Daring Gourmet Getaways: Inn At The Market, Seattle, Washington

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It’s ranked #56 out of 100 best hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure 2014 and #3 best small city hotel in the USA.  It won TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for Top 25 Hotels in the USA, has consistently made Condé Nast’s Gold List and is in the Condé Nast Platinum Circle.  These are just a few of the distinctions that describe Inn at the Market in downtown Seattle.

Inn at the Market is one of Seattle’s premier boutique hotels.  With 76 guest rooms, the hotel is small, private and intimate.  It’s location is unique:  It is the only hotel in Seattle located directly in the famous historic Pike Place Market.  And despite its bustling urban setting, Inn at the Market offers unparalleled quiet and tranquility with some of the best views in Seattle.

Inn at the Market’s famous rooftop deck.  Image courtesy of the hotel.

Todd and I had recently had the privilege of staying at Inn at the Market.  While there we also spent some time at Pike Place Market.  Be sure to check out my article on that portion of our getaway, Seattle’s Pike Place Market: A Virtual Tour and History.

Today we’re sharing our experience at Inn at the Market with you.   Come join us for a virtual tour of this beautiful hotel.

Genuine.  That was the first word that came to mind after our initial tour of the hotel and premises.  Something that struck me was that Inn at the Market left us thoroughly wowed but did so without the least bit of ostentation.  Inn at the Market doesn’t make any sweeping overtures through excessive, boastful or  flamboyant statements of design or decor to gain attention.  It doesn’t try to be amazing.  It doesn’t have to.  It simply…is.  This highly acclaimed hotel takes its place among the best in America quietly, with an unpretentious dignity.  The depth of character within and without its walls is a distinguishing hallmark of Inn at the Market.

We left with the appreciation that  we had stayed some place exceptional.  And that realization has continued to be apparent as we’ve looked back on our experience.

Let’s start at the beginning.

We drove up to the sidewalk in front of the hotel, handed the valet our car keys, and headed down the walkway into the courtyard to the hotel’s entrance.  The sun was setting and a beautiful purplish hue was filling the sky.  It made the courtyard look magical.  The ivy-covered brick walls and overhead strings of lights created such an intimate, romantic atmosphere that I felt, at least for that moment, that I was back in some small town in Italy or a removed corner of Paris.

 

It was getting dark and we stepped back onto the street to catch a glimpse of the market by night before heading into the hotel.  The market was closed and the street was relatively quiet for downtown Seattle.

Back to the entrance.  Let’s step in through the revolving doors and take a look inside.

The first sight we were met with was a warm fireplace, something that always makes me feel at home.

The lobby is modern but cozy and the hotel is tastefully decorated throughout.  We recognized a few of our favorite old jazz standards playing quietly in the background.

Soft recessed lighting, earth tones, dark woods and leather add to the intimate ambiance.

The front desk staff was friendly and very helpful.  We discussed some restaurant recommendations with one of the staff who had more first-hand knowledge of Seattle’s restaurants than probably anyone else I’ve spoken to.  We talked to them about the hotel, its history, its hard-working and dedicated owners.  The longer we chatted the more at home we felt.

And the fact that they had some warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at the front desk and refreshing lemon water around the corner scored them some additional points.

On our way to our room we took a look around and found the business center, conveniently located by the guestrooms.

We entered our room and  were greeted by a beautiful large bouquet of fresh flowers from the market sitting by the window on top of a collection of coffee table books (this picture was taken the following morning – more on that to come).

So far we have a romantic ivy-covered courtyard, soft lighting and music, cozy fireplace, chocolate chip cookies and flowers.  Clearly Inn at the Market knows what a woman likes.  It’s no wonder Men’s Health voted it one of the 10 Sexiest Hotels in America.

We stayed in a King Water View room.  The room was immaculately clean with nice lighting, a very comfortable bed with luxurious Sferra linens and plush signature bathrobes. Some of the room amenities you’ll enjoy are a flat screen television, cable TV, in-house movie system, iPod docking station, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi.

Above bedroom picture courtesy of the hotel.

The bathroom was spotless.  Bright and cheerful with with a huge shower, great water pressure, and bath products that smelled great. The towels were plush and the robes were soft and comfortable.

We left our room to head up to the rooftop deck.  On our way there we crossed over the balcony overlooking that glorious courtyard.  I could have stayed there leaning against the balcony, gazing at the view for a long time.  Beautiful.

As we walked out onto the deck my jaw dropped open.  I’m not familiar with any other buildings in downtown Seattle with a rooftop deck this close to the waterfront.  This is the sight we were met with.  And this cemented my growing love affair with Inn at the Market.

With chairs and sofas for comfortable seating and these spectacular views, it was a wonderfully romantic setting.  I didn’t want to go back to the room!  It was 10:30pm on a late September night in Seattle and I could have stayed out there forever.  The atmosphere was enchanting, magical.

We enjoyed the view and setting for a good half hour and then went back to our room.  Our King Water View room was fabulous.  We enjoyed the same view from our room that we did from the deck.  Those red and blue lights streaming across the water and into our room from the famous Pike Place Market and Seattle’s Great Wheel created a such a lovely ambiance for a night’s sleep and we slept comfortably in our king bed.

The next morning I looked forward to taking another peek out the window.

It was early morning and we were able to watch the vendors bustling about to get their stalls set up.  What a fun vantage point!

Through the window on the other wall we enjoyed a view of the city.  The corner room was perfect for experiencing downtown Seattle by the waterfront.

We got ready to go and headed down to take an early morning stroll through the market.  Click here for a virtual tour of our stroll through Pike Place Market and learn a little about its history.

I’ve already said it, but the location of Inn at the Market is unbeatable!  You step outside and you’re right there at the famous market.

And for all you Sleepless In Seattle fans out there, I had totally forgotten about this picture until now.  This was taken 10 years ago when I first moved to the USA, mimicking the famous scene from the movie when Tom Hanks asks, “So how’s my butt?”  This is the very spot from the movie – right in front of Inn At The Market!

After our morning stroll through the market we headed home to relieve my parents of babysitting duty.  But not before picking up a fresh bouquet of flowers at the market to give my mom as a thank you.

A warm “thank you” to Inn at the Market for an enchanting and memorable stay.

If you want to experience the tradition, the history, the romance of Seattle, Inn at the Market is your hotel.

While in the heart of the most bustling part of the city, this luxury boutique hotel provides sublime privacy and quiet.  For a first-class hotel and signature Northwest experience in a romantic atmosphere with an unbeatable market location and a rooftop deck that will blow your mind, we highly recommend Inn at the Market.

 

Disclosure:  Inn at the Market hosted our one-night stay but all opinions, as always, are entirely my own.