Hyatt House Seattle Downtown Review
Overview & Pricing
The Hyatt House Seattle/Downtown is literally located in the shadow of the Space Needle. Seattle’s most popular attractions are within blocks of the hotel and the chic rooms are extremely comfortable, with full kitchens included in many of the rooms.
Key Stats
- Base Room Prices: Rooms start at $159 plus tax
- Award Costs: 12,000 per night
- My Stay: 4 nights in a Two Queen One-Bedroom Kitchen Suite for 48,000 points
My trip to Seattle was centered around visiting Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. I like baseball but I love the aesthetics of ballparks even more and Safeco Field was the final ballpark on my bucket list of visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.
Initially when deciding on where to stay in Seattle, I gravitated towards the Hyatt Olive 8 and Grand Hyatt Seattle due to their downtown location and great value when redeeming anniversary free night awards from the Chase Hyatt Credit card. Both hotels are category 4 properties and cash rates commonly exceed $400 per night, making the $75 annual fee on the Chase Hyatt Credit card a great value.
I checked availability for both hotels often and five months in advance but availability never opened. I had a choice, pay exorbitant cash rates or consider Seattle’s two other downtown Hyatt properties on points, Hyatt House Seattle Downtown or Hyatt Place Seattle Downtown. Each hotel cost 12,000 points per night and both were located just steps from the Space Needle and other sites we had on our agenda.
I opted for Hyatt House. Since I had the family with me on this milestone trip, the accompanied free breakfast, in-room kitchen and spacious rooms that are characteristic of the Hyatt House were ideal for us.
Location
Directly in front of the Space Needle, the 172-room mid-range Hyatt House Seattle/Downtown has a great downtown location. Popular attractions such as Seattle Center, Seattle Children’s Museum, Museum of Pop Culture and Pacific Science Center, are literally just a few hundred feet away from the hotel entrance.
The Hyatt House Seattle Downtown is within a 25-30 minute drive from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and an Uber shouldn’t cost you more than $35, depending on traffic. If you prefer to use public transportation, Seattle’s Link light rail connects from the airport to Downtown Seattle at a cost of $3 per person (kids under 5 are free). The closest stop to the Hyatt House is Westlake Station on the Link light rail and you can call the Hyatt House to have their free shuttle pick you up from the station.
If you plan on visiting Pike Place Fish Market you can take a leisurely stroll from the hotel and arrive in about 20 minutes. The 1 mile walk is a breeze and you’ll pass lots of stores and restaurants along the way.
If you’re in town for a ballgame, getting to the stadiums (Century Link Field and Safeco Field) is quite easy but will require a short 8 minute drive from the hotel. The entire city is easily accessible from the Hyatt House Seattle Downtown.
Lobby & Check-In
Like most Hyatt House properties, the lobby is the similar run-of the-mill modern design that all of them share. Upon entering, I noticed immediately the on-site convenient store for snacks, beverages and necessities which I was told was open 24 hours. At check-in, I was given the run-down on the breakfast hours and told about the rooftop lounge which I never got to check out but wish I had. As an Explorist with Hyatt, I was gifted two water bottle vouchers per day which could be redeemed downstairs at the front desk anytime.
As I always do, I had contacted the hotel in advance so I knew which room type I was getting. Because I was traveling with my wife and twin 4 year olds, I wanted a more comfortable room and the hotel was kind enough to upgrade me and block the One-Bedroom Kitchen Suite which was ready at check-in. Considering I was the only person at the front desk, we were checked-in quickly and were on our way up to our room to drop our baggage and head out to dinner.
Room Review
This is where the property shined for me. Not to be mistaken with the suite rooms at Olive 8 or Grand Hyatt, the One-Bedroom Kitchen Suite at the Hyatt House impressed me in a big way upon entering.
The spacious suite featured a separate living room with a sofa-sectional next to granite kitchen counter with four barstools.
The fully-equipped stainless steel kitchen included a refrigerator, stove top, microwave and all the pans, bowls, plates and utensils you need to make your own meals or simply warm up leftovers or a baby bottle.
