I hate to say it... but I was pretty unimpressed with my recent stay at Hotel Max. While I'm usually pretty excited to stay at boutique hotels that stray away from the boring-ness of the corporate juggernauts, sometimes the modern luxuries of the Hiltons and Westins of the world make you wonder why you'd have a sub-par stay at some place "cooler" down the street. Once hitting the lobby, I was really excited for my 2 night stay. They have a swanky lounge with hip furniture, funky carpets and a restaurant attached next door - score! But sadly, the hotel room and experience itself was a bit deflating. It'd be akin to getting naked with Jake Gyllenhaal, only to find out he was rockin' a hoo-haa the size of a Tootsie Roll. Extremely disappointing. While there was a dope theme going on downstairs, the rooms themselves were unimaginative and incongruous. I found it odd that the shower and bathroom were located in completely separate rooms... and when I rinsed off in the schvitz on the second night only to have the light burn out while I was mid-wash, needless to say, I wasn't overly thrilled. I also have a thing about window-mounted air conditioning units. I've lived in places that use them for heating and air conditioning needs, but they're pretty janky. This particular unit would pump out hot air for approximately 7-10 minutes, then run out of juice and spit cold air for the rest of the time it was operating. The only way to ensure you get a steady stream of warm air is to restart the unit and give it another go. Pretty annoying, and obviously, something you'd rather not deal with when shucking almost $200/night to stay there. There were other nuances that rubbed me the wrong was as well... like the elevator being so small that Nicole Richie would have a hard time squeezing in with another hotel guest, and having the back windows facing a business complex that'd cause any peeping tom to jump for joy. I don't know about you, but often times, I roll to bed partially nude, so it's not a very welcome surprise to open the blinds for some natural light to shine, only to be center stage giving a free show to the folks peering straight into your hotel window from the conference room just a stone's throw away. After having a room full of suits staring at my naughty bits, I felt as though I at least deserved a high five or a few dollar bills folded lengthwise... but hey, you can't win 'em all. These are just my gripes. You wouldn't guess it by this review, but I'm not very high maintenance at all. I could just as easily sleep on a bail of hay with a burlap sack to keep me warm and I wouldn't have too much to complain about... but I just feel like this place has so much potential, but misses the mark quite a bit. read more

Exemplary customer service right in the heart of downtown Seattle. What I love most about this cute, affordable boutique hotel is it's location. Not only are you getting a great deal on an adorable and unique room while you're in town, you're steps from the nightlife and restaurant scenes in Belltown, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, and Downtown. It doesn't get much better than this location if you're wanting to depend on doing some walking while you visit our fair city. Having always recommended that friends and coworkers stay here, I've never heard a single thing about this hotel other than, "It's great!" The rooms are small, sure - but it's an older building. Plus, you're in Seattle - get out and see the sights! There's a gym, there's parking onsite, there's a FANTASTIC restaurant at the base of the hotel serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night snacks, and better yet, that same restaurant does room service. I love how cute and funky the lobby is and I love how friendly the staff is. I know it's crazy to write a review for a hotel in my hometown, but I've stayed here in the past for work events and have also booked a night as a staycation before. It's truly a fun little escape right downtown. read more

My company put me up in this posh little boutique hotel for a recent conference. Hotel Max is sublimely decorated with an incredible array of amenities, including an entire menu of pillows (ranging from soft, firm, body, reading, neck etc) and an entire menu of religious reading materials (ranging from the bible, the koran, and even the book of scientology). After checking in, my coworkers and I grabbed some dinner. I returned to my room after dinner and my phone rang. Here is the conversation about some of the other amenities: Coworker: Do you have a TV in your room? Me: Yeah... why? Coworker: There's a cabinet underneath, right? Me: Uh... Let me check. Yup. Coworker: And you see some wine glasses and a small bottle of wine. Me: Um... sure. Coworker: Does your room have a vibrator? Me: Does it... a WHAT?!! (I spot a small, elongated red box next to the "intimacy kit".) Me: Yes. Yes it does. That's Hotel Max. Remember the name. edit: And for those who say, pics or it didn't happen: http://deadfrank.com/pics/hotelminibar.jpg read more

When I woke up at Hotel Max I thought I was in heaven. That's because the beds are so comfortable I felt like I was sleeping in a cloud and that's where angels sleep according to my mom. Besides the bed the staff here were amazingly nice. I arrived way too early for any sort of decent check in time, but the front desk ordered a rush on the cleaning of my room and I was all checked in within an hour or so, which was amazing. The rooms are on the small side so I'm not sure they'd be great for long trips, but with free Wi-Fi, and all the pleasantries mentioned above Hotel Max more than meets my needs for any traveling I do in the Seattle area. read more

