I was recently invited to participate in a campaign called “I Know a Place” with Visit Seattle to share some of my favorite places in the city. And as someone who explores Seattle extensively, this is one of my favorite things to do even though it is so hard to pick from all the cool places we can visit in our city. When I used to come to Seattle as a kid from Vancouver BC I loved how scenic and exciting this city is and I’m so thankful that my husband and I have now lived here for nearly 20 years. Our home is about a twenty minute bike ride from Pike Place Market and so many of the places listed in my article for Visit Seattle are places we often go to by bike. But we were given the chance to stay downtown at the Motif Hotel for a night and this made even going to some of our regular places feel like such a holiday and I have to remember to staycation in Seattle more often.
The Motif Hotel is right in the heart of downtown Seattle
We have never stayed at the Motif Hotel in downtown before but we pass it all the time when we go through the city on 4th or 5th Avenue. The Motif Hotel is a boutique Destination by Hyatt Hotel and part of the Hyatt family so if you have loyalty with this brand then it might be an even more compelling reason to stay here. It is also a very dog-friendly place to stay. And because Scout always has to tag along with us these days, having a dog-friendly hotel is of utmost importance in our family.
Pups are an additional fee (at the time we visited it was a $75 cleaning fee per stay) and they are welcomed with treats and a dog bed if you need one. We took him out for a few walks near the hotel but that there isn’t much grass for a little pup like Scout. We often bring a Fresh Patch with us and put it in the bathroom when we stay at downtown hotels if we don’t think grass will be as accessible to keep Scout comfortable too.
When we were at Motif Seattle, Frolik the hotel restaurant was open but not for in room dining and we couldn’t take our kids to the restaurant at the time because they were not yet fully vaccinated. But we were given two drink coupons when we checked in and were able to take our wine up to our room which was a really nice thing. We ended up walking to Pike Place Market where we picked up dinner from the Pink Door and the Miss Caffe. We had a big table in our suite and it was like eating at a quiet restaurant with a spectacular view.
Places right near Motif Seattle to pick up food or shop
Amazon Go on 4th Avenue was not open yet when we stayed but it is literally right across the street and should open up soon. And a new H Mart has since opened and it is also just about a 5 minute walk away. At the Motif Hotel you are also within walking distance of Pacific Place which has had a recent renovation and Westlake Center as well as the AMC movie theatre where a friend recently rented a whole theatre and we watched our first movie in a theatre in over a year. Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market are also walkable from Motif Seattle too.
Staying with a family and a pup at the Motif Hotel
We were hosted in a king bed waterfront suite with a connecting room and this made the room incredibly spacious and easy to cohabitate with two almost teenage boys and a small yorkie poo pup. The kids were schooling from home at the time and we were all able to find private spaces in this room setup for all of us to work. I think we could have probably fit as a family just in the waterfront suite with the pull out couch but having the two rooms together made for a very luxurious and restful stay for all of us. My kids always appreciate when they don’t have to sleep on the pull-out couch and the view of the city and waterfront was incredible from the 19th floor.
And yes you can drive electric here!
We didn’t bring our electric car with us on this trip but were happy to see all the electric car and Tesla chargers in the parking lot. It is awesome that we are seeing so many more places to charge electric cars since we first started driving electric over 5 years ago.
And on a personal note, I received an incredibly thoughtful gift from the hotel Marketing Manager in our room when we arrived. She had seen on my instagram that I absolutely adore the Philz Mint Mojito coffee drink and she printed me a copycat recipe and put it along with some Monorail Espresso (this shop is just around the corner from the hotel and makes excellent coffee!) and Seattle Chocolates. I have made the coffee recipe she gave me at least a handful of times since this visit and each time it brings up good memories of our trip downtown and it also reminds me of the thoughtfulness and attention to detail that has been perfected at the Motif Seattle hotel. We had a fabulous time with Visit Seattle and the Motif Hotel and I am looking for all the excuses to book a staycation and stay there again.
(PS. if you travel with your dog in Washington state and you travel a bit beyond Seattle, we really enjoyed our stay with our pup at Alderbrook Resort and we often go to Seabrook too.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)