The bedroom came equipped with two queen Hyatt Grand Beds and a rather spacious bathroom with a tub. As a self-proclaimed ‘bad sleeper’, my favorite feature of the room was the motorized blackout shades on all windows.
From the living room and bedroom, we had unobstructed views of the Space Needle which my daughters excitedly would point out each and every morning as we opened up the shades.
Our room felt more like an Airbnb apartment rental than a hotel room. Not only was it spacious and complete with all the essentials we needed, it was attractive and modern which we appreciated over the standard ‘extended stay’ hotel look.
Breakfast
Once you’ve seen a Hyatt Place or Hyatt House breakfast you’ve seen them all, with slight fluctuations between properties. Here you got the standard fare of fluffy scrambled eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, bacon and cereal to go with your orange juice and coffee. This property however offered made-to-order omelets which was a nice touch to an otherwise mundane selection each day we had breakfast.
One morning my wife asked for two fried eggs and the nice gentleman working the omelet station told her he couldn’t make them. When asked why, he simply told us “they are too expensive to purchase” and that many guests had complained about this. I didn’t order omelets again as I prefer the real stuff over liquid egg.
Although breakfast is free at Hyatt House and Hyatt Place properties (and I’m not one to complain much about free things), on the third morning I took a 15 minute walk to the closest Whole Foods and picked up a few things to make a homemade breakfast for the family. It was a nice way to break up the unvarying breakfast options from the first two days.
Complimentary Shuttle
The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service for all guests to locations within a one mile radius of the hotel. Besides the blackout shades in the room, this was by far the most useful feature during our stay. The hotel only has one shuttle and it runs on a first come, first serve basis so if you request the shuttle and it just left, you can expect to wait 15-20 minutes for it to return.
From our experience, we rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes. We used the complimentary shuttle service several times during our stay to reach Pike Place Fish Market and Seattle’s Waterfront Park where we rode the Seattle Great Wheel at Pier 57.
I even called the hotel for a ride from Whole Foods since I was carrying groceries and the shuttle showed up within 10 minutes. This perk was extremely convenient for us and very reliable. Just make sure if you need a ride within a one mile radius of the hotel, be ready downstairs in the lobby or outside where the shuttle arrives as many others seek to use this benefit too.
Conclusion
Hyatt House Seattle Downtown won’t be mistaken for its other high-end downtown hotel neighbors, Olive 8 and Grand Hyatt, but that’s not necessarily a knock. With its convenient location just a stone’s throw away from popular Seattle landmarks, spacious rooms perfect for families and free breakfast, I’d consider booking Hyatt House again if I’m traveling with my family and want to save on meals as it’s an excellent lodging option when visiting the Emerald City.
Have you stayed at the Hyatt House Seattle Downtown? What’s your impression of it?
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I have stayed at this property a couple of times and wouldn’t hesitate to stay again. Great location for so many activities. I highly recommend the Dale Chihuly Museum, right next to the space needle. He is a world-renowned glass artist that created beautiful indoor and outdoor exhibits around the world. Many people know him from the ceiling at the Bellagio Las Vegas check in area.
I’ve stayed at the Hyatt House, Hyatt Place and Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle.
If it’s just the wife and I, the preferred location is the Grand Hyatt (especially if I can get Club access). With my kids it’s a toss up between the Hyatt House and the Hyatt Place. The House has a better breakfast and a good happy hour but the Place has a pool. The Hyatt house also has cool rooftop patio than you can grill or have a drink on.
Overall I appreciate the choices of Hyatt properties in downtown Seattle.
Didn’t get to visit the rooftop at HH but I’ve heard great things. I’d agree with you that with Club Access and no kids, I’d probably opt for GH or Olive 8 as well.
Very jealous of the 30 parks… I’m still in single digits, but I’m enjoying the journey. Thanks for this review as my wife, two girls, and I are staying there in May after returning from Maui. Great to hear about it and see it through your lens. Great write up!
Enjoy the journey and hope you like Hyatt House as much as we did. Great for families with small kiddos!
Congrats on the 30 for 30 MLB park baseball feat DDD! I look forward to comparing notes!!
Thanks Mark!