Under-$80 Hotel/Motel/Bed and Breakfast in Seattle?

August 17, 2004 9:08 AM

Cheapish (under $80) hotel/motel/B&B in Seattle?

I'm looking for any central neighborhood or outskirts of town, something safe and un-seedy, but character would be nice. No hostels.

Not sure this is the place for this kind of question, but I need a place tonight and tomorrow and google/travel site searching is a little overwheming.

posted by kmel to travel & transportation around Seattle, WA (11 answers total)

Have you tried hotels.com or priceline?
posted by mathowie at 9:22 AM on August 17, 2004

Just checked Expedia - Holiday Inn Express Seattle looks like your best option for hotels.
posted by falconred at 9:39 AM on August 17, 2004

If you're willing to go up a bit on price the Ace Hotel [$95, in Belltown just north of downtown] is a very design-y European style [bathrooms down the hall] lodgings with a hipster sort of aesthetic, walking distance from downtown Seattle and on a half dozen bus lines. Seattle Citysearch has listings for budget hotels. Of these, I'd suggest The Pension Nichols [$90, right downtown] and The Moore Hotel [eerily cheap, also downtown]. They're both in basically safe, though urban, neighborhoods, so they may be a little noisy, but well-located for whatever else you'll be doing.
posted by jessamyn at 9:39 AM on August 17, 2004

Mathowie, hotels.com was giving me slim pickens. Jessamyn, thanks for the "budget hotel" tip (I was searching for "cheap" and "inexpensive," which yields decidedly different results!). I'll check out those places downtown.
posted by kmel at 9:53 AM on August 17, 2004

Plus, in case you go off the list and start calling around, I'd avoid anything on Aurora Avenue since they won't fit your "not seedy" criteria, even though they can be quite appealing from the outside.
posted by jessamyn at 10:10 AM on August 17, 2004

My wife (then g.f.) stayed at the Ace Hotel a couple of years ago and it was pretty nice. Very clean, and there were plenty of showers with no wait (although shared, there are 5 or 6 large bathrooms with showers on the main floor).
Also, the restaurant below the hotel is pretty good.
The only problem was parking. The hotel has an arrangement with some nearby lots but it was still a bit of a hassle. Street parking was not allowed overnight (I think), or maybe just hard to find. Still you do not really need a car there (as noted).
posted by evilelf at 10:31 AM on August 17, 2004

If you don't mind a European-style hotel (shared bathrooms), I recommend The College Inn, in the University District. It's clean and comfortable, has tons of character, is centrally located, and is a great deal at $50/night. Plus, there's an excellent Pub in the basement.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:49 AM on August 17, 2004

I've stayed at the Moore a couple times in my poorer days - it's run down but not too seedy, and definitely preferable to the other $40/night european-style hotel down the street (The Commodore?). But if you've got the money, spring for the Ace - it's aces.
posted by Gortuk at 3:08 PM on August 17, 2004

For ANY city, go to Bidding for Travel and find out what things are going for on Priceline. It is absolutely one of the most valuable travel tools out there. I got a four star hotel on Michigan Avenue in Chicago for $46/night using it. I have used it for out of town guests coming into LA as well.
posted by jonah at 4:10 PM on August 17, 2004

Respectfully, the College Inn is not centrally located, unless you are interested in the University District. It is a 20 minute bus ride north of downtown. The pub is excellent, though.

As for recommendations, I am no help. Being a resident, I have had no occassion to stay in a hotel.
posted by tomharpel at 7:27 PM on August 17, 2004

Follow-up: we stayed at the Moore. Great location, bare-bones, safe, cheap, very friendly, but parking is a hassle (did free street parking at night and fed the meters in the morning till we took off for the day). Most of the other guests were young couples like us. Because of the downtown location and the heat (their only AC is open windows and a small fan) earplugs were vital for a good night's sleep. I would definitely recommend it though.

Thanks everyone!
posted by kmel at 9:48 AM on August 22, 2004