To celebrate the end of summer and our daughter starting Kindergarten, we booked a night at The Westin Bellevue for a weekend getaway. We typically stay in Seattle for our cross-border trips, but decided to check out neighbouring Bellevue for a change.
The Westin Bellevue was perfect for our quick family getaway. Its location was ideal, with shops, restaurants and museums right outside the door, and easy parking. The highlight for our daughter, however, was the large indoor pool, as well as the special treats she received courtesy of the hotel’s concierge.
If you’re looking for a hotel in the Seattle area, read on to find out why you should consider The Westin Bellevue!
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The Westin Bellevue Hotel Review
Location
The hotel is conveniently located right in the heart of downtown Bellevue, adjacent to the popular Bellevue Square shopping mall. There are tons of good restaurants within walking distance, and the Bellevue Arts Museum is just across the street.
If you’ve got kids, there’s the Bellevue Downtown Park just a quick walk away, as well as the nearby KidsQuest Children’s Museum. Downtown Seattle is about half an hour drive, but honestly, there was enough to keep us and our daughter occupied in the immediate area that we didn’t even need to venture over to the city.
After staying in downtown Seattle our last few trips, we agreed that Bellevue was a nice change and felt more clean and safe with our daughter. We also enjoyed the nice views of Lake Washington from our room.
The Westin Bellevue Address: 600 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, Washington, USA, 98004
The Westin Bellevue Parking
We were thrilled to learn that The Westin Bellevue offers complimentary overnight self-parking on Fridays and Saturdays. Considering we always drive down from Canada, parking fees are always a concern for us. It was definitely nice not having to pay the $35/night, which is the usual nightly fee here.
The underground parking is shared with the mall, and there were thankfully tons of spots available.
Lobby and Check-in
From the parking garage, we took the elevator up to the main floor lobby. It was spacious and calm, with a nice seating area.
I loved the vertical garden hanging on display!
I just had to go up to it and see if it was real – and it was!
In the lobby, there was also complimentary water on offer, which we thought was a nice touch. The next morning, this was replaced with a complimentary coffee station.
We arrived on a Saturday around 5:30pm and there was no line at all. Check-in was friendly and efficient. The front desk staff even acknowledged that we were celebrating our daughter entering Kindergarten and asked if he could have some cookies sent up to our room for her.
- Check-in time: 3:00pm
- Check-out time: 12:00pm
Bonvoy Elite Status Recognition
We booked two Traditional King rooms (the lowest room type) and thanks to our Platinum Elite status, both rooms were upgraded to Deluxe Rooms on the highest floor, with a view.
We were traveling with my grandma who was celebrating her birthday and they gave her a nice large room next to ours. Additionally, there was a nice surprise waiting on the coffee table for her with a note to check the fridge.
Inside the fridge, there was a lovely desert with a Happy Birthday note and a charcuterie platter.
As mentioned earlier, we were celebrating our daughter starting Kindergarten so they delivered a treat to our room for her as well.
It was supposed to be cookies, but they ran out, so they brought her a platter of chocolate-covered strawberries decorated with sprinkles. She loved it!
Another perk of having Platinum status is that we were given two complimentary vouchers for the breakfast buffet, as well as late check-out up to 4pm.
The Westin Bellevue Rooms
There are a total of 337 rooms and suites at the hotel and they’ve been newly renovated. The following room types are available:
- Traditional (1 King or 2 Queens)
- Deluxe (1 King or 2 Queens)
- Deluxe View (1 King or 2 Queens)
- Grand Deluxe (1 King or 2 Queens, larger room with balcony)
- Executive Suite (1 King + sofa bed)
- Studio Suite (1 King + sofa bed, corner room)
Room Review: Deluxe King Room
We booked a Traditional King room for us and our daughter, and requested a rollaway bed. Upon check-in, we were upgraded to Room 1908, a Deluxe King room on the highest floor of the hotel.
It was nice being on a high floor, even though the room was only slightly larger than the traditional room. Unfortunately, they didn’t provide us with the rollaway bed we had requested, but it was ok, because our daughter just slept on the sofa (it was not a sofa bed, though).
Entryway
Upon entering the room, there was a bench and full-length mirror to the right, and the bathroom to our left. Across the bathroom was a closet with bathrobes, iron and ironing board.
Bathroom
The bathroom was average-sized, with the sink to the right and a large walk-in shower to the left.
I appreciated the ample counter space and make-up mirror. They even provided a makeup cloth. The only individual toiletries they provided were a bar of handsoap and body lotion. Below the sink was a hair dryer.
Inside the shower, there were refillable bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. The shower was nice and spacious, with good water pressure, and a rainfall showerhead. Note that there is no bathtub in this room, in case that’s important to you.
Bedroom
The king-sized Westin Heavenly bed was delightful and so comfortable, as always.
Next to the bed were a pair of side tables with lamps. On the left, there was an alarm clock, USB and electrical outlets, the room-service menu, and a “Sleep Well Aromatherapy Balm” which our daughter loved.
The side table on the right-hand side contained the safe hidden within one of the drawers. I didn’t even realize it was there – it was our daughter who found it! haha
Sitting Area
Next to the window was a small sofa and another large lamp. The sofa, while not a sofabed, was large enough for our daughter to sleep on. We just requested extra bedding from housekeeping.
Additionally, there was a small dining table/desk and leather chair in front of the TV.
