Thompson Seattle Review

Whether you are looking for an awesome hotel for a weekend in Seattle or are just visiting for one night, The Thompson Seattle is an excellent choice. Located right by Pike’s Place Market, this swanky hotel is very modern and makes you feel right at home.

THOMPSON SEATTLE

The 158 room, twelve story boutique hotel which opened in the summer of 2016 features floor to ceiling windows with incredible views of Pike's Place Market and the waterfront. The first floor of the hotel is home to restaurant Scout PNW and the hotel has a rooftop bar and lounge, the Nest.

The Thompson Seattle is one of the best located hotels in Seattle. Centrally located next to the historic waterfront quarter of Downtown Seattle, the hotel is a short walk from Pike's Place Market. The Thompson Seattle is located within close proximity to excellent Downtown Seattle shopping, restaurants and the monorail which connects downtown to the Seattle Space Needle.

The package we booked included a room upgrade, free breakfast at Scout PNW, two cocktails at the Nest and one-way transportation from the airport. When we arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just before noon on Saturday, our driver was waiting for us. It's about a twenty minute drive from the airport to the Thompson Seattle.

When we arrived at the hotel, the modern was modern, yet elegant and inviting. We were told our room would be ready within thirty minutes so we took the opportunity to grab a quick breakfast at Biscuit Bitch, located directly across from the Thompson Seattle (it's worth the wait - trust us).

THE ROOM

After breakfast when we arrived in our room and we were pleasantly surprised to see that we had been upgraded to a corner suite. The room had an incredible view of of Pike's Place Market and the waterfront (even through the low clouds).

The suite was warm, yet modern and featured two separate rooms, a bedroom and living room. The room also had two full bathrooms.

The living room had several chairs, a comfortable couch, coffee table, flat screen television and minibar.

The bedroom had an extremely comfortable king size bed with two night stands. For the proximity to a busy area of Downtown Seattle, we didn't notice an excessive amount of street noise which definitely made for a good night of sleep.

Both bathrooms had that industrial modern look with a vanity, walk-in shower and toilet. The bathrooms were quite functional however felt a bit sterile and cold compared to the rest of the room. But the design was still aesthetically pleasing.

Thompson Hotels including the Thompson Seattle have a special line of toiletries curated from D.S. Durga. The toiletries were top notch. They did have a slightly more masculine scent than most hotel toiletries (matching the feel of Thompson Hotels).

DINING

One of the best features of the Thompson Seattle is the NEST, a rooftop bar and lounge.The NEST boasts itself as the highest rooftop bar and lounge in Seattle. We did enjoy a late night cocktail at the NEST.  The drink was great and the views are outstanding. The space is on the smaller side and about half of the rooftop bar and lounge is dedicated to an outdoor patio which is unusable a good chunk of the year.

The next morning we went down to PNW Scout for breakfast. Breakfast was the only meal we had at PNW Scout but it was honestly less than stellar. For a five star hotel, the on site restaurant left a little to be desired. Service was fairly slow, our meals weren't great and the bacon that was served with both of our entrees looked like it came from a truck stop and should have never been served at a restaurant of this caliber. After we said something about the bacon, they brought us out another order of bacon which wasn't much better. The manager, who was chatting with a guest right next to our table, noticed the bacon and the replacement order of bacon yet never once bothered to check on us. We were definitely disappointed in the breakfast and service.

AMENITIES

While we didn't get a chance to try it out, the Thompson Seattle does have a gorgeous, state of the art fitness center that is open 24 hours a day. The fitness center has floor to ceiling windows overlooking 1st Avenue. There is no pool or hot tub at the Thompson Seattle.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Other than breakfast, we enjoyed our stay at the Thompson Hotel. The location of the hotel is perfect and the room and bathroom couldn't have been better. The hotel service was also what you would expect from an upper end hotel. And as great as the rooftop bar was in November, it's likely incredible on a sunny day in the summer.

Extra Benefits

And when you book with Live Luxe Travel Co. through our Hyatt Privé partnership, you’ll get complimentary extras like a $100 property credit, daily breakfast for two, a room upgrade at the time of booking and a welcome amenity.

Andaz Scottsdale

Our Verdict

Updated June of 2020: After seven stays at the Andaz Scottsdale, and staying at many other resorts across the Scottsdale area, we continue to be a big fan of the Andaz Scottsdale Resort. It provides a true opportunity to relax by a pool, enjoy a yoga class or sip on a deliciously crafted cocktail. But what makes this resort is the staff. The staff at the Andaz Scottsdale is incredible and they truly make the stay memorable.