I have a soft spot for alternative art spaces. Galleries and museums are great, but a whole generation of emerging-artists have relied on these nontraditional spaces to build their careers. So when I got to see that Hotel Max is, in substance, a huge alternative space that features Northwestern artists and photographers, I was in bliss! We attended a very nicely put Happy Hour (courtesy for Hotel Max's Twitter followers) at their restaurant, The Red Fin. We were warmly welcomed by their staff--Scott "The Top Dog-GM", Carolina "Hot Piece of Max - Sales" and Jen "Captain of making it happen" all what their very original, black and white business cards say. They all invited us to enjoy a delicious selection of sushi and Japanese inspired hors d'oeuvres while sipping specialty drinks. The Dude is not fond of raw fish, so I got to have his share of rolls. These were very flavorful, and some had interesting combinations--one had a piece of chile, maybe jalapeño--that made them fun to eat. They also offered us small finger food like the delightful Takoyaki (crispy octopus fritters with Wasabi mayo and tonkatsu sauce), and the Shiitake Dumplings (with San Bi Su), which were creamy and pulpy, delicate like a caress but to your tongue. We were indulged with an extra hour of HH drink specials. I had a Cherry Limeade that was very refreshing, perfect for my mood that day. The Dude settled for a Hercules Double IPA, which he enjoyed very much. After this great experience, we decided are going back to the Red Fin. It was definitely a topnotch Japanese dining experience. Part of this gathering included a tour to the hotel rooms, conducted by Jen--iPhone in hand to tweet on real time--who festively twirled around explaining us every single detail, and answering questions. I liked that she always showed how proud she is to be working for this fine establishment. It almost felt like a informal but swell museum guided tour. The doors of each room feature a black and white photograph, and the room number sign next to it had the name of the featured photographer (one per floor) and the piece's title. Every single image I got to see was fantastic. We went to several floors, being the 6th floor the center of most of our attention. We found ourselves surrounded by rock stars and musicians there. This is the floor where some of Charles Peterson's iconic photos are. For those who'd like to know who Peterson is, he is a Seattle-based artist, notorious for his early 90s black and white photographs of Sub Pop bands. The rooms are on the small size, but are comfortable and sleek. Original artwork rest on the deep-gray colored walls. White and orange linens and accessories complete the interesting color palette. The rooms are also equipped with recycle bins, and Aveda bath products. If you're ever a guest at the Hotel Max, you'll find out that there are pillow and spiritual menus on your nightstand. Want a full body pillow? You got it! Want to read the main book of your spiritual choice? They have it. And THE best part is that they have a book that compiles all the photographic work displayed in the hotel! At the end, I found that I had a small list of favorites from Hotel Max. First of all, the room radios are preset on KEXP. They are serious when it comes to showcase what makes Seattle a great city. My second favorite were the views from the rooms. It's Downtown Seattle and it looked spectacular from those windows. My last--but never least--fave thing was their sensational service. Everyone in the hotel and the restaurant were welcoming and always ready to take care of you. I'd say, thought, that this is a hotel targeted to a late 20s to 40s' audience. We'll send out-of-town guests in their direction. And who knows, we might make Hotel Max our special place for a weekend away without going out of Seattle. ¡Cinco estrellas! read more

Well slap me on the ass and call me a happy traveler. This place was awesome and while it was a bit more modern than i usually feel comfy in, I definitely enjoyed my time here this past weekend. For starters, it's an uber and hip kinda space that doesn't leave a whole lot out as far as needs go. Need a body pillow? Check. Need someone to bring you a hair dryer in less than 3 minutes? Check. Need 1 of 10 different forms of spiritual reading before you go nighty night? Check. Need some funnel dusted sea scallops delivered to your room? Check. Need not one, but two bathroom areas in your room? Check. Yep, they pretty much thought of everything! I actually stayed in one of their hotels in Portland and loved everything about it, minus the yellow pastel Easter egg choice of room color, but where that got the colors wrong, this location got it right with cool greys and punches of bright orange. Very cool. The only thing that was a little off was the size of the closet. Clearly a woman did not design this thing because it is maybe a foot deep and there is hardly any room for shoes. I mean, hello!!! ;) Oh and the late night menu is not of the drunken late night junk food variety, which may be a pro to some and a con to others. If you love miso soup and baby green salads then you will be golden. I personally like chicken strips late at night, but that might explain the size of my ass as well, hehe. Sorry, I'm rambling. I would totally stay here again and had a blast! The staff is great, beds comfy and location grand. read more

There's genuinely not enough great things to say about this hotel. We had a 6am flight in arrived at the hotel around 9am with backpacks in hand hoping to drop off before check-in and to my amazement they checked us in! We got a recommendation on a close spot to eat and a map of Seattle couldn't have been a more seamless process. The Room was great and the heater worked efficiently and was not too loud which is great as Seattle is freezing in the Winter. The beds were comfy and there was channels my daughter actually enjoyed on the tv! you dont feel like your in an old outdated hotel everything is modern with a touch of vintage. The lobby is full of boardgames and they also have unlimited free beer at night time, but I cant remember the hours. The location is without question phenomenal. We were able to walk to the shops or to the space needle and even down to the pier. Given if you dont like walking you can take an Uber for just a few bucks. If I could give more stars I would. Great for a family or a couple! read more

Oh Hotel Max, I love you! Why? Your beds are SO comfy You are SO conveniently located to everything Your staff is SUPER helpful You have free gumballs in the lobby You have free Wifi And I don't care if your bathrooms are tiny. I didn't come to Seattle to lounge in the whiz palace. read more

We stayed at Hotel Max during a recent trip to Seattle based on suggestions from other yelpers on a Yelp discussion board. Such a great recommendation, and super place to stay. The place is modern and has a sense of style and flair that is cool but not trying too hard. The people were absolutely friendly as can be, and the room rate is absolutely fair for an independent, boutique style hotel. The location is outstanding. The rooms are modern if a bit on the cramped size. WiFi for $12 bucks per day. read more

