The Edgewater

Seattle’s only hotel on a pier, The Edgewater is not in the center of downtown, but it has a history and waterside location that make it unique.

• Proximity to waterfront and Olympic Sculpture Park.
• Waterside fine dining at Six-Seven restaurant.

There is no other hotel in Seattle that sits, as this one does, on a pier facing Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. Open the windows of one of the waterfront rooms and you’ll hear the waves lapping, the gulls crying, and the sounds of harbor craft plying the waters. In a way, it doesn’t make sense to stay here unless you do book a water-facing room or suite.

The Edgewater’s history is part of its somewhat quirky charm. It’s basically a relic from the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, when it was built to house workers at the fair. When the fair ended, the building was slated to be demolished, but instead it was saved and turned into a hotel with the novel tag line “Fish from every window”. Guests could buy bait and tackle at what is now the gift shop and literally drop a line from their rooms—which is what the Beatles were photographed doing when they stayed at The Edgewater during their 1964 world tour.

The hotel became a Seattle fixture in the 1960s and 1970s and has been steadily upgrading itself over the decades. It’s now a four-star, triple-diamond property with rooms that were completely refurbished in 2013. Its utilitarian, motel-like façade has been disguised, but something of its fun, freewheeling Seattle spirit still survives.

You’ll encounter this first in the lobby, which has a kind of Pacific Northwest faux seaside lodge-chalet look to it. Columns are disguised as tree trunks, the furnishings are a mixture of rustic and comfy, there’s a big fireplace, and windows everywhere to show off the shimmering water view. In the adjacent Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame Room, photographs of all the rock legends who have stayed at The Edgewater—everyone from the Beatles to Blondie—adorn the walls.

There are basically two room types, City View and Water View. The outlook from the City View rooms is not particularly inspiring, but the Water View rooms are literally right on the water—you can’t get any closer without getting wet. All these rooms are about 350 square feet in size. The Water View Premium rooms have gas fireplaces, walk-in showers and modern clawfoot tubs; you can slide open the bathroom wall to enjoy the view and the fireplace while you soak. (The standard rooms have a walk-in shower only.) The eclectic room décor is a mixture of styles that leans towards the sturdily traditional but includes some funky elements such as ottomans that look like hairy dogs.

If you’re a fan of the Fab Four, you might want to book the Beatles’ Suite (Room 272), where the pop stars stayed in 1964. The hotel also offers a few Waterfront Junior Suites on the top (fourth) floor, and a Penthouse Suite.

Chef John Roberts has turned the hotel’s restaurant, Six-Seven, into a fine-dining experience. If the weather is fine, try to get a patio table and enjoy first-rate Northwest cuisine with an incomparable view over Elliott Bay to West Seattle and the Olympic Mountains.

The Seattle Waterfront begins right outside The Edgewater’s door and is a lively place to explore. The Victoria Clipper, a high-speed catamaran that travels daily to Victoria, British Columbia, departs from the adjacent pier, and other cruise-ship and excursion boat tours are all within walking distance. The Olympic Sculpture Park is a five-minute walk north.

Couples seeking romance on the water; families who want to be close to attractions on the Seattle waterfront; visitors overnighting in Seattle before sailing to Victoria, BC, or on an Alaskan cruise.