Thompson Seattle

Thompson Seattle was designed by Olson Kundig. Jensen Fey Architecture & Planning worked on the interior design, with hotel concept and interior layout for the living spaces by Studio Munge. Turner Construction was the genera contractor. Thompson Seattle is a segment of a mixed-use development that houses both the hotel and 95 serviced apartments. The hotel began operations on June 1, 2016, and is the ninth Thompson branch. A ribbon-cutting event was held on June 28 that year. Thompson Seattle is the inaugural Pacific Northwest location under the Thompson brand. Including Thompson Seattle, there were 10 Thompson properties in 2017 under Two Roads Hospitality. After Hyatt acquired Two Roads Hospitality in November 2018, the Thompson brand became part of Hyatt. Thompson Seattle entered into a partnership in 2020 with The Emerald, a condominium, which was opening in the middle of the year. The deal allowed condominium residents to access the hotel's amenities such as parking, charging stations for electric vehicles, and dining discounts. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle in 2020, Hyatt said that it was set to furlough 178 staff members across its Hyatt Regency Lake Washington and Thompson Seattle properties and would do 50 permanent job cuts at the latter. The travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler included Thompson Seattle as one of the 75 hotels on its 2024 Gold List, which features the hotels it considers the finest. ==Location==

Located in Downtown Seattle, Thompson Seattle is situated on the summit of a sharply inclined hill on 1st Avenue. It occupies one-fourth of a block. ==Architecture and decor==

The Seattle-based architectural firm Olson Kundig designed the four-star Thompson Seattle, a 12-story boutique hotel. It has a geometric glass outer structure. Echoing the deviation in the street grid formed by the intersection of 1st Avenue and Stewart Street, the arrangement of each two stories is subtly misaligned. Windows that span from the ceiling to the floor pull into hotel rooms views of the waterfront Pike Place Market. The middle of the building has an open-air courtyard, which can be entered through the street and the alley. The lobby is partitioned from the restaurant Conversation by a floating staircase featuring glass edges. The décor blends retro and contemporary aesthetics and features works by local artists. The staff rotate the elevator welcome mat to display different messages based on the time of day. ==Amenities==

Guest rooms The hotel has 152 rooms and five types of suites. Rooms follow the mid-century modern design and have a masculine aesthetic, Rooms types vary, with some overlooking the water, others the courtyard, and some the city. It is modeled after The Aviary, a cocktail bar in Chicago. The bar has a geodesic dome area called the Rain Drop, which began operations in July 2023 and is equipped with a karaoke machine and a fireplace. Young professionals make up a significant part of the bar's clientele. Through happy hour, the bar attracts people who live nearby to visit. Drinks are dispensed from copper containers shaped like flamingos and bird-inspired names are given to the cocktails. There is no kitchen in the venue so food is served through carts. The interior designer, Matthew Parker, incorporated references to Seattle and expressed the concept of "scout" in the decor. The Huxley Wallace Collective founded Scout. Scout ceased operations on January 14, 2019, to allow for a full overhaul and rename. People who live in the area frequent the restaurant more than tourists. Conversation was designed by Rebel House Design, which is based in Chicago. To encourage conversation, Conversation placed cards in the menu containing questions diners could ask each other. Conversation's founding executive chef was Derek Simcik, who had managed Scout, its predecessor. The hotel has three floors of underground parking and meeting rooms. The hotel provides a concierge service. For a fee, concierges in 2018 offered personalized tours around Belltown and Pike Place Market. Guests in 2024 could join a dog-guided truffle foraging experience followed by a truffle-themed dinner. Thompson Seattle had a "Tattoo Artist in Residency" initiative in 2022 that allowed customers to book sessions with visiting tattoo artists. ==References==