Average quality, way over priced, less than "ok" customer service, small rooms, decor is less than desirable. Elevators are EXTREMELY small, we literally had to wait for a 5th time for it to open in order to fit 2 people with 4 suit cases. Wouldn't stay here again, nor would I recommend it. read more

Just stayed in the Hotel Max while in Seattle to see Last Comic Standing. Honestly, everything was just fine. And for every high point, there was a very low point. Example: High Point - The room was clean, comfy, and had some great art on the wall. Low Point - They just happened to put us in the room next to the 20-somethings who felt the need to party until 4:30am. I called the front desk, who sent someone up to talk to them. Unfortunately, the walls are so paper thin that it didn't matter. The stay-castion package we got was well worth the price. Free parking, $20 toward breakfast, and the room. All for one low price. So, even with the small amount of sleep we got, it was worth the price. And breakfast in the RedFin was great. But more on that in another review... So, if you don't mind a little noise but love a young, hip ambiance and great art, this would be a good place to stay. Unfortunately, if you are a young married couple, in town for a show and some alone time together... Well, not so much. read more

Hotel Max was my home for 4 nights during memorial weekend. I really thank them for helping to make my trip enjoyable and pleasant. Service - 5 stars. The staff is incredibly friendly and hospitable. Always greeted us coming in and out, always opened the door, and was there for any questions we had. The girl at the desk remembered my last name every time I came over after the initial check in. I found that really impressive. Location - 5 stars. You really can't do better. Right in the heart of downtown where everything cool is in walking distance - Pike's Place, the Westlake mall (and monorail), main bus stop is right around the corner, starbucks around the corner (though in Seattle the saying there is one on every corner is literally true!!)...oh and you can see the space needle clearly from the street outside. Thanks to the location and pretty efficient bus system in Seattle we were able to enjoy everything there was to offer without getting a rental car. Room - 3 stars. I gotta say, it would be difficult to put a spin on our room situation and call it "cozy." HELLO small. Our bags had no where to go without being tripped over. I had to put the radio under the end table so I could put my toiletries on it (the bathroom only has a bowl sink and no where to put anything). I didn't dig that the shower was external from the bathroom....I'm sure 1/2 of Seattle has now seen me naked. You exit the shower, and if your windows are open you better not be shy because you are instantly in full view. You also better be comfortable with the person you are staying with for that reason because it's a bit of a pain to towel up and migrate into the tiny bathroom. Though I'm guessing a room that includes an intimacy kit for purchase would assume that. We had the "Queen of Art" room btw. I got a peek into a King room and it did look much more spacial so it might be worth it to pay the extra $20 or whatever if you are claustrophobic like me. I'm not sure what the solution would be for the space issue but some sort of space saver bathroom shelves or something would be nice to allow you to store more than your toothbrush on the ity bity sink top. I ended up having to put my makeup on next to the bed in order to have a mirror and a tabletop next to each other. Comfort & atmosphere: 4 stars. Once you get over the initial shock of how small the room is, you get used to it and find a way to feel at home. The bed was really comfortable and I slept like a bebe. I was surprised that with our room facing the street it was actually really quiet. We had peaceful nights the entire time. Of course the hotel is known for it's artistic vibe and it definitely has that. I loved the outside doors of all the rooms, the dark neutral paint inside, the naked mannequin door keys...I mean 'unique' really only scrapes the surface in describing the look & feel. Price: 3.5 stars. The regular price room is a tad ridiculous IMO...esp. for the queen room like we had which was the size of a cruise ship cabin. You can't beat the location and I get that. The staff is professional and everything is chic. But do try to hit it up during a promotion. We got the $99 a night special for all but one night and that included free wifi and valet parking. Oh and chocolate truffles...that was the most important inclusion of course. And drum roll please...my math skills tell me my score card ave comes out to 4.1 stars. So that is what I will give. See? Don't you see the tiny sliver I added on the 5th star? You don't? Hmm you might want to see the optometrist about that. So do I recommend Hotel Max? Absolutely. But get a promo because $160 for a shoe box is not ideal. read more

See Dubs and I stayed here the night of our wedding. We wanted to have a nice locale for a mini "staycation" before getting back to real life and cleaning our apartment after all the post wedding madness and visitors and errands to run. We really couldn't have been happier with our stay. The staff were exemplary, the room comfortable and well appointed, and the complimentary brunch at the Miller's Guild was beyond fantastic. I loved the pillow menu, the beyond comfortable bed, the cozy bathrobes, the rock and roll themes of the rooms, the shower was fantastic, and the free bottle of prosecco (that came with the "romance package" we booked) was lovely. My only complaint about our stay is the friendly little note they leave for their guests upon arrival to their room was for someone else! I'm sure whoever happened to get our note had a great visit as well. read more

