Choosing between the
various downtown Seattle hotels

You definitely have your choice of downtown Seattle hotels when visiting the area. The one thing that can make or break your visit to Seattle is your hotel stay.

We've definitely stayed in our share of bad hotels in our travels, but one of the great things about visiting Seattle is that there are a number of great hotels that you can stay at with your family.

There are over 200 hotels in the downtown area alone, and it can be tough to choose which one can be best. So how do you go about choosing the right one? Well, here are some things to keep in mind.

(Unless you're ready to choose one, of course. If so, you might as well go ahead and search for a hotel reservation in Seattle.)

Branded Hotels vs. Boutique Hotels
One of the differences in the hotels in downtown Seattle is that you can choose to stay at one of the chain hotels or one that is completely unique to the area. All of the major hotels are in the area, such as the Hyatt, the Westin Hotel Seattle, the Hotel Monaco, etc. If you stay at any of these hotels, you can often use your hotel member rewards points to get rewards for your stay.

However, if you don't care for hotel points, or want to stay in one of the more unique downtown Seattle hotels, then you can look at some of the other hotels in the are like the Edgewater Hotel (the only waterfront hotel in Seattle), the Hotel Andra, or the Vintage Park hotel.

The Price Factor
Price is always a factor when choosing a hotel, especially in downtown Seattle. When planning your trip, you'll need to decide how much money you're willing to spend. If you're interested in staying in a discount Seattle motel, you can expect to spend about $70-$100 per night at the absolute minimum. If you want to spend a little less, you'll have to go outside the downtown city center.

However, if you want a little nicer hotel, you're going to spend anywhere between $150 - $300 a night for a room in one of the downtown Seattle hotels.

Location, Location
The final thing you'll want to take into consideration is the location of the hotel. If you're planning on spending the whole time in downtown Seattle (visiting the waterfront, Pike Place, etc.) you'll want to get a hotel right there in downtown. You'll be able to walk everywhere you need to go, and if you need to go a little farther, you can always take a bus.

However, if you're planning on spending some time outside the city center, it might be worth it to spend some time looking for a hotel a little on the outskirts in one of the surrounding cities or areas. There are plenty of places to get car rentals in Seattle so it shouldn't be problem.

The best site I've found for comparing downtown Seattle hotels is Kayak.com. You can compare your search across a bunch of different search engines and see the locations of the hotels on maps.