#hosted by The State Hotel

Our eighteen-year old niece, Brynn, graduated from high school this year and got to choose any city to visit as her present from the Go and Do Good® Hotel Directory. She immediately chose Seattle, a city she had always wanted to visit.

Upon searching for hotels that give back in the Seattle area, I discovered The State Hotel, a boutique hotel with an amazing location two blocks form Pikes Place Market and other major attractions in Seattle. We were so excited to visit this charming hotel in-person and to highlight the good that it has done for others in the Pacific Northwest.

The State Hotel was as dreamy in-person as it appeared to be on-line, with moody, modern spaces, comfortable linens and a hotel lobby that welcomed all visitors, including our young boys. Location was key at The State Hotel, as we spent our days being tourists in the nearby area. It was so refreshing to know that this comfortable, trendy hotel was waiting for us each night after a long day of sightseeing as a family.

Our favorite things about The State Hotel:

• My husband, Logan, enjoyed having access to the basement gym in The State Hotel. This small, urban space was just enough room for him to get a good workout in in-between meals.
• From our 7th floor elevator we had amazing views of Pikes Place Market and The Great Wheel, the ferris wheel of Seattle. Despite being so close to the action, the rooms and hallways were quiet, providing us some much-needed respite during travels.
• We have stayed at boutique hotels where the boys (ages six and eight) weren’t as welcomed as they were at The State Hotel. The staff was great with our boys, even helping our youngest who managed to slip onto the elevator and get down to the lobby a little earlier than us.
• With many boutique hotels going concierge-less, I was glad to have an employee of The State Hotel on-site at all times at the front desk, providing some extra security and peace of mind to us as travelers from out of state.
• The decor was simple yet it made a big statement. We really liked the modern black and white hues and modern charging stations available in all rooms.

What we missed out on at The State Hotel:

• The lower floor on-site restaurant, Ben Paris, looked and smelled delicious but was not open for the majority of our stay (it is closed currently Monday and Tuesday). We would have loved to try this on-site restaurant that receives great praise in reviews.

Not only is The State Hotel in a great location and good to look at, it also has done so much good in its local Seattle community, too. We witnessed first-hand so many people in need of shelter and food on the streets of Seattle and it was comforting to know that we were choosing to stay at a hotel that cared for its local community.

The State Hotel has been a beacon of positivity throughout COVID-19 in downtown Seattle, sharing an encouraging message to the community: “#WeGotThisSeattle.” The property’s leadership was also out with their families delivering meals from their onsite restaurant, Ben Paris, to those in need.

Additionally, The State Hotel partnered with FareStart, a local non-profit, to offer a free virtual cooking and cocktail class to help bring awareness to that organization and get guests and the community involved. FareStart transforms lives, disrupts poverty and nourishes communities through food, life skills and job training.

A few other tips if you’re headed to Seattle anytime soon:

Logan and I visited over a decade ago as newlyweds without the responsibilities of a dog or children as we have now. We actually visited then for just over twenty-four hours for a wedding which was quite a whirlwind trip considering we were traveling from Florida to Washington State. For this trip, we had a bit more time to explore, so here’s our itinerary and what we enjoyed (or what we’d do differently) in downtown Seattle and beyond:

Have a Picnic in the Park with Views of the Puget Sound: We arrived later our first evening and had a very hard time finding a restaurant that didn’t require reservations in the heart of downtown. We chose to get to-go food from Cutter’s Crabhouse and we ended up thoroughly enjoying the views of ferries going in and out of Puget Sound while we ate our delicious food. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Pike Place Market: This is a no-brainer, but save lots of time for Pike Place Market for exploring. We loved being tourists and walking in and out of shoppes, admiring the big, overgrown local flowers and the fish market. This trip our two favorite spots in Pike Place Market were the smoothie stand located across from the entrance for delicious, fresh fruit smoothies and The Taproom at Pike Place, a fun, local brewery where we go to sample local brews and play cards as a family. While there, be sure to check out the interesting Gum Wall – it was a favorite for our kiddos!

The Seattle Waterfront: One area we really enjoyed this trip was the The Seattle Waterfront, an amusement park-type area with access to the Puget Sound. My niece, oldest son and husband enjoyed a ride on Seattle Great Wheel, the large waterfront ferris wheel. My youngest son and I absolutely loved a simulated ride on Wings over Washington, a fun sampler of the types of ecosystems offered for tourists to the Pacific Northwest. Highly recommend this attraction for young kids (and those young at heart!)

Elliotts Oyster House for Dinner: Crab and salmon were majorly on the to-do list for eating and we enjoyed our waterfront restaurant choice, Elliotts. This restaurant was recommended by the staff at The State Hotel and it did not disappoint. We were able to secure reservations same day for an early time slot. (Get the corn and crab chowder – yum!)

Olympic National Park Tour: Other than the hotel, the highlight of our Pacific Northwest trip was booking an all-day tour with Customized Tours of Seattle to visit the Olympic National Park. Our family always enjoys visiting new national parks when visiting cities and OIympic National Park and this tour did not disappoint. 

A family-run business, Customized Tours of Seattle was run efficiently and provided everything (and more!), that was advertised for a day spent exploring the natural habitats that the outskirts of Seattle has to offer. We began the day by being picked up at The State Hotel and taking a ferry ride through the Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island where the boys looked for sea lions but ended up seeing lots of jelly fish and a porpoise. 

As we journeyed up through small coastal towns taking us not far from the Vancouver, Canada, border, Joel with Customized Tours was informative and so great with our young boys. This group tour focused on three main areas to explore in and near Olympic National Park: Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Beach and Crescent Lake.

Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center was our favorite, providing amazing views of ridged, snow-capped mountains from every angle. It was there that we also saw a black-tailed deer and a black bear out in the wild, providing amazing experiences in nature. We then did a quick stop to experience was a Pacific Northwest beach was like, enjoying looking for crabs and the sea stacks (small mountains) in the ocean at Crescent Beach.

Crescent Lake offered a 2.4-mile hike which was perfect for our young boys and provided them with a world of adventure right at their fingertips. We all enjoyed the secret trails, the moss-covered large trees and the beautiful views of the lake and mountains at Crescent Lake Lodge in the Olympic National Park.

If someone was looking for recommendations on a good hotel to stay in when visiting Seattle, I would hands-down recommend The State Hotel for families and couples. It was a special trip marking a special occasion of my niece graduating high school – one filled with memories that will last a lifetime.