This hotel is very New York-esque. This means the rooms are TINYYYY. It's not a terrible thing though. If you just need a place to sleep and shower, this is the perfect hotel for you. The bathrooms however, are tiny, tiny, tiny. You can only spin yourself in a small circle in there. VERY small. The hotel decor is very modern. All the hallways are pretty dark with cool doors. The lobby is small, but It's a nice hotel. The bad things about this hotel... The elevator is SO ridiculous tiny, there were many times where we had to skip the elevator because we couldn't fit with ONE other person who had one luggage. It was RIDICULOUSS. Also, for some reason, our room key kept not working on us. We would leave and go have dinner, come back the room key didn't work, we had to wait for the elevator and go back down the lobby to get it fixed. This happened at least 3 times during our stay. The plus side is that it is walking distance from everything. But beware it gets really dead around this area at night. Many times we wanted to do stuff at night without having to hail a cab (there were barely any), but everything seemed so dead. read more

Hotel Max - Standard room - Hotels Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Small rooms. Got a mystery charge on my credit card after I checked out. Book at your own risk on how much they will actually charge you for your stay. read more

On my Uber ride to the hotel I just happened to read the first couple reviews of the place since I already knew I would be staying here. The first review came up and it was my buddy Ruggy J, giving the place 2 stars and rambling on about how it was so strange that in the rooms the showers and bathrooms were in separate rooms. "How odd" I thought, after we had checked in and I threw myself down on the comfy bed. On our 9th floor room with a cool view of downtown, the toilet was for sure in the same room as the shower. It was not until much later I found out there are some rooms on the lower floors that are smaller and have the said showers separate from the toilets, I had to laugh. So tip number 1: Get yourself a room on the 9th floor. It is an old boutique hotel, so the rooms will not be big, but at least you can poop and shower in the same bathroom. You will also have a cool view of the surrounding buildings in the area. Tip number 2: Every afternoon from 5:30 to 6:30 take advantage of the free beer happy hour. Chat it up with you hosts in the ultra hip lobby as they pour you local beers on the house. Im serious about chatting it up with the hosts, not only were they great people, they are very knowledgable with the city and will gladly give you advice and point you in the direction of whatever your interests are. Also, keep them talking and they will keep the beers coming. Tip number 3: Every day you you opt out on having them clean your room, they give you $5 credit towards the honor bar in your room. How rad is that? Overall, I really did enjoy my stay here. Very cool and hip look that constantly reminds you that you are not staying at a stale corporate giant. A nice comfortable lobby/lounge to hang out in that contains a small Nirvana museum. The restaurant , Millers Guild, is actually really good too. The place is pretty central to most tourist attractions as well. A must stay especially if its your first time in this city. read more

After reading some of the other reviews on Yelp I'm wondering if I stayed at the same Hotel Max they reviewed. The address is the same but my impression of the place was certainly not. My wifey and I broke free for our annual "adult getaway," where we leave the teenagers to trash our house while we play tourist in our own beautiful city. It's a great tradition and I recommend it to every married couple on the planet...the getaway, that is, not the teenagers. Now, finally, on to the review. First of all...the name. Hotel Max? You have to be kidding me. I think Hotel Mini is more like it. I have slept on beds that were larger than the square footage of our entire room. We literally could not walk past each other in our cramped little room. I mean...the idea of our getaway is to be together, but this took it to a ridiculous level. And then there was the bathroom. The first thing I said to my wife when I opened the door was, "Honey, there's no phone in this phone booth." The toilet paper dispenser, which was hanging onto the wall for dear life by one remaining screw, was no doubt dislodged by someone who made the mistake of trying to turn around while actually standing IN the bathroom. By the way, the bathroom has no tub or shower either. The shower is in another converted closet next to the bathroom. Literally. It's a closet with a drain and tile on the walls. And by the way part two, the shower in our room didn't dispense hot water...but what can one expect for a closet that's been transgendered into a shower? I might expect to stay in a place like Hotel Max if I was trying to tour Europe on $50 dollars a day...and it was in a place like...Romania...let's say. But for what they're charging, and pretending to be...this is a seriously flawed hotel concept. read more

If I didn't have to sit at an angle to use the toilet, Hotel Max would deserve 5 stars. More on that after I tell you why it's awesome. Hotel Max is a Provenance Hotel, the makers of Tacoma's famous and awesome Hotel Murano. They've both got the same fantastic style. Lots of black and white art, bold red in lots of places, fantastic modern fixtures, and a certain level of inexplicable awesomeness. As a serial priceliner, Hotel Max made it happen in a big way. $55 for a Saturday night (it's a 3 star). It may not account for much, but I enjoy the fact that the manager seems to send feedback to everyone who posts a yelp review (responded to mine in about 12 hours). The room is certainly small, but it manages to feel cozy as opposed to cramped. The bed is comfortable and sports some fantastic sheets. A huge mirror on one of the walls is a great touch, especially given the lack of bathroom space. About that... the size of the bathroom is a little absurd. When I sat on the toilet I was given 2 options. Either have the sink in between my legs and my head very nearly in said sink or angle myself a little bit and make everything just feel a little... off. This is obviously no tragedy, just a slight bummer. Should you be in my position and see Hotel Max pop up from Priceline, rest assured, you got the best possible spot. read more

I love this hotel! The interior design of the hotel is very trendy and the building itself is beautiful. When we asked the receptionist when the building was built she knew the complete history of it, which isn't super common showing that they care about the little aspects. The shower and bathroom in the room require a step up so they aren't completely wheelchair accessible but it gives the room a lot of character! And our room was relatively inexpensive compared to other Seattle hotels. I will definitely be staying here again! read more

