Populus Seattle — Hotel in Seattle

Beautiful, sustainable, design-forward stay in the heart of Seattle

The Populus is a gorgeous new addition to downtown Seattle — hip, stylish, and thoughtfully designed with sustainability in mind. I love that they’ve replaced plastic bottles with an in-room carafe you can fill from the filtered water dispenser by the elevators. It’s a tiny bit less convenient, but totally worth it to reduce plastic waste. The in-room glassware and ceramic mugs are another nice touch — everything feels intentional and elevated. The pour over coffee was great. I would have loved to have had some cream to add to my coffee but was able to purchase something to have in the in-room fridge on my second day.

The décor is stunning throughout the hotel. The integration of art , plants, textures and color is top notch. My room had a velvet headboard that flowed into a built-in banquette with a round table — cozy and clever design! The patterned carpet was so soft underfoot, and the bathroom tile was absolutely beautiful. Even the HVAC system impressed me — quiet, efficient, and comfortable.

I stayed in one of the more affordable rooms, which faced an alley, so I didn’t have much of a view — something to keep in mind if that’s important to you. A few small design misses stood out: one bedside lamp had a hard-to-reach switch that dangled below the table, and the room lacked robe hooks, so the fluffy robess took up a third of the wardrobe space and there was no place to hang them in the bathroom area. Storage overall was limited but they've done a clever job of making it as functional as possible.

My biggest critique is the bathroom lighting. The dark, moody palette looks dramatic but makes it nearly impossible to see well enough for makeup. The lighting on either side of the mirror works from a distance, but the way that it is installed it gets darker and casts dark shadows the closer you get to the mirror. The towel bar on the vanity also keeps you from getting close to the mirror. If you are nearsighted like me and need to be a little closer to a mirror to be able to see well, you may find this to be as frustrating as I did. A lighted, retractable makeup mirror would be a perfect fix.

Overall service was good, although I had a misstep at one point with the front desk staff. We were able to clear up a miscommunication but the process was not friendly. That was an isolated incident--the rest of the service was fine.

As someone who works in real estate and loves great design, I found it fascinating to see how such a beautiful concept played out in real life. The property itself is stunning.

I’d definitely stay here again (with a handheld mirror in my...

Back in early July, I stayed at the Populus. I had a wonderful time and I experienced such great customer service from the very first night. I took a redeye and arrived past midnight. Even with it being very late, the customer service was great! Upon check-in, a gentleman named Josh helped me get situated.

The first room I checked into had shower curtains in the bathroom, though prior to leaving for my trip, I called the hotel to specifically request a glass door shower. Nevertheless, without any hassle, Josh move me into a suit that had a glass shower like I requested. He even inspected the room for me before letting me. To me, this was such a great example of above and beyond customer service and hospitality.

Throughout my stay Josh pleasant & a great help! He provided me with great recommendations, as well as guidance in terms of navigating Seattle. He was there every night of my stay, and sometimes even in the morning. I think he is the hardest working man in Seattle!

There was also a great guy named Christian, that was super helpful throughout my stay as well. With no issues, he got me room spray and even walked my guest up to my room. After the great customer service, the next best highlight of this hotel would be their rooftop bar. It has phenomenal views of the Seattle skyline and really amazing drinks! The crab dip was a tad bit salty. But overall, I had a great experience.

The only cons I would mention about the hotel are very minor. The suite that I stayed in lacked ventilation in the bathroom which would cause a weird smell to the room. & There appears to be no microwave At the hotel, so leftovers may go to waste.

Otherwise, overall, this is a...

This was one of the best hotels stays I’ve had. We stayed at the Populus to attend a concert over the weekend and didn’t realize how close to Lumen Field it was. It’s really the perfect hotel if you are attending any games/events at Lumen or T-Mobile. The location is also great for walking along the waterfront, taking the ferry, and is only about a 20 min walk to Pikes Place Market.

The hotel itself is beautiful. The staff was very welcoming and accommodating.They provided awesome recommendations for places nearby. I particularly appreciated the energy of the front desk attendant Ashely.

The rooms were modern and well maintained/cleaned. The huge walk-in shower was definitely a plus. The bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on. The standard room is a little compact, but the space is still functional and works. I appreciated that the rooms came with a clothes steamer, refillable water pitchers, Japanese teas, and plush robes. The windows in the bathroom were a little unusual, but shouldn’t be an issue if you don’t mind being sort of seen (the windows are blurred) by others in your room.

The rooftop bar and restaurant in the hotel provided excellent service and had great food and beverage options. The food at the Salt & Harvest restaurant was fresh and tasty. I appreciated that there were a few veggie options.

Overall I would highly recommend this hotel and would stay here again my next...