Hotel Ballard

Hotel · Ballard

Hotel Ballard

Hotel · Ballard

5216 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Highlights

Nestled in Ballard, this chic hotel offers plush rooms, a top-notch gym, and a vibrant neighborhood feel, perfect for an upscale Seattle getaway.

5216 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 Get directions

hotelballardseattle.com

@hotelballard

@afar

"Hotel offerings in Seattle ’s outlying neighborhoods are fairly limited, making the Hotel Ballard a welcome addition to this newly revitalized district north of downtown. The boutique property has just 29 rooms, some with Juliet balconies and peekaboo views of the Olympic Mountains to the west. Rooftop suites face the hotel’s private courtyard, and the best-in-house rooms feature enormous soaking tubs. With tufted headboards and gilt-framed mirrors, the rooms channel a classic, European style. But true to its Pacific Northwest sensibility, the hotel is equipped with modern features including HDTVs, complimentary Wi-Fi, and pillow-top mattresses."

The Best Hotels in Seattle

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@cntraveler

"Designed by original owner Debera Riggle, the lovely lobby here features custom furnishings in shades of cream and gold, and a rather arresting oil painting of a lion, along with some rabbits, behind the polished concierge desk. (Riggle and her husband sold their shares of the hotel in 2020 to formerly silent partner John Lowrance and his wife, Adele Maruo.) Though it's small in size, it provides plenty of comforts and a sense of calm that’s unmatched in the city. Oh and it’s also in Ballard (hence the name), a restaurant-lined neighborhood in North Seattle, where the city’s best farmer’s market takes over every Sunday." - Jessica Voelker, Naomi Tomky

16 Best Hotels in Seattle, From Downtown to University District | Condé Nast Traveler

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@cntraveler

"What did you notice on arrival?Designed by original owner Debera Riggle, the lovely lobby here features custom furnishings in shades of cream and gold, and a rather arresting oil painting of a lion, along with some rabbits, behind the polished concierge desk. (Riggle and her husband sold their shares of the hotel in 2020 to formerly silent partner John Lowrance and his wife, Adele Maruo.) Though it's small in size, it provides plenty of comforts and a sense of calm that’s unmatched in the city. Oh and it’s also in Ballard (hence the name), a restaurant-lined neighborhood in North Seattle, where the city’s best farmer’s market takes over every Sunday. The good stuff: Tell us what we need to know about the rooms.In the 630-square-foot Courtyard Suites on the rooftop, sliding, reclaimed-wood doors divide a cozy bedroom and a sitting area with a fireplace, sleeper sofa, and flat screen TV. What do they have for food and drink? Onsite restaurant Stoneburner specializes in housemade pasta dressed in exquisite sauces, like nettle radiatore with green garlic and bacon, and a Calabrian sausage ragu. Then again, some of Seattle’s best restaurant are right outside on Ballard Avenue and nearby Market Street. Try tacos at Gracia, black mole at La Carta de Oaxaca, fresh oysters and crudo at the Walrus and the Carpenter, fragrant seafood soup at Sen Noodle Bar, or steak tartare and tapioca puff chips at Brimmer & Heeltap—to name just a few. How about the hotel's little details? Any of that worth a mention?Molton Brown bath products, free Wi-Fi, bathrobes, access to a private rooftop fire pit—this intimate, 29-room boutique hotel has as many amenities as a corporate chain, plus you get to sweat it out at the highly charming Olympic Athletic Club next door. Oh and it’s also in Ballard, a restaurant-lined neighborhood in North Seattle, where the city’s best farmer’s market takes over every Sunday. Anything else we absolutely must take advantage of?A daily parking rate of $15 is a bargain next to the far more expensive fees downtown. Ditch that car and explore these shop- and restaurant-lined streets on foot. Bottom line: Why should we stay here?Most travelers to Seattle stay downtown, the best spot for first timers who’ve never wandered the stalls at Pike Place Market or sipped a cocktail on an evening cruise of Elliott Bay. But if you’re ready to travel deeper into the city and see how the locals really live, book a room at Hotel Ballard and plan to explore one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods on foot." - Jessica Voelker

Hotel Ballard

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Nate Stone

Google

Hotel Ballard is a hidden gym in Seattle. It is the closest you'll get to feeling like you've stumbled into a European boutique hotel. The rooms are lovely and so are the staff. The connected gym is the nicest gym I have ever been to. Alicia, the GM, is warm and helpful — feels like you're working with someone that genuinely cares about your experience. Already looking forward to our next stay there!

Sarah Evanson-Isaac

Google

Understaffed and the hotel cheaps out on things that matter to me: good coffee in the lobby and in the room, cotton bathrobes including extended sizes available, and a good mattress. This mattress made me long for home which is the opposite of how a hotel should make you feel. No streaming media or pay per view on the flat panel TV so I couldn't watch an installment of my show before sleeping. Hotel Ballard is in the BEST neighborhood (I'll engage in that debate any day), and has beautiful rooms and expensive high quality flocked wallpaper in the elevator, but you have to get dressed and leave the building for decent coffee, so overall C-!