I've stayed in many "nice" expensive hotels, and never really understood where the value was. This is about a mid-range hotel by price, but a top notch hotel in service! I have never been to another hotel with a "pillow menu" (This is more than just soft and firm: they have body pillows, reading pillows, etc.). Also, instead of a staring Gideon's Bible, Hotel Max offers a Spirituality menu for some late night reading of the Bhagavad Gita, or whatever your chosen fun is. The bathroom on a king room is large. Though there is no tub, there is more than enough room for two in the shower. Staying here next time I'm in Seattle. read more

They took an older, small hotel (The Vance) and made it current, modern, and quirky, thanks to the infusion of the work of local and national artists. The artwork can be found inside the rooms and outside too. On our floor, the exit door was painted red and it had an eye chart on it. It was cool to look down the hall and see that. The location was also very convenient as we could walk to Pike Place Market or to the downtown shopping area in less than 15 minutes. Of course there was a Starbucks across the street. I applaud them for having a Gaycation and a tattoo package. Before the renovation it was a budget hotel and the place had clearly seen better days. Post-renovation, it's hip! read more

Thanks to Yelp, I ended up staying at Hotel Max last week. While there is no bar (I'm a hotel bar connesiour!), the risque artwork and very friendly staff had me a believer from the get-go. Rooms are boutique-sized, but for $159 a night I had a very comfortable king size bed, bathroom with full bath, and a nifty plasma tv. While wireless access was about $12 a night, it was still a good deal, and in a perfectly central location to the many places I wanted to be near. I would definitely stay here on a return visit! read more

Hotel Max was my first stop on a recent trip to Seattle, my first time in the Pacific Northwest. The hotel has a super convenient downtown location, just two blocks from the Westlake light rail station that takes you directly to the airport or Amtrak station for just $2. The property is pretty hip, arty and quirky too as most boutique hotels tend to be (very small bathrooms), but newly renovated, clean and comfortable. All the sights of Seattle are within walking distance and there is a good Japanese restaurant (Red Fin) in the lobby with great happy hours. Hotel Max is a stylish alternative to the other big chain hotels and the service was just fine. I would stay there again any time. read more

My boyfriend and I, like many other people, decided to head to Seattle for Memorial Day weekend. We were also a pair of many who took advantage of the $99 a night special with free valet parking and wifi. And I'm glad for the free parking because otherwise, whoa! It's $30 a night. The staff were friendly and helpful. However, we didn't ask for too much direction from then on attractions to see or restaurants to try after being directed to a national chain restaurant when we asked where could get some good late-night food nearby. We consulted Yelp and the free weeklies after that! But they were helpful in providing maps and giving walking directions to a few things. The location was pretty stellar. While it's I guess technically located in Belltown, we were pretty close to the central Downtown area, as well as Queen Anne and Capitol Hill. The boyfriend and I tried to walk to as many places as we could to avoid the hassle of looking for street parking or a parking garage, but we did take the car out a few times and I personally found the valet to be a bit slow at times, but what you gonna do? Just be conscious of the fact that you need to call 10 minutes ahead of when you want to leave and prepare to wait for another 5-10 after that 10 is up! As far as the room, I didn't feel like ours was too small, as other people seem to feel. I came expecting it to be a bit on the smaller side, knowing the Hotel Max is in an older building that's been remodeled to be modern and lovely. And well, it was modern and lovely. And bigger than I had expected, too. We had a corner room, so maybe that's why. I got a peek into another room that looked a wee bit smaller that was adjacent. We had a giant bed with luxurious pillows (and the pillow menu, which I did not take advantage of, but might next time because the pillows were a bit on the soft side for me). There was a desk and an LCD TV, plus lots of windows and natural light. Though, upside/downside to the windows; hello world if you're changing/naked and forget to uh, lower the shades, as well as brightness from the city lights at night. We were only on the 2nd floor, so we also got a bit of noise from the restaurant below which also sucked, but turning the radio on helped to cancel out the street noise. Yes, the bathroom was on the small side, but living in small apartments for the last 3 years I'm used it it. In fact, I think the bathroom in the room was bigger than the one I have in my residence currently! We had a shelf above the sink in our room too, so no lack of space their either. Also, those elevators! Definitely small. They were like clown car elevators. Except you couldn't fit like 12 clowns in there, you could fit maybe 4 people if you didn't have any bags with you. That kind of sucked. But overall, I'm feeling pretty positive on Hotel Max. It was an affordable, plush, chic, boutique hotel with a rock and roll edge and an eclectic vibe. I'm not done with exploring Seattle just yet, and I would definitely stay here again. read more

