Three stars all around, but five stars for location and convenience! Truly, this hotel is exactly…read morewhat you hope it would be as far as convenience. I must add that it is convenient if you are physically capable of walking without assistance.
If you are arriving into SeaTac airport, you follow the directions toward the skybridge that takes you by the same light rail station that would take you to downtown Seattle. Once you get to the light rail station, follow the next skybridge that has stairs and an elevator that brings you down to street level (International Blvd). The hotel is right across the street.
We were told they do have a shuttle to the airport to take you door to door, but we did not use it. Our hotel room was right by the exit door that faced the entrance to the skybridge that takes you to both the light rail station and the airport terminal.
The hotel itself is fine. It's nice, but not super fancy. It has everything you need (except a pool to swim in, but I'll get to that). It has an onsite restaurant (Spencer's Steak and Chops) that is open for lunch and dinner. There is a cafe-style area that serves coffee, tea, and a few breakfast items like pastries, a breakfast sandwich, and a breakfast burrito. There are also some grab and go items. There is no free breakfast option, so that is something to consider.
The hotel room itself is fine also. Not fancy and new, but also not old. It was clean and it is average all around. It did have everything we need, but I did notice that there was no extra toilet paper in the bathroom. There was always only the roll (which was not a full roll) on the dispenser.
There is a nice garden area with seating and plenty of areas indoors to sit whether it's to read a book or just need some breathing space outside your room.
I used the fitness center which was great. You have to walk across the lobby area and through another part of the hotel where the conference rooms are to get to it. There were plenty of options like treadmills, exercise bikes, weights, etc. There is a restroom, towels, and water.
This is also where you would walk to get to the pool area, which we did not get to until the third day of our stay. (We stayed 5 days/4 nights). The Seattle area was quite warm (low 80s F) when we went (mid-late August), so we were really looking forward to taking a cool dip in the pool. It was after 7pm and there was no one in the pool area except for a woman who was sitting on a lounge chair reading a book or on her phone. I wondered if it would be busy with families/children, but it wasn't. Perhaps it was dinner time. As we approached the pool, we saw that it was filthy. It was either really dirty or the bottom of the pool was stained black. My daughter and I both looked at each other not knowing what to say other than there was no way we were getting in. She took several photos. We were extremely disappointed.
We left to go back to our room, but not without me waiting in line with people who were checking in to the hotel so that I could report the unusable swimming pool. There was only one hotel staff at the desk with quite a few folks in line, so by the time I got up there, the person apologized and that was it. I asked if I could leave message for management about the pool and I gave my room number.
I don't know if it ever got to anyone, but the next morning on the way to the fitness center, I stopped at the front desk again and spoke to the person there. This time I had someone a bit more receptive, he apologized for the unacceptable nature of the pool (I showed him the photos), and was given a discount for that day (and only that day).
I would probably stay here again if I am considering whether or not I have transportation when I'm visiting. The cost would also need to be factored in. We did have a day that we hopped on the light rail to downtown Seattle, and that was super convenient. I was hoping for a bit more out of a Hilton, but it was fine. Three stars.