Minibar
Inside the cabinet opposite the bed was a small fridge with nothing inside.
On top of the cabinet was a single-serve coffee maker with Starbucks coffee pods, Tazo teas, and two bottles of complimentary water. I appreciated that they had liquid International Delight creamers instead of the powdered kind.
View
It was nice having a view from the 19th floor but it wasn’t anything spectacular. We just looked out at the surrounding buildings and parking lots. However, rooms on the other side would have a nice view of the lake.
Room Review: Deluxe View King Room
The second room we booked for our grandparents got upgraded to a Deluxe View King Room, room #1910. It was right next door to ours, but it was noticeably longer and had a partial view of the lake. Out of the two rooms, this was definitely the better one.
You can see on the floormap below the size difference between room 1908 and 1910.
Entryway
Similar to our room, there was a bench with full-length mirror, and a closet with robes, iron and ironing board.
Bathroom
Upon entering the room, the bathroom was on the right. It was identical to the one in our room.
Bedroom
The king bed was just as comfortable as ours and also had bedside tables on either side.
At the foot of the bed was the flatscreen TV and a nice desk with leather chair. I appreciated the small lamp with wireless charging pad.
Sitting Area
This room had a more spacious sitting area by the window. The sofa was larger and had a comfy chaise lounge. There was also a small coffee table.
Minibar
The small fridge inside the cabinet kept the cake and charcuterie nice and cold.
On top of the cabinet were the same coffee maker, coffee pods and teas as in our room.
View
Considering this room is called a Deluxe View Room, it does have a nicer view than our Deluxe Room. Looking out to the right, you can see Bellevue Downtown Park and Lake Washington.
The Westin Bellevue Restaurant
The hotel only has one dining option, the Cypress Lounge & Wine Bar. It is attached to the lobby on the ground floor and offers a breakfast buffet, happy hour and dinner.
The Westin Bellevue Breakfast Buffet
We only visited Cypress Lounge & Wine Bar for breakfast since we had complimentary vouchers for the buffet.
With Platinum Elite status or above, the complimentary voucher includes their “Cold Creations Breakfast”. If you’d like to enjoy the full buffet, you have to pay an additional $10/person in order to have access to the hot items.
This was the first time we’ve encountered this at a Marriott property, and we found it quite interesting/amusing. It seems odd that hot items wouldn’t be included, but it just further underscores how the complimentary breakfasts outside of North America are just so much better than here.
The Cold Creations buffet was good, though. There were enough options to fill us up and we didn’t feel like we needed to upgrade to the full buffet. We enjoyed the pastries, yogurt parfaits and fruit. Coffee and juice were provided as well.
I was amused that even the buffet stations themselves had signs pointing to what was included in the Platinum breakfast and what was not.
If you are paying out of pocket for the buffet, the regular costs are as follows:
- Full Buffet: $30
- Cold Creations: $20
- Children’s Full Buffet: $16 (age 5-12), $5 (4 and under)
Note that even with the complimentary vouchers, the servers still give you a receipt so that you can choose to leave a tip on the full cost of the buffet.
Hours:
- 6:30am-10:30am Weekdays
- 7am-12pm Weekends
Room Service Menu
If you prefer to order to your room, there’s a room service menu available in the room.
The Westin Bellevue Pool
The highlight of the hotel for our daughter was the large heated indoor lap pool located on the 4th floor.
There were ample lounge chairs available on the pool deck, and pool towels are provided. In addition to the pool, there was also a whirlpool hot tub to relax in.
From the pool deck, there are doors that lead to a large outdoor deck area. It was too cold during our visit, but during the warmer months, it would be a nice place to soak up some sun in between dips in the pool.
Not surprisingly, the pool is popular with families and kids and we saw many enjoying it while we were there on a Sunday morning. If you just want to have a relaxing swim or hang out by the pool, this may not be the place (at least not on a weekend during the day).
Hours: 5am-11pm daily
The Westin Bellevue Gym
Adjacent to the pool is the WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio. It was surprisingly busier than other hotel gyms we’ve been to so I didn’t actually get any good photos as there were too many people.
There was a variety of cardio equipment available, including a Peloton bike, along with weight machines and free weights.
Hours: 24/7
The Westin Bellevue Spa
Truce Spa is located on the 4th floor of the hotel, close to the pool and gym. It is by appointment only so be sure to check out their spa menu and book a time if you are interested in some pampering.
The services looked quite good but we sadly did not have enough time to book an appointment.
Hours: 10am-6pm Daily
The Westin Bellevue Video Tour
Final Verdict
The Westin Bellevue is an excellent choice for a Seattle-area hotel. It’s located in a nice, walkable area, with free parking on weekends, has a nice indoor pool that’s a hit with kids, clean and comfortable rooms, and good Marriott Bonvoy elite recognition.
The elite breakfast buffet option is good, although it could be improved by including the full buffet offering.
We would definitely stay here again on our next trip to the Seattle area.
Booking The Westin Bellevue
You can search your dates here on Booking.com for the cheapest rates for The Westin Bellevue. We like using Booking.com since they offer free cancellation and no prepayment is required.
If you are a Marriott Bonvoy member, you can use your points or Free Night Awards here. Rooms can be found starting at around 32,000 points/night so this is a good property to use up a 35K free night award. We booked one month out for a summer weekend night for 38,000 points. Cash price was $315 USD.
The Westin Bellevue Phone Number: 1-425-638-1000
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