Downtown Seattle, USA
Four Seasons Hotel Seattle
It has the best address in Seattle, a block from Pike Place Market with the bay in front of you, and a kind team. It's also the most expensive hotel in town, and beyond the location I don't think it earns that. Book a bay-view room or don't book it.
Service
You feel looked after here. Staff use your name, and if you're celebrating something there's a cake or a handwritten card waiting in the room. My favourite detail is the coffee concierge, who brings coffee to your door in the morning at no charge. In Seattle, of all places, that feels right.
It isn't perfect. Service in the bar can be slow, and the odd request gets forgotten. At this price I'd want every stay to feel like a Four Seasons, and now and then it falls a little short.
The hotel has had a new general manager since March 2026, and the restaurant, lobby and spa were all redone this year, so I think it's on the way up.
Rooms
For a city hotel the rooms are a good size, around 450 square feet and up, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a marble bathroom, a deep soaking tub and a separate shower. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are quiet, so you sleep well.
The hotel opened in 2008 and the rooms had a light refresh in 2019, so they're comfortable, if not cutting-edge. I think that's fine.
The view is where you need to pay attention. The building is U-shaped, and only some rooms face the water. I'd book a Deluxe Bay-View room on a high floor, or a Corner Elliott Bay Suite if you're treating yourselves. I'd skip the Partial Bay-View, which can look across at the neighbouring building, and I wouldn't pay these rates for a City-View room.
Food and drink
There's one restaurant, Goldfinch Tavern, and it reopened in June 2026 after a redesign, with a big new bar in the middle of the room. It's a Pacific Northwest menu, so expect cedar plank salmon, Dungeness crab and clam chowder. Breakfast is the best meal here, and I'd order the smoked salmon bagel.
Dinner is good, but I find it pricey for what arrives. A 20 percent service charge is added to the bill automatically, so check before you tip twice.
I wouldn't worry much about the hotel having only one restaurant. You're a block from Pike Place Market and some of the best eating in the city, and you should be out there anyway. I'd have breakfast in and dinner out.
Setting
You can't do better for location in Seattle. Pike Place Market is one block away and the Seattle Art Museum is across the street. The waterfront has been completely rebuilt in the last couple of years, and the new Overlook Walk takes you from the market down to the water on foot. If you saw Seattle's waterfront when it was a building site, it's a different place now.
The outdoor infinity pool is on a terrace on the fourth floor, with a hot tub and a fire pit, looking out over Elliott Bay to the Olympic Mountains. At sunset it's the best seat in the hotel. It's small, though, and loungers run out on summer afternoons. The pool isn't a sure thing in winter, so ask us to check if a swim matters to you.
It is a downtown block in a big American city. Around the market and First Avenue it's busy and fine. Late at night I'd take a car back, not walk along Third Avenue.
Value
This is the priciest hotel in Seattle. Expect roughly $600 a night in the quiet winter months and closer to $1,000 in summer, when the cruise ships are in. Valet parking is the only parking, at around $75 a night. You don't need a car downtown, so I'd go without one.
One nice extra: the house car will run you around the neighbourhood at no charge.
Breakfast is expensive enough here that having it included really changes the sums. Booking through an advisor usually adds breakfast for two and a hotel credit at the same rate.
Who it suits
I'd send first-time visitors who want the market, the museum and the waterfront on foot, couples who want to wake up to the water, and anyone with a night or two before or after an Alaska cruise. If you'd like a grand old hotel with an indoor pool, I'd look at the Fairmont Olympic. If you'd like something small and right inside the market, try the Inn at the Market.
More on the area: Seattle guide.
Booking
You can get Four Seasons Preferred Partner perks, usually free breakfast, a hotel credit and a room upgrade, by emailing a travel advisor. There's tons of them out there but I like using this portal, as it shows live prices and I don't have to wait for a quote.