To be clear, the hotel location is great, and the rooms are totally acceptable, but the service received at Hotel Max, I found to be subpar. My husband and I checked in quite late, just past midnight, so we were tired from flying and our delays that we faced. Check in was not welcoming, as the gentleman had trouble locating our reservation and blamed that 'someone' moved it around. We stood around awkwardly for 15 minutes while he clicked around the computer and essentially mumbled to himself. After being given a room with 2 double beds when I had selected a room with a king, I was essentially lectured that the bed type was not guaranteed, and that I had paid a cheaper rate anyway by booking through a third party. He went on to tell me what their normal rate was, and what I had booked for. Well, good to know you don't care for third party bookings, as I certainly have options when doing so. Hotel Max will give you a $5 honor bar credit for any day that you skip house keeping. Since I don't particularly like someone in the room with all my belongings, this seemed like a win win. All you do is place a placard on the door knob, and the staff in turn slips a little card with the $5 credit under your door. So, by the end of our stay we accumulated 3 of them, and I took the cards down with me when I checked out. The girl at the desk told me I didn't need to bring them, the bar would be reconciled tonight, and then I'd see the remaining balance, after my credit, on my credit card. Hotel Max posted the full purchase price of all the honor bar items that we took. I emailed their front desk for my final bill and didn't hear back from them. Unsurprisingly, when I forwarded my original email back to them and their general manager, I heard back within 2 hours. Turns out our credit from skipping housekeeping was never applied, even though each day was listed on the final bill. it leaves a bad taste in my mouth when one employee tells me how it should work, and then come to find out it didn't work that way, and I have to intervene. read more

*UPDATE*: After many months, the Manager was gracious enough to issue me a refund for the room. I'm extremely pleased that the management has followed up with his customers concerns and addressed them even half a year later : ) * Held a bachelorette party here and it was a good experience. The hotel itself is a little pricey but it's an art hotel and my friend has a thing for art. I booked it for about $200 per night. I arrived early and got an early checkin for 9am! Kudos to the hotel for the early checkin. what I don't understand are the size of the rooms. I booked 2 rooms with two beds and the one in the corner that I got was TINY. I assumed all rooms were like that until I saw the other girls' room and it was HUGE in comparison (really regular sized for any city). So if you end up with one of the smaller rooms it seriously is a bad deal for 200$. The hotel staff were nice, but nobody went out of their way to congratulate the bride or the party etc. Tips: - hotel parking is 35$ in and out. park at the lot RIGHT beside the hotel- much cheaper - local calls are NOT free - I got a mysterious 7$ charge on my credit card even AFTER the front desk told me there would be no charges. Because it's a long distance call for me to complain about it I decided to just do nothing. Wasn't happy about that. I suggest you double check your credit card etc. the location is pretty excellent- close to everything you would want to see downtown and very close to bus lines to go to capitol hill, fremont, and ballard. Overall? Not worth the price. But all was good. read more

The reviews on trip advisor are bogusly inflated; what you see here is Yelp is closer to reality. One could argue the hotel is overpriced, but at what price do you accept a noisy, uncomfortable, cramped experience? The actually give you earplugs so they know it's noisy! And we're not just talking about street noise from the windows with no screens, we're talking about hearing your neighbor's conversations and sexual adventures. There are no drawers for your stuff, the rooms are tiny, the a/c is a noisy window unit and not central and the halls are a creepy dimly lit cave. Oh and even the window shades are off center so when the sun comes up its right in your face (don't even think about sleeping in). There are far better choices than this place. I would go so far as to say the great reviews on trip advisor appear to be from paid reviewers. read more

We stayed here for 3 nights with some overseas guests. Im in the travel industry and typically I stay in larger, chain hotels. After this stay I definitely see the appeal of staying in a boutique hotel. The front desk staff were really friendly and would talk to us when we stopped for the free craft beer happy hour or when we were breezing through. The location is great and the rooms, although small, did the trick. We travel to Seattle a fair bit and will probably make this our go to property from now on. Ps there are free gum balls in the lobby! read more

Hotel Max is as all the other Yelpers described- on the one hand, it is a chic, trendy boutique hotel with an interesting art collection that certainly is an upgrade from the boring old pastel seacapes you generally see in other hotels. The hotel is certainly geared towards adults- the first thing you see when you walk into the lobby is a painting of a nude woman. On the other, the hotel has miniscule rooms where you feel shoe-horned in- the restroom is teensy tiny, the closet is a joke, and there is very little floor space. 4 stars for a hotel that is convenient to all downtown sights. Pike Place Market is about a 5-10 minute walk away while the convention center is 4 blocks over. Everything in the room is pretty clean- you just have to be creative about the space. Love the eye charts on each floor! read more

There's nothing like a large nude photo to hit you smack-dab in your grill the first time you walk into a hotel lobby. It obviously tells you that this isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill travel accomodation with snot-nosed toddlers running around crying and screaming, and that's a good thing. My wife and I booked a short getaway trip to Seattle, and I decided to book Hotel Max mainly because of it's great central location and competitive rates. It's only minutes away from Pike Place and only a bit longer walk to Seattle Center. The rates on the web were attractive compared to others in the area, especially for a very comfortable king sized bed. We even got a nice welcome card, accompanied with some Chukar cherries and a bottle of wine. And it couldn't get any better than the view from our room -- the Seattle skyline with the Space Needle in the background. Sure, the rooms are small. The LCD TV is utterly outdated and the stainless steel bathroom sink looks like it belongs at a dentistry. But with the chic and contemporary decor, b&w photography on the doors, friendly service, and of course that photo with the exposed boobies in the lobby, it definitely made our stay more memorable. Instead of wondering which beige hotel chain we stayed at, we'll definitely remember the colorful Hotel Max in Seattle. read more

