$109 for a One-Night Stay for Two in a Queen of Art Room at the Hotel Max in Seattle (Up to $189 Value)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 1:01
Boutique Hotel with Emphasis on Local Art
The Vance Hotel’s iconic neon sign glowed in the Seattle skyline for the better part of a century. Today, the sign is gone and the historical hotel once attached to it has been completely transformed into a hip, art-centric boutique lodging called the Hotel Max. The building’s primary visual attributes can now be found on the inside, where more than 350 original paintings and photographs adorn the lobby, guest rooms, and hallways. Created by 39 local artists, these works lend a vibrant, playfully creative air to the hotel’s overall vibe of modern sophistication.
The hotel’s stylish details helped it earn a nod from Conde Nast Traveler on its 2011 Readers' Choice Best in the World hotel list. A queen-size, pillow-top bed sits in the cozy Queen of Art room, where guests can customize their slumber by selecting from a menu of pillow choices and bedtime stories. Furnishings in tangerine orange and tomato red enliven the charcoal-gray carpeting and teak wood desk. Chefs at the Red Fin restaurant craft Asian fusion fare ranging from sushi rolls to Angus steak.
Seattle: Pacific Northwest Metropolis Filled with History and Trendy Neighborhoods
The Hotel Max borders the trendy, waterfront neighborhood of Belltown, which brims with shops, galleries, and restaurants as well as cultural mainstays such as the Art Institute of Seattle and the Olympic Sculpture Park. Just a half mile from the hotel, Seattleites and visitors alike browse the stalls at Pike Place Market for fresh coffee, produce, and handmade wares. Nearby Kerry Park offers views of Elliott Bay, the Space Needle, and sometimes even Mount Rainier in the distance.
Seattle's colorful history is put on display at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, located 1.5 miles south of the Hotel Max in the Pioneer Square Historic District. About 50 years after California’s gold rush, Seattle swarmed with prospectors on their way to the Yukon Territory in search of the mother lode and a reason to don the season’s trendiest parkas. The museum details Seattle's role as a bustling gateway to the rugged northern wilderness.
