Lotte Hotel Seattle

Lotte is an excellent hotel with outstanding service and atmosphere. This is hospitality done with class. All the staff (door, desk, lounge, restaurant) were friendly and helpful. The lounge area is a great place for happy hour from 3-6pm with a buzzing but relaxed vibe. Saturday night was even better with live music! Housekeeping is prompt and thorough. There are mirrors throughout the property and never once did I see as much as a fingerprint. The men’s sauna area has both dry and steam sauna. The only criticism I have of my entire stay is in this area. The showers in the sauna area were not replenished with soap. I alerted the sauna desk staff, but the issue remained over several days. I also thought the steam shower could have used a bit of freshening up. But this being the only minor smudge on a truly excellent one week stay speaks to the high bar set throughout the rest of the property. I will stay here every time I am in Seattle!

The room was one of the best I have ever experienced. Quiet in the middle of downtown, room to floor windows. Absolutely stunning decor. Arthur the bellhop was incredibly friendly, however he may have an unconscious bias like many of us do. It felt uncomfortable when my wife asked him a question and he just replied to me, telling me many details. She has a Spanish accent, speaks perfectly fine English. However he wouldn’t look at her when talking…. we think that is why, because it’s happened before. We liked Arthur a lot, but think it’s important for people to be aware of avoiding people who have accents and focusing on those who we are comfortable with. We are all guilty of this, but in his line of business I hope the critique helps others who follow to not feel as uncomfortable.

TL;DR – The Mrs. and I are on an extended trip, but for personal and professional reasons needed to return to Seattle for a few days. As pretty much always, I made my choice of hotel by simply selecting the least expensive Amex Plat Fine Hotels and Resorts property in the area. On this occasion, it was the Hotel Lotte. We needed to make essentially the same trip the very next week, and I wouldn’t have stayed at the Hotel Lotte for free. So, what “circle rating” do you give a property when 1) the property was more than clean, 2) you never in anyway felt unsafe, 3) everyone you dealt with was polite, even if not necessarily competent (shout out to Alexi and Sean on the morning restaurant shift, who were in fact competent) and yet 4) your stay was miserable and frustrating and an absolute non-repeat? I’m going with three circles, but seriously…would not stay here again for free. Would. Not. It started when we first pulled up to the hotel. I get it – there is no laneway or roundabout in front of the hotel, so you can’t handle the valet and guest drop off traffic in the same manner you could if there were. But – you can do better than my experience at the Hotel Lotte… We pull up, and no one comes out to greet us. I wait for a few moments, and then look and see a person standing in the doorway / vestibule. Again, I get it…it is cold and wet and rainy, so they aren’t stations outside. But the guy doesn’t come out – I have to go inside to get him. He looks…dumbfounded….at the idea that I am expecting him to park my car. He keeps asking if I am checking into the hotel. At one point he tells me I should park the car…which he interrupts by standing behind the car. He then decides that HE will park the car. After that, I ask for help with our luggage, which ends up just sitting on the curb. Ultimately, the Mrs., my son and I grab are bags and take them inside, where we find, low and behold, FIVE guys in uniform, all just standing around, some inside the baggage room. They look…dumbfounded…that I am expecting help with my luggage. Finally, someone who is in fact dressed as a bellman appears. Everyday for the next three days versions of this saga repeated itself…I would pull up, there would be no one to take my car, I would go inside, and I’d find two or more persons standing or sitting around, doing NOTHING. After the second occurrence I went to the front desk and asked to speak with the manager. In what was a bizarre case of gatekeeping, the front desk staff both refused to retrieve the manager (Was he in meeting? Was he on property?) and refused to give me his name. They took my number though, and assured me he would call…which he did, right as I got back to the room and sat down. So, back down I went, and we had a nice chat about the valet parking (which he was apologetic for and comped me for one night’s fee), and the general bizarre nature of the hotel (which he didn’t cosign on, but appeared to be sympathetic to). Bizarre you say? Well yes. In my mind’s eye, standing in the doorway of the room, working right to left… 1) Refrigerator has no handle. Not at all obvious how to open it. Wasn’t just me – Mrs. made the same comment 2) Ice bucket has no lid. My first thought was that this must have been an oversight, that the lid to MY ice bucket was missing. No, that is the “design”, no lids for the ice bucket. This is an ongoing theme, the “design” being treated as more important than convenience or functionality or common bleeping sense. Anyway, as you can imagine, the “ice” bucket doesn’t hold “ice” for very long. 3) Bed is located on the wrong wall. Of all the manners the bed could have been oriented, it is on the shortest wall in the room, meaning that there is barely room to squeeze on to the bed from the other side. My wife spends 3 days shuffling sideways to get into bed. 4) The pretty, pretty desk has a perfectly smooth marble-like surface. What does that mean, boys and girls? That right...a mouse WON’T WORK. 5) The desk also has a large mirror located above it. And in the center of that mirror is where the TV is mounted. Meaning, there is no watching TV from the desk, and there is no working at the desk of someone wants to watch TV. 6) The mirrors – they are everywhere. Six multi-tiled, floor to ceiling mirrors. I was told by the manager that this was part of the design theme. The entry to the bathroom? Mirrored. No door, mind you (yes, you read that correctly – no bathroom door), but the entry / arch way? Mirrored. 7) There is more bathroom mirror specialness. The water closet – where the commode is located? Mirrored. Both sides. Yes, you can either stare at your phone or stare yourself in the eye as you take a poop. There is even a mirror carefully located so that you can look yourself in the eye as you stand and take a leak. Genius. Can’t take your phone into the shower though…so you are forced to look at your less than bikini body form as you shower. That is right…the inside of the shower door…mirrored. Low water pressure, lukewarm water, but hey…there I am in my naked glory. Genius. 8) You know where there ISN’T a mirror though? Over the bathroom sink. That’s right, no mirror to look into as you brush your teeth or do your hair or anything else you might want to stand over the sink and do. Instead, there is a glass wall that looks into the room. So, you know, other people can watch you brush your teeth. Because there is no bathroom door either. But you know what is most excellent about the window to the world that exists instead of a mirror above the sink? It means when your partner gets up at night to use the facilities, should they want to turn on a light it lights up the ENTIRE ROOM (remember, no bathroom door either) The rooms at the Hotel Lotte are the worst example of “design” taking precedence over basic functionality that I have ever seen…ever. It was mind numbing…it was painful…to be staying there. Hence why I would never return, even to stay for free. Yes, the property is very highly rated – it is the number one Seattle hotel on Tripadvisor. I guess my wife and I just aren’t the sort of cool kids who get it. That gawd forsaken room, combined with the poor valet service (reviews on Google of cars being damaged, btw) and the grossly overpriced but yet incompetent meal service at the restaurant… ($500+ for four people at dinner one night, replete with painfully slow service…30 minutes to get a glass of wine…and not one steak or lobster tail ordered. Fish and pasta, chicken and pasta, two orders of short ribs of beef. But what was worse was how after two days of trying, I had to give up on getting eggs over easy…) …means I am never, ever returning to this place. Ever. But hey, a lot of people apparently like it. Perhaps you will too…