I feel like B-list celebrities--maybe the cast of the Jersey Shore--would think this place is THE MOST. It is super-ultra-trendy. We ended up here by accident in the middle of the night. We laughed hysterically when we approached our room and saw that our door was covered with a life-sized poster of that guy who wears the Darth Vader mask and plays the violin (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google it). The room was tiny but well-furnished and very clean. We called housekeeping at an absolutely ridiculous hour to order different pillows from the pillow menu (hypo-allergenic, y'all). They brought them with a minimum of sass. The bathroom was possibly the tiniest place I have ever peed. I could have sat on the toilet with my feet in the shower and washed my hands in the sink at the same time without any effort. This place is ridiculously expensive--over $300 a night--so I probably wouldn't choose it again. But if I were to find myself stranded again, it'd do. At least for a laugh. read more

Most important thing: location! Fantastic place right in the heart of downtown with easy walking to Pike's Place and retail shopping, as well as public transit. Valet parking only...is $30/night. There were 2 of us in a room with 2 beds and space wasn't an issue, and as you would expect in a small hotel in the city. I think I could have parked a block or 2 away in one of the pay lots for far less, but it was unlimited in and out service. Got my Thurs/Fri night stay for just $75 via Priceline name your price and it was a steal. Comfortable beds, tons of pillow variety, Aveda bath products (don't know why one person thought these were low end-also the sushi restaurant was open and we were there a few days later). We had two beds and plenty of space. Very "hip" artsy with fantastic books in the lobby. Business center where you can print boarding passes and use for a short period for free. Staff ok, but not like you expect as far as friendliness in a boutique hotel-basically just giving us our keys and bill upon departure, nothing more, nothing less. Free wifi was a nice surprise and not promised on web. Negative: NOT ENOUGH TOWELS. What is it with these places in the Pacific Northwest that only give 2 towels for 2 people? Housekeeping didn't have our room ready on our 2nd day until almost 4 pm, and we were our of the room before 8 am. Really? Bathroom is tiny, but clean. My key card kept malfunctioning and had to be reprogrammed 2x to operate the elevator. I'm not sure if it's worth the regular rate. $149 is what was on price line and groupon plus the parking. I'd definitely stay again for the downtown location. Free wi fi was a nice bonus. read more

I mean, we knew what we were getting into when we decided to stay here, what with the pillow and spirituality menus and "punches of tangerine orange and tomato red accents." The fact is Hotel Max seems to run cheaper than comparable hotels, and sometimes you could do with a punch of tangerine-orange and tomato-red accents. I'm happy to report the room was a nice size (9th floor, corner pocket) and the beds were totally heavenly in the fluffy-cloud kind of way, and there was Aveda in the bathroom, and the place totally delivered on the (super-contrived) black-and-hot-pink provocative vibe they're trying so hard to put out ("we put picture of naked bodies on our key cards!! I dare you not to blush!"). So. I'm not going to take stars off for it simply not being my cup of tea, but I am going to take stars off for less than warm and friendly service at the counter and $30 valet service (we originally pulled dude's jalopy into the valet area all Beverly-Hillbilly style (our truck kind of jumps and sputters while idle? Sometimes a chicken flies out from where Grandma's sitting in a rocking chair in the back?) until I had the good sense to inquire about the cost--am I horribly naive? Are they really going to charge us that much to have that guy drive our car around the corner to park it?). And DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on the $6.00 bottles of water. Dear hotels in general, I feel I pay you enough money to be able to partake in a free glass of water. C'mon, Max. Don't play me like that. read more

We had a great stay at Hotel Max. It is in a great location and the beds are comfortable. They also have Wallter/Fold bedding (which is a great company made in the USA). BONUS! The staff was super friendly. The room was kind of small and the shower was in a closet-- which was a bit strange. Each floor has a theme- we were on the music floor which had great graphics of concerts on the doors. Overall- a good place to stay when in Seattle. The wifi is paid- but they gave it to us for free. read more

It's easy to love your hotel when you get a ridiculously good deal on the room. I paid something like $129 (cheaper than the blah Hampton Inn), so I really couldn't complain about anything for that price. But lets say I did pay full price...here's the stuff that kind of bugged: - elevator is EXTREMELY slow. I was on the second floor and sometimes it would take like 3 whole minutes to get up to me. Grrrr. - rooms and bathrooms are more-than cozy. I guess it works if you're going to be out and about, and just come back to your room to crash, but if you like to stretch, space is a little tight. - a bit noisy because of the downtown location, but if you're used to the city sounds you'll feel right at home. So, besides those minor details...location is ideal for shopping and sightseeing, and a few blocks from I-5 if you're running around on business. According to my local friend, the hotel restaurant - Red Fin - is some of the best sushi in town. Yeah, sushi was good and fresh, but the so-called Happy Hour deals were nothing to write home about. The staff was very accommodating, and seem to like to get to know their guests (in a friendly, non-invasive way). Oh, and of course, the decor is very artsy. Almost the entire hotel is done in black, with huge pieces of art on every wall and works by local artists in each room. Yeah, you'll feel pretty cool if you stay here...especially if you steal a deal on Orbitz. read more

