Hyatt Regency Seattle

Rooms and decor

What wins families over here is the room size — wider than the standard at many downtown hotels. The decor is modern and understated, in easy neutral tones, with furniture that looks new and well kept, firm comfortable beds, and big windows that pull the city view right in. For families, the best fit is the 2-Queen-bed room, which lets parents and kids sleep in separate beds without cramming, or, if you want more space, a suite that separates the living room from the bedroom so parents can close the door and rest while the kids stay up in the living room. Bathrooms are clean and modern, and there's plenty of room for luggage and kids' gear. Over a multi-day stay, that openness is the kind of comfort a tight room can't give, and Hyatt-standard housekeeping keeps it consistent.

Food and amenities

As the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest, this place comes with a full set of amenities: a fitness center, an on-site restaurant and bar, and spacious common areas, all to the Hyatt standard. It sits right next to the Washington State Convention Center, which is handy if you're traveling around a conference. One thing to know up front, though, is that there's no swimming pool — a gap families with kids will feel — so if the children want to swim, you'll need to plan that outside the hotel.

Location and getting there

Location is the ace here for sightseeing families, because it sits in the heart of downtown's Denny Triangle, within walking distance of nearly everything. Pike Place Market — the legendary market with its fish-throwing stalls, flower stands, and the first-ever Starbucks — is about an 11-minute walk. The main shopping at Westlake Center and Pacific Place is just 5 to 8 minutes on foot, easy for a family stroll to grab food and souvenirs. The Space Needle, the city's signature tower, is roughly 1 mile away — walkable, or a short Monorail hop. Best of all for families flying in: the Link Light Rail Westlake station runs straight to Sea-Tac airport and is about a 5 to 8 minute walk, so getting into town and back to the airport is easy without a rental car or a pricey taxi. The Seattle Streetcar and several bus lines are nearby too.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The first thing reviews mention often is size and crowds: this is the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest, with more than a thousand rooms, sitting next to the Washington State Convention Center. When a big convention is on, the lobby, lifts, and check-in points fill up and you may wait in line, and the overall feel is a large, systematic hotel rather than the warmth of a small property — if you want quiet and privacy, factor that in. The second is the lack of a pool, which kids usually love, so plan activities outside the hotel instead. The third is parking cost and the wide range of room views: downtown parking runs fairly high by Seattle standards, so budget for it if you drive, and because it's a big building, the view varies a lot by side — rooms that don't face the city may see only the neighboring buildings, so request a high-floor, city-facing room when you book to get the best of what this place offers.

Our take

After reading through a lot of real guest reviews, the Hyatt Regency Seattle is a hotel that sells "wide, modern rooms in the heart of the city" with full confidence. If you're a family that wants open, roomy space without crowding — with both a 2-Queen layout and separate-living-room suites to choose from — where you wake up, open the curtains to the Seattle skyline filling the window, then walk a few minutes to take the kids to Pike Place Market and the shopping, and ride the Light Rail straight to the airport without a rental car, this is a well-rounded, very convenient pick for a downtown family trip. But if you're after a small, cozy, private hotel, or want a pool for the kids, and would rather not hit the convention-day lobby crush, keep that in mind — and don't forget to ask for a high-floor, city-facing room to get the best of the place. Overall we give it 8.6/10, best for families who want a wide downtown room, easy walking around the center, and a smooth trip in and out of the airport.