Hotel4Real!

Among all the options around the Sea-Tac area. the Aloft was the only one with free parking, hence why I chose to spend my last night in the Seattle area here. Overall I was pleased with the experience, but my expectations weren’t high either.

I arrived by car, and the hotel was very easy to find. Parking was ample, unlike some airport properties I’ve experienced. The front desk associate that checked me in was obviously new and nervous but had the job done more than fine. The hotel had an initiative where elite members can spin a wheel and get points or marketplace items. I was lucky enough to land a 1,000 points bonus, however this was never added to this day – not a huge deal as it was an added bonus anyways.

I was originally given a room with an “airport view” but it turned out to be facing the monorail bridge – turned out the hotel doesn’t really have any room with a view to the airport. After a trip downstairs I was given a room on the other side, and it was exactly the same minus the view.

The room itself was adequate, with all the items and amenities you’d find in a select-service airport hotel room, while the decor reflected Aloft’s more youthful approach, plus some cool local touches. Although if you ask me, some aspects of my room – and by and large, all first-gen Aloft rooms – did not age super well, and seemed cheap. More of a personal preference though.

The bathroom, mini bar area as well as closet were all located in the entrance area. The whole area felt spacious, however I felt the outside half of the space stole too much room from the bathroom itself. That being said, nothing felt claustrophobic thanks to the bright decor and lighting, but I really hated I had no where to put my own bottles in the shower room. This has become more and more common with Marriott’s renovated bathrooms unfortunately.

I left fairly early in the morning around 6, but breakfast surprisingly started even earlier, although it was a grab-and-go station with a staffed “oven operator” in the back to heat up the food if needed. I used my elite breakfast voucher for a bunch of stuff, including two burritos, a few snack options and two drinks. It was a very generous offering, but neither the front desk agent nor the restaurant staff were very eager to help, and I had to keep asking questions to figure out how things worked.

In conclusion, I was happy with how my short stay went at the Aloft SeaTac. It was a perfectly fine and budget-friendly option near SEA with free parking and a shuttle. If you arrive expecting a bed to spend a short layover in, just like any other airport hotels, you won’t leave disappointed as it did the job nicely. However, if you show up looking for “a vision of W Hotels” as advertised, be prepared for a reality check.

RealScore

Service: 7.5

Design and Room Size: 8.0

In-room Amenities: 7

Bathroom Size and Layout: 7

View from (my) Room: 4

Hotel Location: 8

Available Guest Facilities: 6

Food Quality: 7

Food and Beverage Service: 5

Executive Lounge Quality: N/A

Final RealScore: 7.03

Final RealRating: B

Hotel is built/opened: 2017

Total number of rooms: 144

Length of stay: 1 night

Membership level at check-in: Titanium

Room type experienced: Standard Room