Hotel Vintage Park - a Kimpton Hotel Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Downtown, Seattle, Washington

The lobby

At first glance, the name Vintage may seem like a reference to this upscale boutique's decor: The somewhat dark, intimate lobby has a parlor-like feel, with velvet-covered furniture, antiqued wallpaper, and hefty fireplace mantels. But the vintage feel ends there, as this Kimpton gem pulls out all the brand's usual stops, offering guests beautifully decorated modern guestrooms, terrific service, and a wine-focused "theme" (the true origin of the hotel's name) that lends itself perfectly to Washington State.

Hotel Vintage Park's focus on wine -- particularly those grown in the 500 local vineyards -- is evident from the moment you check in: The front-desk staffer (sporting a nametag that includes his or her particular favorite vintage) will explain the varieties you’ll enjoy at the free reception that takes place every evening. If your daily wine-tasting has you hankering for a post-libation meal, you need only to walk through the lobby into Tulio, with its cozy, romantic dining room and Italian trattoria menu.

View on a Larger Map

The Hotel Vintage Park manages to take advantage of all that downtown Seattle has to offer -- hardly a car or public transit needed. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Washington State Convention Center, and literally steps away from theaters, great restaurants, and high-end shops, like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Kids will likely drag you to Gameworks, the mega-arcade six blocks away, but you’ll find plenty of other distractions to turn their heads: Pacific Place shopping center (which houses everything from restaurants to stores to a multiplex theater) is in the same vicinity. And Westlake Center is equally close, with its full-on food court and access to the Monorail, the iconic elevated train that whisks you over to the Seattle Center (home of the Space Needle) in a mere two minutes. In any case, don’t miss a visit to Seattle’s flagship public library -- an 11-story glass-and-steel wonder, whose architecture attracts out-of-town visitors as much as its shelves attract local readers.

• 2-minute walk to the 5th Avenue Theater and Seattle Public Library
• 5-minute walk to Benaroya Hall (Seattle Symphony)
• 7-minute walk to A.C.T. Theater
• 10-minute walk to Pacific Place shopping center
• 10-minute walk to Westlake Mall (with two-minute transit to Seattle Center, and Light Rail transit to Sea-Tac airport for $2.50)
• 10-minute walk to The Washington State Convention Center
• 12-minute walk to Pike Place Market, Seattle Art Museum, and ferries
• 5-minute drive to cruise-ship terminals
• Sea-Tac International Airport is a 20-minute drive south on I-5 (about $45 by taxi)

Luxury Suite

Despite the dark, parlor-like lobby, guestrooms and suites at the Hotel Vintage Park are cheery, modern, and done up in rich jewel tones, designed to flow with the wine theme throughout the hotel. Gold touches, warm, burnished fabrics in shades of red and orange, as well as custom-designed cherry furniture predominate throughout the 126-room property. Bathrooms are on the small side, but the comfortable living areas make up for it -- especially in the King Premier room, which offers 100 extra square feet of space and a sofa bed for a fairly nominal price differential.

All Rooms Include:

• Comfortable bed with pillow-top mattress and Frette Italian sheets
• Down and hypoallergenic pillows
• Minibar
• Flat-panel LCD TV with premium cable channels, on-demand movies, and Nintendo
• Hairdryer, iron, and ironing board
• Smallish bathroom with shower/tub combination and Gilchrist & Soames bath products
• Clock radio
• CD player
• Free weekday newspaper
• Animal-print bathrobes
• In-room safe that can fit a laptop
• Desk with ergonomic chair
• Free Wi-Fi for Kimpton Rewards Members
• City views
• Air conditioning and climate control

Room Types:

• Queen room: 225 to 360 square feet
• King room: 260 to 360 square feet
• Queen Queen room: 300 square feet
• Double Deluxe room: 360 square feet; queen sofa bed; sitting area
• Queen Queen Deluxe room: 360 square feet; queen sofa bed; sitting area
• King Premier room: 360 to 400 square feet; queen sofa bed; sitting area
• Luxury Suite: 700 square feet; king canopy bed; dual-sided fireplace

The fitness center

• Tulio restaurant and bar serves rustic Italian fare using local ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (though lunch is not served on weekends).
• Free wine hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Free fitness center
• 24-hour business center
• Several small meeting and function spaces
• In-room spa services
• Pets of all sizes welcome for no charge
• Personalized room preferences and extra amenities for Kimpton members
• Free spa hand massages every Wednesday
• Free Wi-Fi for Kimpton members (it's free to join the loyalty program)
• Valet parking ($34 per night)
• Free morning coffee in lobby
• Free daily newspaper
• "Cruise concierge" for guests planning on taking Alaska cruises; includes services such as finding the best routes to the ship terminal and planning how to spend just a few hours in Seattle