Sleeping in Seattle: The Hotel Max For a Hip, Budget-ish Stay

May 7, 2009 at 1:25 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Over the weekend we spent a few days in Seattle checking out the city's coffee shops, fish markets and, of course, the hotel scene. This week we'll be putting forth our reviews and observations on Seattle's hotels, of which there are plenty. Got any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

Now that you've seen the video and the anti-view, here's our full take on the The Hotel Max.

As we said before, the Hotel Max is right in the center of downtown, close to the shops and the monorail but still within walking distance to everything. And it's right across the street from a bus stop. We rode the bus all the way down to the Seattle Mariners ballpark for a game and then back at night for a little over six bucks for two people. Excellent.

The hotel is in an older building, so the rooms are small (as are the lobby and elevators). But the Max perks everything up with its hip attitude (hello, pink logo!) and amenities for the modern traveler. We also thought the service at the hotel, from the front desk to the bellmen, was great. Helpful and friendly but not overbearing.

Check-In
Since we arrived at the hotel rather early, we were told we could not check-in until 4pm. When we came back, we were given a room with an anti-view. Thankfully, the hotel gave us a better one on the top floor facing the street.

Room Reaction
Considering we came from a dungeon, this room was heavenly. It was an Artist King room on the 10th floor. But before we even got there, we were already digging the hotel's hallways which feature full-length black and white photos on the doors. (The themes vary by floor.)

Inside, we were giddy about the views of downtown Seattle and the room was quite spacious. The bathroom, however, was on the teeny side with a super small sink. But the shower had great pressure and the hotel offered a bath mat just for added protection. Some might see this as too "grandma-y" but we liked that the Max was looking out for our safety.

Also, there was an in-window heater/AC unit which looked kind of odd but was functioning and we liked having complete control over the room temperature.

Amenity Madness
The room featured a flat-screen TV, a mini-bar with a host of goodies, Aveda bath products and bathrobes. There was also an iPod dock/clock and the alarm went off at 6am the next morning. We had no idea how to turn it off so we unplugged it.

Internet Connect
In-room WiFi was free as part of our room rate but usually it costs $11.95 for 24 hours. Also, when you try to sign on in the lobby it redirects you to a Starbucks/AT&T hotspot page. Annoying.

Drinking and Dining
Adjacent to the Hotel Max is the Red Fin Sushi restaurant which serves (duh) sushi for lunch and dinner but also a good, old-fashioned American brunch. The best part is that it has two Happy Hours. One from 4 to 6pm and another one from 10pm to 12am daily. After we took in a Seattle Mariners baseball game, we hit up Red Fin for small sushi bites and drinks before passing out in our hotel bed. Convenience is key. You can also order room service from Red Fin.

Bottom Line
We paid $129 a night for our room which was part of a special deal that included free WiFi and free parking. Obviously, we didn't need the parking but this was still a great price for the room we got. Studio rooms, called Solo Art, start at $119 a night, sometimes lower if you can get a sale price.

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