Hotel Review: Hyatt House Seattle Bellevue

I was in Seattle for just one night recently and needed a hotel. The Hyatt House Seattle Bellevue was well priced at $150 and I needed a Hyatt stay to requalify so I booked it.

Running in from the rain, I was greeted by the front desk hostess. Since it was only noon, she said that unfortunately my room was not ready yet. I asked her if she had something else instead, and she immediately said yes. She was able to give me the same room type one floor down, which was great.

Before heading to the room, I saw a sign just to the side of the reception desk that the hotel not only was pet friendly but had a pet mascot onsite. Evie was off property for the day, but the hostess said that they had a second pet mascot that loves people. Would I like to meet her? I said I would, and she made a quick phone call.

A few minutes later Goober and her owner came around the corner. Goober was dressed for the weather in her warm sweater, and gave a friendly wag of her tail when it was time to greet me.  She was sweet and just a bit shy. Hotel pet mascots are a great way to make a hotel feel more like home.

After a few minutes she trotted off with her owner, and I took the elevator up to the 2nd floor. I turned left down a hallway and then down the next hall all the way to the end.

I had a Studio Suite which was plenty large for just a single night, but there were also one bedroom suites at the property called Residences that I could have chosen at check-in for an extra $15 a night.

The kitchen area was clean and had all the things you’d need in a kitchen.

There was no need to use an iron a la my writing about cooking in hotel rooms since there was a microwave and burners too.

Near the door was a sitting area with some comfortable leather chairs and an ottoman. There were plenty of lights around the room which made sure there were no dark corners.

The bed was comfortable enough and had several good pillows as well as a soft headboard.

In between the bedroom and bathroom was a sink across from a closet.

The closet had small shelves which were great for folded clothing.

The other half of the closet had hangers and an open space but it wasn’t deep enough for me to open up my suitcase and shut the closet door. Since it is the type of hotel room where people typically stay for a while though they probably unpack completely and put the suitcase away.

Even though there was a single sink it had plenty of countertop space.

Amenities were of their signature Well line.

My least favorite part of the room was the bathroom. It was clean, but it had a shower/tub combo and a shower curtain which I’m not too fond of. The temperature was great but the spray was actually too strong and I couldn’t figure out how to adjust it lower.

There were three larger towels by the shower, and some smaller towels by the sink.

A little later in the afternoon I got a bit hungry so I went down to the lobby to check out their 24 hour Guest Market. There were stairs next to the elevator and I figured they both ended up in the same place, but I was wrong. The stairs brought me to an outside patio area so I made a mental note to take the elevator back up.

There were all kinds of salty snacks and some convenience meals in the pantry area.

There was also a freezer full of frozen treats.

A small refrigerator held some microwavable pizzas and burritos, but I was really looking for something fresh. The hostess at the front desk saw me perusing the aisles and mentioned that she’d made some fresh salads just a little while ago.  She also recommended a cafe that was just across the street from the lobby, and said that the prices there were quite reasonable and the sandwiches tasty.

I appreciated her recommend but didn’t feel like going out in the rain so I chose a salad to bring back to the room. It was $8 so a little high, but was actually really good. Fresh spinach leaves with some nuts and dried cranberries, and a light dressing.

Near the elevators on the way back up to the room I saw the hotel had gotten in the spirit of the season and decorated, which was a nice touch.

When it was time for bed there was a sheer blind on the windows, with a separate curtain that closed all the way across for darkness.

I slept well in the bed and didn’t hear any noise from nearby rooms or in the hallway, though there was a low humming noise along with a slight whooshing sound that sounded like water running through some pipes.

Breakfast the next morning ran until 9:30am during the week and 10:30am on the weekends, so I went down to start my day with the most important meal.

There was an array of fresh fruit, and as I picked up some silverware and a plate I was surprised to find that the plate was lighter than expected. It was plastic, but a heavy-duty kind of plastic.

I saw small yogurts, some vegetables and noticed that there was a container of Kimchi.

The breakfast area was clean and everything was labeled to avoid any confusion. There were juices and ice water.

A bread toasting station, oatmeal and cereals.

There were breads, muffins and bagels.

A guest was giving a staff member a hard time about the eggs, saying loudly, “So you obviously don’t do fried eggs here, what do you do?” The staff member meekly pointed out all the other options including scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes and pancakes, but the guest still wasn’t happy. I guess you can’t please everyone. I for one was delighted that there was hot miso soup and fresh rice. I also had some of the cheesy scrambled eggs and thought that they were quite tasty. Apart from the plastic plates I though the spread was actually pretty good, with lots of fresh items. The food areas were kept clean and the items restocked when low.

There was also plenty of coffee.

Check out was quick, and since there was car parking both in front and in the back of the hotel it made it easy to bring my suitcase down and into the car without a lot of walking in the rain.

I would stay at this property again. The staff went out of their way to be helpful, the room was clean and the location was convenient.

Hyatt House Seattle