Absolutely fantastic stay. A massive thank you to Paul, Yeonsoo, Arthur, and every other staff at this location. It is a stunning hotel, the rooms were spacious and very beautifully designed. We are so thankful for the wonderful service and care from the entire team. We had gotten food poisoning on our last night at the hotel, and the staff were so quick to help us with things that we needed. I am very grateful! Otherwise, breakfast was delicious and had a beautiful view. The drinks at the bar were tasty. Can’t say enough great things about this hotel. We will certainly return! Thank you!

Upon arrival, the welcoming staff is friendly and attentive and the sign-in Lobby desk is located all the way at the top of the 16th floor with stunning views of surrounding buildings downtown Seattle. Antoine assisted me with the check in and he was exceptionally helpful and went above and beyond to make sure I had all the information I needed to help make the stay memorable, including assistance with a reservation to the Restaurant Charlotte. (The Plum Juice offered at sign-in is delicious!)This hotel is elegant without feeling sterile, clean without feeling cheap and comfortable with thoughtful artful touches throughout that offer an extraordinary amount of fun downtown with food and sporting options. The beds are soft, the pillows are comfortable, the bathroom is spectacular! There is lots of mirrors which reflects light and offers different angles for styling/primping. The shower has a rainfall and wall option, the toilet is in a separate space for privacy, the hotel offers a complimentary toothbrush, toothpaste, shower cap, shaving kit, vanity kit and comb. The shampoo, Conditioner, body wash and lotion are Molton Brown London, which offer lovely subtle fragrances. The lighting and privacy controls are a great tool located as you walk in and directly beside the bedside. The hotel room was creatively curated and designed by Philippe Starck and offers additional information to dive in on his vision of the incorporation of nature/function. This hotel feels extraordinarily luxurious and will make your experience one to remember!