Seattle, Here We Come (Again)

We’ll just come right out and say it: We love Seattle.

Let’s face it — any city that can produce both Jimi Hendrix and Nordstrom has to have something special going on. Must be something in the water, because there’s a lot of it there … or maybe it’s the coffee.

Whatever mysterious vibe it is that makes Emerald City a powerhouse of creativity and commerce, we like to play our part, too. The city is a perfect fit for the Kimpton lifestyle and our three Seattle properties, the Alexis Hotel, Hotel Monaco and the Vintage Park, all reflect the casual sophistication of their neighborhood. And now we’re so excited to be adding a fourth hotel to our portfolio, an adaptive reuse of the Palladian Building in downtown’s hip West Edge district.

Originally built as the Calhoun Hotel in 1910, when Seattle was still in the midst of a boom ignited by Alaska’s Klondike Gold Rush, the eight-story Beaux Arts building is a designated city landmark. It’s located near the waterfront, just steps from Pike Place Market, where fishmongers handle tossed fish with the dexterity of Gold Glove first basemen, and from the nondescript storefront where Starbucks served its first cup of Joe in 1971.

Slated to open in 2014, the hotel will offer 97 luxury rooms, meeting and event space, and of course a cool lounge and restaurant. And the timing couldn’t be better because Seattle is right in the middle of another boom, this time not driven by gold or lumber but by technology. In fact, Amazon is remaking a large part of downtown with audacious designs for three new towers (to go along with the 14 buildings they already own nearby) to serve as its headquarters. The plan will bring thousands of people to live, work and visit in the downtown area.

The Palladian project is also near attractions such as the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Art Museum and the Seattle Great Wheel, the tallest Ferris wheel on the West Coast that opened for business last year. And just a short monorail ride away (that’s right … monorail) is the Seattle Center, home to the iconic Space Needle and the Frank Gehry-designed EMP pop culture museum, among other cultural sites and places of interest.

So get ready, people … the rush to Seattle is on. Again.