Thompson Seattle, by Hyatt

"The Thompson holds one of the best corners in Seattle, a stack of glass boxes by Olson Kundig at the north end of Pike Place Market, and the building still photographs beautifully. The trouble starts when you touch it. Here is the strange part: the hotel feels like an old property converted two or three times over, each owner sanding a little more life out of it. It is not. It opened in 2016 as a new build with serious architectural pedigree. It is barely ten years old and already reads tired: furniture burnished by a decade of elbows and roller bags, hardware with the loose handshake of long service, softened edges everywhere you look. Thompson is Hyatt’s bid for boutique cool, and the lifestyle currently on display is deferred maintenance. The staff are the redemption. Genuinely warm, quick, attentive: the kind of friendliness that cannot be trained into people, only hired. For a night or two they nearly carry the building on charm alone. The gym does not help them. It is a converted guest room, a space that lost a coin toss and gained a treadmill, and it seems faintly apologetic about the whole arrangement. Adequate is the ceiling of what can be said, and it is barely reached. At this price point, fitness should be a facility, not an afterthought. Verdict: superb location, wonderful people, a design pedigree the current condition no longer honors. The Thompson does not need a rebrand. It needs a renovation, and honestly, the staff have earned one even more than the guests have."

"Hands down our favorite place to stay in Seattle. The location is great and incredibly walkable to a ton of cool spots. The rooms are decently sized, clean, and have a really cool, updated modern look. We absolutely love The Nest rooftop bar. Drinks are a bit pricey but bartenders are always so kind and make great drinks. We won't stay anywhere else!"

"We came to Seattle for our 15 year wedding anniversary and stayed at a lackluster hotel before checking into the Thompson. When we entered the hotel we immediately felt better. Dylan was extremely hospitable and welcomed us with sparkling wine. We chose to upgrade to a bigger room when we arrived and we were not disappointed. The room was clean and the view was amazing. We enjoyed complimentary breakfast at the Conversation restaurant through Amex and we were accommodated with a late checkout. The rooftop bar was lovely but very busy as it was a beautiful day when we went, so that's expected. We encountered so many great staff members that helped make our stay exceptional, from the front desk to valet and the restaurant. I'd like to recognize some of them for making our stay extra special. Thank you to Dylan, Halit, Sadio, Julia, Chuck, Keonne and Abbie. We had an amazing time and would definitely return again."