice assignment; so much for being a "Prefered Guest"). I asked for a room re-assignment, with one that gave me the Library as my view and was granted one. As you can see in my accompanying photograph above, that Library looked so close that I could have touched it if I had been able to pry open the window.

W is for the younger, hip, and cool crowd. The atmosphere of the lobby area confirms this: in terms of business attire, this would have fit well with the label "smart casual." They call their lobby area the "Living Room." From the front entrance on 4th Street, you could go left and up to the mezzanine for the check-in counter, or you could go to the right for the bar and restaurant areas. One could also use the "backdoor," the one from the garage entrance and valet services (on Seneca street, I believe) to approach the front desk or check-in counter. The elevator areas in W Hotels are identical: darkened area with 24-hour thumping house music.

I did not find out more about the building where this hotel resided, but the building looked like an old architecture that had been acquired and renovated by the hotel group. The air-conditioning vents betrayed the ultra-hip ambient of the hotel: it looked very dated, but it worked well, except that you could not really aim the air anywhere. It blew in one direction and one direction only. The rest of the room was signature W, complete with the exorbitantly priced Scandinavian bottled water. All furnishings were dark wood, and the bed, although not as "heavenly" as Westin's, was comfortable.

Bathroom amenities were among my favorites compared to their counterparts from other hotels. They were the product of the in-house spa, so more of the same items could be purchased from the spa, although this Seattle location lacked such facility. Massage could be arranged with an outside contractor, done through the "Whatever, Whenever" desk.

My companion and I sat at the bar one late afternoon, which was very relaxing and enjoyable. The bar itself had a tall shelves of liquors that were cleverly lit. Peopl huddled over peanuts and drinks, while some were seen working with their laptop, taking advantage of the WiFi connection.


The W Hotel Seattle
1112 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
U.S.A.

Tel: (206) 264-6000

Willows Lodge (Woodinville, Washington, USA)

The ride from Washington State's Seattle Tacoma Airport to Woodinville was not bad at all. The carpool lane is quite friendly, allowing one to move in and out at any time (in California, for example, you are confined within the carpool lane until an area that allows you to come in or go out). Once in the vicinity of this small town, I was reminded of California's Napa and Sonoma valleys. I was not too familiar with the Woodinville area and never got to check it out (I was only there for a wedding), but saw there was indeed information about wine tasting.

Upon checking in, I was greeted by a laid-back young fellow, leaning against the reception desk, and perhaps in a catatonic state: literally not moving, even after seeing me struggle with the luggage and the front door. I was informed that the room was not yet ready, and that I could wait either in the lobby, the lounge, or go to the resort's restaurant. He still has not offered to handle the luggage. It was not until I requested for a safe-keeping of the luggage that he said I could place them in their office behind the counter, and guess what? He just stood there, not offering to take my luggage to that safe room.

Spoiled I am not, but there is this thing called service and courtesy, neither of which he had displayed. If you are going to call yourself a resort, then act like one. If company policy prohibits certain staff members to deal with heavy items, then call someone who are allowed to handle them. Luckily, his laziness did not seem to be the rule. Later on I met the other staff who must have come back from their lunch break, and they were a bunch of very helpful people.

The lobby area was very airy and had an extremely high ceiling. It was a joy just to sit and read in this well-lit area. On the walls of the lobby area and throughout the resort's hallways, local artists and their works were featured. They took care in presenting the work well and in introducing the artists.

The room was set-up cabin-like with a fireplace, a table with two chairs, a balcony, and enough space to roam around inside. There was a large opening between the bedroom and the bathroom. If you were soaking in the huge bathtub directly behind this opening, you could view the balcony (or the television) from where you were. There was also an adjoining shower stall, which shower was operated electronically to regulate the temperature. There was no covering to this stall, so some amount of water would occasionally splash onto the adjoining commode area across it.

The view was rather lacking; I had one which oversaw a jogging trail in the distance. With regard to noise, the room insulation was poor. From the bed, one could hear clearly what was said by the people passing through the corridor outside the room. This could only mean that the people outside could listen to what was going on inside one's room. Honeymooners beware...

Spa service was available, but having looked at the facility, I decided not to give it a try. The setting was just not right: there was a jacuzzi outside that was enclosed within a fenced area, too close to the foot traffic of people shuffling from one building to another. The resort is blessed with a close proximity to a jogging trail across the creek. I spotted a lot of runners and bikers using this trail and made use of it during my stay for the weekend.

Willows Lodge
14580 NE 145 Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
Tel: (877) 424-3930