Richard R

Google

We arrived at the hotel around 11:00am. I had called ahead a few days earlier to see about early check in. Jack, the guy at the front desk, knew about my request when we mentioned our last name and said our room was ready. We were then told that for a $100.00 early arrival fee, we could get into our room. We looked at him and said so you're telling us that the room is ready, but we need to pay an additional $100.00 to access it? We both looked at each other and said no. We were allowed to store our luggage at no additional cost and went walking. The hotel is not in the budget category, and they were looking to squeeze more out of us? A different approach would've been that the room wasn't ready, yet which is what you hear in almost every other situation. The best approach would've been to let us access the room 3 hours early.|During our stay, we also noticed that the front desk never acknowledged anyone entering or leaving the elevator. A good morning, good evening, a smile or even a grunt would've been nice. If you don't care maybe fake it a bit.|It wouldn't be fair to give the hotel a bad rating because of these issues. It is very nice and clean, the bedding was very comfortable, and the room was spacious with ours having a walk-in shower. The towels are monogrammed so we knew we hit the bigtime. A double barrel coffee maker with actual glass glasses put it over the top.|The hotel is in a good location and is right across the street from bars and restaurants. The weekly Sunday farmers market is right in front of the hotel and has everything you can imagine for sale. It's a fun day.

Dirk H

Google

We've been staying at the Hotel Ballard when we visit Seattle for years now, and it continues to be a wonderful small boutique hotel on a street with numerous eateries. The rooms are nicely appointed, with windows that actually open. There can sometimes be noise from the upstairs suites and rooftop party lounge in the evening if there's a wedding party or some other event, but generally it's a quiet, private spot that rarely disappoints. A nice change of pace from downtown hotels.

Laura N

Google

Wonderful place to stay! I want to come back asap. Very helpful staff, a gorgeous room and the best bathtub! Delicious food. They also had glass mugs for in-room coffee which is a small detail but sooooo appreciated. Also located in a very cute neighborhood with many shops.

Gina S

Google

Where do I start. The reason for our stay was because our daughter was getting married. As we arrived at Hotel Ballard, we were greeted by Ally. She asked us if we needed directions to the parking structure. She gave us a blue card that had a map to the structure. A parking permit was never disgusted. The next day, the day of the wedding, we found a $50.00 parking ticket on our car, given by the hotel. While driving to the wedding, I called the hotel and spoke to Ally. She claims that she explained the parking permit to us. I have three witnesses that state otherwise. The instructions were never explained and judging from all the other cars that had parking tickets on their vehicles, she didn't explain it to a lot of other people. My last words to Miss Ally were "You people are horrible!" She refused to do anything about the ticket. Later that night, I spoke to the night manager, Daniel. He was the only person that actually helped. He said he would waive the $50.00 parking ticket. The following day, my husband and I had take-out breakfast in our room. The food bag was too large for our hotel room trash can. I took the bag down to the lobby and asked the young man that was at the front desk if he could help me dispose of it. He took me no, I would have to go find a trash can out on the street. Two blocks later I found a dumpster. We stated at Hotel Ballard for 3 nights, at cost of $1,200.00 and their employees couldn't help with a bag of trash. I've been treated better at a Best Western. Aside from Daniel the night manager, the employees at Hotel Ballard are awful. If you like being treated with 0 respect, stay at Hotel Ballard.

Emily T

Google

You can’t beat this neighborhood and the hotel is lovely BUT WEEKEND BOOKERS BEWARE: ||I hope owner / managers read this because the only negative reviews about this hotel pertain to this particular issue:||$840 for two nights of wedding music because our room was literally 5 feet from the VENUE. You may as well BE in the wedding. If you are on the 4th floor, your room will vibrate from the music. ||Our room had a Great little front room with a fireplace but there were people standing at our door / window so we didn’t get to enjoy it. So uncomfortable. ||“Oh it says so on our website.”|“Should be in your confirmation email.”|NONE of this true. We looked through every email / confirmation as well as the room descriptions on the website. Why would anyone book these rooms if they knew this was the situation?||Some enthusiasm or offerings from the front desk would be nice . We booked a suite afterall. Maybe a round of drinks or a credit? Nope . Nada. |Disappointing

andy p

Google

Beware of booking a room here - misleading booking! Avoid! I booked a 1-bed room under the hotel name "Hotel Ballard" which is advertised as a 3-star hotel. When I arrived, they put me in a room at the "Ballard Inn" across the street where you don't have your own bathroom and the room is the size of a closet - although ironically enough, there is no closet in said room. This room was on the first floor and was not insulated from the street noise which made it difficult to sleep. I was also by the entrance and heard at least 3 parties talk about how they were mislead by booking here as the website pictures and booking reservations showed an experience that was very different and was essentially a scam.