Jason V.
Yelp
One of the best hotel experiences I've had in Seattle! I was not previously familiar with the Pineapple chain of hotels, but after this experience, they have made a loyal customer out of me, and I will be keeping an eye out for them when planning future domestic trips!
There's a lot of things going for Hotel Five, starting with price: the base rate, before Seattle's egregious taxes, was among the lowest in the entire downtown area. Unfortunately, this comes with a caveat, but one that is shared across pretty much all hotels in downtown Seattle: outrageous parking fees! Anyone who has driven to Seattle and stayed downtown knows what I'm talking about: park in any lot, above ground or below, and be prepared to pony up for the privilege of coming to spend your money elsewhere in the heart of the city.
The Five offers a parking package which you can append to your room, allowing for unlimited in-and-out privileges, as well as the ability/permission to leave your car in the garage after check out, if you're not immediately leaving the area. Now, the package is $37/night, which is ridiculous, but not out of place in Seattle. I've stayed at other hotels where it was closer to $50/night. I may not like having to pay for the frankly unavoidable use of the garage (for us road trippers), but I knew what I was getting into beforehand.
This excluded, you're going to get a lot for your money at the Hotel Five. Check in was incredibly simple and quick; the concierge was gracious and friendly, informing us that in addition to our room and the parking package, we had a $10 credit from the "shop" behind the counter, which consisted mostly of waters, sodas and snacks. Not fancy, sure, but a welcome "bonus", especially when one doesn't want to have to venture out into the city in the middle of the night to grab something small.
How's the location? Pretty darn stellar! Pike Place and/or The Space Needle are both about a 10-15 minute walk, depending on your pace, so there is no need to drive anywhere in downtown, as Seattle is eminently walkable, and utterly gorgeous in early spring, with the cherry blossom trees in bloom. Restaurants abound in the area, so you'll find no shortage of fantastic dining options within a handful of blocks, for a sunny brunch or a sultry romantic dinner for two. And for those in a hurry, there is a Top Pot Donuts, and a couple of bagel places, within spitting distance.
The decor of the hotel is funky and modern; they've definitely embraced a sort of urban hipster vibe that jives well with Seattle's bohemian nature. The lobby is clean and spacious, and there is a coffee stand and a bar off to the side, although we were never in the hotel long enough to see either of them staffed, so I can't say when they operate, or what their service is like.
One welcome surprise, of which we would normally take advantage, is that the hotel is pet (well, dog, at least) friendly. On any given weekend, we generally travel with our puppers, but this weekend was an exception. The next time we visit Seattle overnight, though, it's nice to know there's a place to stay where we would be in good hands!
As for the rooms: pristine, hip, with incredibly soft and plush bedding - probably the second best bed I've ever slept in a hotel. I would have purchased the bedding (advertised on posters in the elevators) if it weren't two-thousand-freaking-dollars! Beyond that, a good-sized flat screen TV and the usual suspects of hotel room furniture - desks, chairs and end tables - round out the room. The bathroom includes a spacious shower with vigorously hot water, a personal safe, and a mini-closet with plenty of storage.
If you're the kind of traveler (like me), to whom most hotels are merely a place to dump your stuff and rest your head, the Hotel Five may be the best option in all of downtown Seattle. Coming from someone who has been attending nerd conventions at WSCC annually for nearly two decades, I've frequented a lot of hotels in downtown, and I would choose Hotel Five over all of them. They've nailed all three parts of the Holy Trinity of hotel excellence: price, comfort and convenience. Can't ask for much more than that!