Pacific Northwest Hotel

Just steps from Safeco and Qwest stadiums, with an outdoor pool overlooking Safeco field, this property is a sports-lovers dream. Complimentary internet and local area shuttle service are available.

Seattle’s hottest hi-tech hotel has 40-inch LCD TV’s (featuring your choice of art when off) and tubs that fill from the ceiling. Returning? Conveniently, the hotel remembers your preferences (including room temperature).

It’s either a hidden gem or just plain out of the way depending on the kind of location you’re seeking, but this architecturally sleek hotel perched just south of Downtown wins raves for its views of the Willamette River. It also works its comfort mojo with Spa Chakra, an onsite wellness facility offering more than 60 health and beauty services. Guestrooms are tasteful and unfussy, but request one with a waterfront view. Restaurant Aquariva offers up al fresco dining with views of Cottonwood Bay.

A minimalist-chic vibe rules at this 174-room lifestyle lodging and relative newcomer to Portland’s thriving crop of hip hotels. Rooms are delightfully unfussy while still exuding frilly comforts like free WiFi, iPod docking stations, and made-to-order amenity baskets. Some rooms offer up pleasant city views while others overlook the courtyard, an attractive area lined with a living wall of foliage, multiple seating areas, and fire pits. There’s no onsite workout area, but free passes are available to a nearby 24-Hour Fitness.

Only a few blocks away from Pike Place Market, Hotel Andra, née the Claremont Hotel, was totally renovated (in April 2004) to reflect a contemporary “Scandinavian simplicity” that, mixed with the Northwest’s water, wood, and stone elements, has designers raving and trendsetters agog. The hotel’s trendy Belltown locale is mirrored in the interiors that flaunt an avant-garde yet warm atmosphere. The living room-style lobby boasts a dramatic granite fireplace flanked by floor-to-ceiling bookcases, showcasing Scandinavian novels and decorative vases, and annexed by a built-in plasma screen featuring a revolving collection of electronic art. Above and overlooking the living room, sits an airy loft, lined with a glass-and-steel railing, and filled with modern salon-style chairs and dark walnut coffee tables stacked with books and magazines. The Andra boasts two award-winning restaurants: Lola, serving up a Greek/Northwest mélange and Assiago-One, traditional Italian. The Nordic-inspired décor continues in the 119 rooms which feature minimalist dark furniture, khaki walls, and Alpaca-wrapped headboards. Sleek blue-glass spotlights brighten the rooms and Icelandic bathrooms come with white tile floors, frosted mirrors, polished faucets, Frette towels, and Face Stockholm products.

Perfect for business or pleasure, this Art Deco-styled hotel delivers vintage movie glamour to downtown Portland, starting with a gorgeous high-ceiling lobby. Rooms reflect a modern take on 1930s Hollywood Regency style and include black-and-white photos of movie stars. Each room also includes modern amenities such as WiFi and high-definition flat-screen TVs. An in-house screening room comes alive on the third Sunday of each month to showcase the work of local filmmakers.

This 79-room boutique hotel has a hip metropolitan feel, but without the attitude. Rooms consist of low platform beds, local artists’ work on the walls, and lots of white with deep Northwest wood tones (budget-conscious travelers may opt for a room with a shared bathroom). A living-room style lobby with comfy couches and a vintage photo booth add to the vibe while the easy access to java nirvana at next-door Stumptown Coffee is irresistible.

Dark wood and subdued colors define 426 sophisticated, city-view rooms, each well-appointed with creature comforts (Bliss bath products, pillowtop mattresses), high-speed internet, and 32-inch plasma screen TVs. Even Fido gets a turndown gift.

This Portland hotel is a bit of an odd bird. On the one hand, it exudes old-world charm with its traditional European boutique hotel furnishings, while on the other hand it boasts many visiting performers and artists and is located at the epicenter of urban cool. In truth, it’s an affordable option for anyone wishing to bed down in the heart of the city. Rooms are spacious, if not a tad conventional, but a complimentary daily New York Times in the morning and tea and cookies in the afternoon are nice perks.

If you’re looking for a hotel with turn-of-the-century charm that doesn’t feel stuffy or outdated, this landmark property is a real gem. Built in 1909, the neoclassical façade still looks as grand as ever, but a renovation in the 1990s significantly modernized the inside. Rooms are dressed in shades of cream, beige, and chocolate and include contemporary furnishings and modern amenities like complimentary WiFi. Meanwhile, on-site restaurant Jake’s Grill serves up steaks and seafood raised locally in the Pacific Northwest.