This is one of the craziest hotel stories that I’ve ever told.
We were a group of 10 travelers needing to stay in Seattle, Washington for a one night stay prior to a cruise embarkation from Seattle’s cruise port, Pier 66. One of the travelers in the group had heard rave reviews about the Pineapple brand of hotels from other cruisers. She relayed the information to the travel agent and the rooms at the convenient Staypineapple Hotel FIVE in Downtown Seattle were booked for us. All we had to do was provide a credit card for payment, so I never researched the hotel. The planning was done for us.
While the pre-cruise hotel proved to be an excellent choice and within walking distance to many downtown Seattle attractions, we soon realized that we booked our stay at the WRONG HOTEL. You see, the recommended Staypineapple brand hotel was in another part of Seattle. So, you could say that it turned out to be a happy mistake.
What is the Staypineapple Brand of Hotels?
Despite being an avid traveler, I had never heard of the Staypineapple hotel chain before this visit to Seattle. However, it made for a much more fun and quirkier hotel stay before our cruise began. You see, the Staypineapple brand is different than a typical Marriott or Hilton hotel as you might say it has a “pineapple” twist.
Staypineapple hotels originated in Seattle and now has ten locations across the country. There are four Staypineapple hotels in the Seattle area so it’s not surprising we mistakenly didn’t stay at the recommended Staypineapple hotel. And for us, discovering Hotel FIVE in Downtown Seattle was a great discovery.
The Staypineapple brand of hotels has created a unique atmosphere and a mission continuously improving service and amenities based on guest and employee feedback. They describe their hotels as “hospitality redefined” whether through generous afternoon refreshments (treats and coffee), plush bathrobes, and unique duvets and comfortable beds. All that in addition to many “yellow” colored elements that follow the pineapple theme like pens, coffee mugs, umbrellas, and bicycles.
Ideal Location of Staypineapple Hotel FIVE in Downtown Seattle, Washington
What a perfect location! The Hotel FIVE was in the most convenient spot for our planned sightseeing in downtown Seattle and also not too far from the Pier 66 cruise port. In fact, if you’re taking a cruise from Seattle, there are no hotels within walking distance of the port.
In hindsight, there are less expensive hotels positioned away from the downtown area, like closer to the airport, but we were so pleased to stay at the Hotel FIVE in the heart of downtown, just a short walk to our intended visit to the famous Pike Place Market in the Public Market Center and scenic Seattle waterfront area.
Unique Amenities with Very Unique “Pineapple-ish” Names
Hotel FIVE’s fun, colorful pineapple décor fits right in with vibrant Seattle. The pineapple theme really adds to the uniqueness and fun with so many appreciative touches throughout the hotel. In addition to a “happy” theme and an ideal downtown Seattle location, the Hotel FIVE offers lots of amazing amenities.
Although we were only there for a full day, evening, and early morning the following day, we made sure to take advantage of as many delightful amenities as possible including the “Afternoon Delights” when the hotel served sweet treats such as pineapple cookies and cupcakes, along with much-appreciated freshly brewed coffee to fight some jet lag.
Hotel amenities:
:: Simply ask an “Everything Person” at the front desk for assistance with anything.
:: Guests checking in can enjoy a CORE Welcome Drink from a selection of house wine, beer, or non-alcoholic beverages.
:: Pineapple Espresso, located in the lobby, offers a variety of coffee drinks and breakfast sandwiches, bagels, pastries, and more.
:: 24-hour fitness center for a pre-cruise workout.
:: Complimentary bike rentals to ride to Seattle’s most popular nearby attractions.
:: Lobby Water Bar: Refill your water bottle with cold, hot, still, or sparkling water.
:: Dog friendly (fee applies). Check out “Pup Package” for savings.
:: Self-Parking in the hotel’s parking garage is available (fee applies).
:: Daily Amenity Fee: As with most hotels these days, this hotel charges guests a $24.95 daily amenity fee that covers many amenities like Wi-Fi.
:: Hotel is 100% smoke-free including no vaping.
Guest Rooms: Cool Vibe and Unique Pineapple Decor
Our flight landed late morning in Seattle, and we were thrilled to check in early. All Hotel FIVE front desk staff members were very friendly and helpful, making check-in a breeze, and offering us advice to explore as much of the Seattle highlights during our one day stay.