I had one of the worst and most embarrassing experiences when I stayed at Hotel Max with a co-worker while in town for a trade show. I chose the place because I found a great deal online, it was close to the convention center, and it seemed like the nicest place I could find for the $. Now I will apologize ahead of time for the length of this review but I just can't leave any disgusting detail out. So my co-worker is my age (20-something) and female and to save $ I reserved and double bed room. Upon arriving to the hotel, we walk into the hotel lobby and smack dab in front of us is this ENORMOUS life-like portrait of a naked lady with a naked man lying in her lap. To preface this, I am an art junky and can appreciate a nude portrait just like the next person but this one just seemed a little out of place and slightly inappropriate considering the circumstances. To top it off, this wasn't the only nude portrait in the lobby. My co-worker and I couldn't help but uncomfortably giggle when we first walked in. Once we received our key and headed to our room we noticed that all the hotel doors have these eerie back and white photos of broken statues or mangled manikins that made me reminiscent of the Shining or the Twilight zone... just bizarre. So we settle in our room and then head out for a bite to eat (the Pink Door which was a recommendation to us by the concierge... and will be another yelp review). After dinner and a very long day we were ready to call it a night. I immediately crawled in my bed while my co-worker went through her nightly beauty rituals. When she finally started to pull back the covers to get her bed, she found a very long dark hair on her pillow... EEWWW! **Disclaimer: If this alone makes you queezy, please don't read farther!!** She then continued to pull back the sheets trying to convince herself that maybe A hair was not that bad and something that she could get over. We then both screamed in horror to not find another hair but several other PUBIC looking hairs. DISGUSTING!!! To make matters worse there appeared to be an old stain on one of the sheets for God only know what! We were both embarrassed and horrified beyond belief. After calming down enough to call the front desk to notify them of the situation, they moved us to a large room and gave us a cheap bottle of merlot as some sort of consolation gift. I had fully expected them to comp the room after such a horrific experience but that was not the case. I will NEVER stay at Hotel Max and I highley discourage anyone else from doing the same!!! EWWWWWW read more

I heart this hotel. It's an historic building, so the space is uber tight, but man they've done good work with it. It's visually stunning. Sexy, lots of red and black, and amazing black&white portraits blown-up to cover the room doors on every floor. It's a very gritty aesthetic - I personally find it f'en HOT. Rooms are sexy and efficient. You will find a vibrator called the "mini max" available for purchase in your room. Yay! And the front desk has a Hubba Hubba kit with all sorts of delights including pink fur-lined handcuffs. Zoiks! There's also a pillow menu, a spiritual menu, a great restaurant downstairs, and occasional rock stars milling about the lobby. I saw Megadeth sitting on the couches and about peed my pants. Dave Mustaine? Are you kidding me? I was suddenly snapped back to my 8th grade Headbanger's Ball watching, stone-washed Levi wearing, Aqua Net supporting self. His hair is AWESOME in person, in case you're wondering. I've referred many friends to this hotel and they've always been psyched. But, the rooms are rather tight, so if you require tons of space, look elsewhere. Location to downtown attractions A+. read more

I had a great experience in this hotel. I stayed for 4 nights and there was no problems at all. This hotel is a whole lot of style for not that much money. Like the W without the attitude. I loved that the hotel had personality, had character and that you knew you were in seattle when you woke up. the desk staff was friendly enough and offered plenty of suggestions for dining options. the business center conveniently had a printer that allowed me to print my boarding pass a day before my flight. pillow menu, mattress and fluffy towels felt luxurious. the very best thing about hotel max in the location. close to EVERYTHING. seriously, it was so easy to get to and from the airport. to walk to all the places to see and to take the bus to wherever you want to go. minus one star for having to pay for internet, for not having a cool roof area to hang at and for their heater system that will dry out your mucus membranes as you sleep. regardless, i would stay here again and definitely recommend it to my friends. read more

I honestly don't think we could've picked a better hotel if we tried. Everything was amazing! We got in late Thursday evening and by the time we checked in at 10:30 we were both exhausted and starving. The girl at the front desk not only suggested places to get delivery from but she even printed off directions to a few different places that might be open for a late night dinner. The next night when we swung down to the lobby for the complementary happy hour (YES FREE BEER) the gentleman pouring the beer started telling us about all the local breweries and even emailed us a copy of a little pub crawl we could do in the Ballard neighborhood. Those 2 encounters were just a preview of the friendly staff employed at Hotel Max. We had read reviews of this hotel online prior to booking and read that many of the complaints were about the size of the rooms. Let me begin by saying, yes the rooms are a little small. Yes the bathrooms are a little strange, with the toilet and sink being in one room and the shower in another. Both rooms are about the size of a closet. But honestly, the rooms and bathroom(s) aren't as small as everyone made them out to be. We still had plenty of room to move around comfortably and for the most part we weren't in our rooms that much. You're there to explore the city and to have fun. If you're here simply to hole up in your room, then yeah maybe this isn't for you. But for what you might think Hotel Max lacks, they have SO much more to offer! We've already decided that when we come back to visit Sesttle this is where we'll stay. There's absolutely nothing to complain about and everything to fall in love with. read more

Hotel Max is located pretty centrally downtown Seattle. Great location. Hotel Max has a hip feel to it that makes you curious to explore. Great vibe. Hotel Max has clean rooms with pillow menu, flat screen tv, Aveda products and a complete (but very expensive) honor bar. Great comfort. The Red Fin is attached to the Hotel and easily accessed through an awesome door. We frequented the bar a lot! Great convenience. Minus one star because the bathroom was quite tiny and had little to no counter space. I would recommend this hotel. It was a fun place to stay and reasonably priced. read more