And don’t forget, if you are planning to stay at the Andaz Scottsdale, book through Hyatt Privé to take advantage of exclusive complimentary extras like a confirmed room upgrade (if available), $100 hotel credit, daily breakfast and a welcome amenity. Plus through March of 2021, they’re offering a 3rd night free on Hyatt Privé reservations. To request Hyatt Privé rates, just visit liveluxetravelco.com/hyatt-prive.

MID-CENTURY RESORT WITH A SPANISH & DESERT FLAIR

We are a big fan of the Andaz brand of hotels and resorts and stayed at the Andaz West Hollywood over Christmas and the Andaz Papagayo (see our review) this past January. Hyatt describes it's Andaz brand as boutique hotels and resorts located in dynamic urban and leisure destinations worldwide with a lively local art scene. Essentially Andaz Hotels and Resorts are Hyatt's take on an upscale lifestyle resort or hotel. And The Andaz Scottsdale Resort definitely definitely lived up to the Andaz brand's image.

LOCATION

The Andaz Scottsdale is located just 5 minutes from Old Scottsdale and in a great area of the city with several nearby restaurants and bars. But the Andaz Scottsdale does offer complimentary shuttle service in their Telsa to Old Scottsdale.

You'll arrive at the "Guest House" and you'll be instructed to leave your car with valet parking (valet parking is included in the resort fee).

You won't find a formal check-in desk at any Andaz Hotel or Resort. But instead you'll arrive to a lounge area where a guest services representative will check you in on an iPad (or with COVID precautions you can do online check in and completely skip the check-in progress). During check-in, we were offered a glass of wine or glass of lemonade and we also indulged in a complimentary Fairytale Brownie (made in Phoenix).

OUR ROOM

The resort features beautiful landscaping and our room had a great view of Cambelback Mountain. The modern industrial rooms feature two terraces, one out front and another completely private terrace on the backside of the room.

As soon as you enter the room, you’re in the main bedroom. We had one king bed and a couch along with a huge 65" television.

Beyond the bedroom is a hallway with a closet and minibar. And one of the great features of the Andaz brand is that the minibar is complimentary (except alcoholic beverages). The fridge and minibar get replenished daily with bottled water, soda and snacks.

Beyond the hallway and the minibar was the bathroom. The spa like bathroom was HUGE and featured a long vanity with one large sink and plenty of counter space. And there was also an extra large walk-in shower and separate toilet room.

The shower was uniquely huge and featured dual shower heads. And the entire room and particularly the bathroom had a mid-century yet southwestern feel.

TURQUOISE POOL

The Andaz Scottsdale Resort has two main pools, the Turquoise Pool and an Adult only pool near the Spa.  The Turquoise Pool has incredible views of the surrounding desert. Our only complaint, but it's nothing you don't expect in the Arizona summer, is that the concrete around the pool gets extremely hot.

Needless to say, we enjoyed quite a bit of time at the pool sipping on Moscow Mules and enjoying the inflatable pool toys.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

The Andaz Scottsdale Resort only has one restaurant (other than the bar at the Turquoise Pool). We enjoyed happy hour, coffee and breakfast at the Weft & Warp Art Bar and everything we tried was delicious. Weft & Warp is known for their avocado toast - just an insider tip. And we were a big fan of the steak breakfast tacos.

And we also enjoyed an incredibly good burger, fries and ice cream sandwich at the Turquoise Pool.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The Andaz Scottsdale Resort is an incredible property, has great amenities and the staff ensured the service was impeccable. We can't wait to return to the Andaz Scottsdale Resort. In fact we are already planning our next trip back later this year.

The resort is luxurious, comfortable and makes for a very relaxing and enjoyable stay. While we wish the resort featured a few more food options, the Weft & Warp Art Bar offered a good variety of items on their breakfast, snacks and dinner menus. Plus we found several great food options at the Turquoise Pool. But as we said above, the staff is what makes this property.

Extra Perks

And don’t forget, when you book the Andaz Scottsdale with Live Luxe Travel Co., through our Hyatt Privé partnership, you’ll receive a $100 hotel credit to use on dining or at the spa, daily breakfast for two, a room upgrade and welcome amenity.