When booking your room at the Hotel FIVE, you’ll have several different room types to choose from. We booked the Metro Queen Standard Room that offered sleek city style and cozy comfort, spacious enough for two guests. It was furnished with 1 Queen plush bed and much appreciated amenities. Our guest room had a view of Seattle’s Space Needle.
Brightly colored graphic artwork, modern designs, and wood flooring were a pleasant surprise. The pineapple-themed room is a decent size, certainly ideal for our one-night stay. We appreciated the Keurig machine for coffee and tea, complimentary reusable water bottle, Wi-Fi, streaming, desk area, mobile device charging station, and Tommy Bahama brand bath toiletries. There are two brightly colored pineapple-themed yellow robes that you can use during your stay and if you want, they can be purchased as well.
There’s another unique guest room feature that needs some explaining based on the slightly risqué name. Hotel FIVE features what they named, the “Naked Experience” bed. These beds include two European-style duvets (one duvet for each guest that sleeps on the bed) rather than only one typical queen size comforter. Those duvet covers are super soft and immensely comfortable.
Full list of room amenities:
:: High-speed wireless Internet access on unlimited devices
:: HDTV with STREAMPINEAPPLE streaming services
:: Reusable PATH water bottle pre-filled with purified still drinking water
:: Keurig® with custom blended coffee and tea
:: The Naked Experience duvet bedding and luxury linens
:: Personal in-room safe
:: Bedside iHome Bluetooth docking stations with USB charging
:: Signature cozy bathrobes
:: Stylish bathroom with rain showerhead and designer bath products
:: Iron/ironing board
:: Hair dryer
It was also fun to see the Staypineapple-themed items for purchase in the guest room like a stuffed hotel mascot, coffee mugs, yellow robes, and more.
Sightseeing Downtown Seattle in One Day!
Nearby Hotel FIVE, there were many shops, restaurants, a cinema, and, not surprising, lots of coffee shops. Did you know that the oldest Starbucks store is in Seattle’s Pike Place Market? We were told that no visit to Seattle is complete without enjoying a cup of Seattle coffee while spending a few hours exploring some of the city’s iconic waterfront.
We took a leisurely stroll down to see the popular Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, and the Seattle Waterfront. At Pike Place Market, which was only slightly more than a half mile away from the hotel, it was a thrill to see the iconic flying fish. But the fish smell is quite overwhelming so we remained a little distance way from the action. Pike Place Market sells the most beautiful fresh flowers in every color. I would have brought some if I were not heading on a cruise the following day. In fact, there are hundreds of shops – restaurants, seafood, florists, bakeries, produce stands, and local crafts spread throughout the Pike Place Market historic district.
We walked along the Seattle waterfront with beautiful views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains. We were amazed at the giant Seattle Great Wheel, but we opted to skip the Ferris wheel ride and visit the free Olympic Sculpture Park instead. And, while we could see the Space Needle from a distance and take lots of photos of this iconic structure, we did not choose to go up to the observation tower. We were quite pleased with our Seattle sightseeing adventure, crammed in a lot of sights in only a few hours.
One note about Seattle: We had been warned about safety issues in downtown Seattle prior to arriving. While the hotel area felt safe, we made sure to stay together in our group of 10 people. It was comforting to see a team of workers dressed in yellow shirts assisting with information and directions to the attractions.
Staying at Staypineapple, Hotel FIVE in Downtown Seattle Was a “Sweet” Treat
We loved our one-night stay here. Staypineapple, Hotel FIVE in Downtown Seattle features such a cool vibe, colorful decor, and we appreciated the adorable pineapple theme. Not only was the bed comfortable, but the double duvets on the one bed were also such a unique offering! The room was spacious, clean, and had the best showerhead ever.
The friendly, helpful hotel staff went above and beyond our expectations. We appreciated the hotel amenities like free drinks, cookies, free water refills, and lots of places to get a cup of coffee.
We also appreciated the easy, 15-minute walk to iconic attractions like Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront. We even enjoyed a bit of downtime in the lobby at night playing board games, the perfect way to relax before the start of our cruise the following day.
So, when did we discover we were not staying at the recommended hotel? When we arrived back home, we were at a social gathering, telling the person who recommended the Staypineapple hotel how much we appreciated the ideal hotel location. She looked at us and said, “You walked to Pike Place Market from the hotel?” The hotel she recommended was nowhere near “walking distance” to the Seattle waterfront. Like I said, it was a happy mistake and helped make our pre-cruise stay memorable.