I made the mistake of booking an engagement celebration trip at the last minute. Hotel Monaco came highly recommended, but here are my thoughts. The Seattle hotel industry is made up of young and inexperienced workers. There is a difference between arrogance and confidence and the staff at Hotel Monaco clearly misses the mark. While they are not unpleasant, they certainly do not go out of their way to differentiate themselves through service. While paying $330 per night, we expected more personalized service. The front desk was unattentive and constantly pretended to be busy. I had let them know beforehand that we were there to celebrate an engagement and when we checked in, we did not receive an acknowledgement or nothing special from them. When I asked for a taxi, they acted as if they were doing me a favor. The doorman opened one of the doors for us and never once did a bellboy offer to take our bags. This is simply a sheep dressed up in wolf's clothing. They also overextend themselves by charging an arm and a leg for parking, for internet use in their ""business room"" and a so-so breakfast next door that we had to pay for. The rooms are clean, but they are very very small. It simply does not meet the standards of $330 a night. It was hard to stomach and I will not be staying here in the future. The W and Fairmont are right across the street and offer better value for your money. An acknowledgment of our engagement would have gone a long way.
Pros: comfortable bed, good location
Cons: small rooms, inexperienced and poorly trained staff, low value for price paid
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