Review: Sheraton Grand Seattle

We arrived at SeaTac Airport at about 9pm and caught the Link light rail downtown. The Sheraton Grand Seattle is located on 6th Avenue between Pike St and Union St, a few minutes’ walk from the Westlake light rail station.

Sheraton Grand Seattle – Check-In

We were helped at the check-in desk within a few minutes. As part of the hotel’s environmental initiative, the staff member offered us 500 Starpoints for every night we declined housekeeping. Since I find the SPG program so valuable, I couldn’t turn down this opportunity for an easy 1,000 Starpoints.

We were assigned room 3005, a Deluxe Room in the Pike Street Tower. (The hotel has two towers: Pike Street on the north and Union Street on the south, with the former being newly renovated.) The check-in staff also informed me that as a holder of the US-issued American Express SPG Business Card, I was able to access the Sheraton Club Lounge, located on the 32nd floor of the Pike Street Tower.

Sheraton Grand Seattle – Deluxe Room

On the whole, the room was quite spacious and very nicely decorated. In addition to the comfortable king-sized Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience bed, there was a daybed with a sliding table in the far end of the room, which was great for lounging. Instead of a desk, there was a small dining table and two chairs.

The decorations in the room, and indeed in the entire hotel, were inspired by the artwork of famous Seattleite and glass artist Dale Chihuly.

There was a minibar that was stocked with water, tea, and instant Starbucks coffee.

Although the bathroom was quite small, it did make the most of its space. The large mirror contributed to making the bathroom feel a bit roomier. Light fixtures were in place on the mirror itself, the brightness of which was fully adjustable.

I thought the shower was decently sized but the water pressure was quite weak. It does seem to me though that good water pressure is the exception rather than the rule these days at hotel showers.

The room faced north and provided good views of the Seattle skyline.

Overall, we were quite impressed with the room, especially with the daybed and ottoman setup that provided a great space to relax and enjoy the city views. The Sheraton Signature bed was extremely soft and although it gave us three unbelievably serene nights of sleep, guests with back issues might wish to ask for rooms with harder mattresses.

My only slight complaint with the room would be that the bathroom was a a bit on the small side, especially for a newly renovated Deluxe Room. That wasn’t a big deal, though, since the bathroom was still very nicely appointed and made the most of its limited space.

Sheraton Grand Seattle – Sheraton Club

The Sheraton Club Lounge, located on the 32nd floor of the Pike Street Tower, offered complimentary continental breakfast from 6am to 10am and complimentary evening hors d’oeuvres from 5pm to 8pm. There is one large room with multiple tables, as well as a computer workstation tucked in the corner.

The daily breakfast spread was quite average; the selection was limited to cold items such as bagels, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, fruits, and a mozzarella and tomato salad. While the variety of the fruit selection was quite impressive, the rest of the breakfast wasn’t quite as appetizing.

The evening hors d’oeuvres selection was a little more varied, featuring mini pizza bites, chicken skewers, assorted cheeses and vegetables, and light desserts. Despite this, the hot food was quite stale and the cheesecake bites very mushy. The silver lining was that I ended up eating a lot of vegetables.

Of course, Starbucks’s Pike Place Roast was in full flow at all times in the lounge. There were also sodas and juices that you could stop by to grab at any time, even when there wasn’t any food being served.

In my opinion the Sheraton Club Lounge was a decent place to relax in between exploring the city, and the complimentary breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres are certainly worth checking out. The area can get a bit crowded during busy hours, but on the whole the seating is comfortable and the views are very nice.

However, the quality of the food left quite a lot to be desired. It’s worth noting that the lounge doesn’t have a full kitchen – I saw staff members bringing up the evening hors d’oeuvres by the tray from the main kitchen at the hotel restaurant. That doesn’t excuse the mediocre quality of the food, though.

You could argue that this is about standard for hotel club lounges in the US, and I’d be inclined to agree. I’d add that the lounge is indeed very solid in most respects – if the food offerings could be improved upon, it would definitely bring the lounge, and the hotel stay in general, to the next level.

Sheraton Grand Seattle – Other Facilities

I quickly checked out the fitness centre and pool on our last day at the hotel. These amenities are located on the 35th floor of the Pike Street Tower.

The fitness centre had two levels, with strength training equipment on the lower level and free weights and treadmills on the upper level.

There were people using the pool when I visited so I didn’t grab any pictures, but it was a medium-sized pool that looked better suited to playing and splashing than swimming laps. Both the fitness centre and the pool have nice views of the surrounding area, and there’s also a window allowing you to look from the fitness centre into the pool area and vice versa.

Lastly, in my opinion, the regard in which the Sheraton Grand Seattle stands out the most is its location. The hotel is smack dab in the middle of downtown Seattle, within a few blocks of major attractions such as Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and Capitol Hill. It is conveniently located next to local transport options, as well, with a Link light rail station and several bus stops just a few minutes away. Seattle’s major shopping area is directly across the street, as are a handful of the city’s most popular restaurants and pubs.

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend the Sheraton Grand Seattle for anyone looking to visit the Emerald City. The newly renovated rooms are stylish and comfortable with a wide range of in-room amenities. If you have access to the Sheraton Club Lounge (either as an SPG Platinum member or by booking a Club Level room), you’re treated to free breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres, which are satisfactory – I do hope the hotel can improve their offerings in the future.

Despite this minor blip, the Sheraton Grand Seattle’s location makes it a hotel I would highly recommend, as there’s no better base from which to explore the rest of the city than the corner of 6th and Pike.