The CitizenM Seattle: A Complete In-Depth Review

We don’t know about you, but we generally find staying in hotels to be underwhelming. We can’t remember the last time we stayed at a hotel and, upon check out, said “wow, that was great!” Which – spoiler alert! – is exactly what I said to Alysha as we were leaving the CitizenM in Seattle.

Hotels have always been somewhat of a difficult sell for us. We’re a unique case because Matt has Celiac Disease, which means he prefers having access to a kitchen to have the option to cook our own meals in case there aren’t any gluten free alternatives around. This can be hard to locate in a hotel.

In addition to the kitchen, another issue experienced with hotels is that they do not have a particularly warm, home-like ambiance, for lack of a better description. Remaining at one of the large chain hotels feels very sterile and repetitive in production, and generally a rental apartment is preferred where more private living space is had and a sense of belonging to the place visited can be felt to a greater extent.

Moreover, we dislike the idea of paying for amenities we do not require. We are completely satisfied carrying our own bags to our room – we do not need a formal bellhop to do it for us – and we hate the whole tipping dynamic that comes along with that experience.

After exploring options in our area for a while as a recently opened lodging that we wanted to try, we ultimately decided to enjoy a brief vacation locally and stayed at the CitizenM in South Lake Union – one of our previous choices for the most fascinating hotels in Seattle – to see if they truly achieved their goal of “affordable luxury.” In this evaluation, we’ll cover our thoughts on our stay – the location of the lodging, the rooms and common areas, and the amenities – to help you decide if it’s the right place for your needs.

And it`s important to note that we personally covered the expenses for our stay using our own hard-earned money. This isn`t a #sponsored content – this review is entirely based on our experience and reflects only our own ideas and thoughts about both our stay and the company as a whole.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we don’t stand behind 100%.

The CitizenM Seattle: A Complete Review

Let’s discuss our thoughts on the CitizenM Seattle in South Lake Union.

We’ll start with an overview of the company – who is CitizenM, exactly? – before conducting an in-depth examination of each aspect of the hotel that we think is important.

Who is CitizenM?

CitizenM is a Dutch hotelier founded in 2008 seeking to offer consistent yet affordable comforts for modern nomads. By their account, they disrupt standard lodging through reasonable extravagance.

In a world (Morgan Freeman voice) full of costly, traditional hotels with doormen in red caps that greet you with a “sir / madam” and charge you $20 for WiFi in a room with an iPod dock a decade after iPods went out of style, we agree with them that there has to be a better alternative.

CitizenM offers a refreshing new vision of what hotels can provide. In our view, this is the direction hotels should move towards.

We’re now in our 30’s and value both a good night of rest and little luxuries. But, of course, we want it all at an affordable cost. If we’re awake all night because we can hear every word of the discussion that our drunken neighbors are having, we’re not going to be cheerful campers in the morning.

Looking back on our stay at the CitizenM Seattle, it seems CitizenM anticipated and addressed our every need and desire by customizing the hotel specifically for us from the ground up.

Features such as an exceedingly effortless registration process, WiFi that is speedy and complimentary, spacious and stylish common spaces made comfortable, and beds (and blackout drapes!) that are relaxing are necessities for us, while amenities like the aforementioned bellhop, fluffy bathrobes and slip-ons, indulgent bathtubs, and sitting locations are much less critical to us.

Now, CitizenM is an increasingly widespread empire of contemporary, relaxed, and reasonably priced hotels located throughout major cities globally, offering more youthful travelers an alternative to the worn-out deluxe hotels that people have grown up with.

We also appreciate that they’re putting in the effort to be environmentally responsible, and that they’re more upfront about it than any other hotel chain we’ve encountered before. You can read about their accomplishments in this regard here, including links to specific reports about sustainability from the past few years ( here’s their 2020 report).

The Location

Beginning on a high note here, the location is great. It’s not in the center of everything, so it’s slightly quieter than places in Belltown or Capitol Hill.

But that doesn’t signify it’s not central. Within 15-20 minutes of the hotel, you can reach Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, or the heart of Capitol Hill. We walked to all three over the course of our stay.

The two aspects that could create difficulties for the location are accommodation for parking and access from the airport.

Parking at the Hotel

If you have an automobile while visiting Seattle, parking will be an issue no matter where you`re lodging if within the downtown core area.

Parking in South Lake Union can be troublesome, and with no onsite parking available, you’ll have to rely on either the paid street parking nearby, or one of the garages located around the neighborhood.

They summarize the parking options on their website on the bottom part of the page (I’ll excuse you from pursuing—they recommend examining SpotHero).

While not charging $75 nightly for valet parking is nice, the lack of a better option than `figure it out yourself` is somewhat disappointing.

Getting There from the Airport

Regrettably, there is no direct route to the hotel using public transit.

You either have to make a connection from the light rail system – which is the simplest way to get into the city from the airport – onto the bus system, or take a taxi or Lyft from the airport.

A fair compromise would be taking the Light Rail to Westlake Station and catching a Lyft or taxi from there. Or else, the 0.6 mile walk from Westlake Station to the hotel with minimal luggage may not be too troublesome.

Nearby Highlights

Here are some places within a few blocks of the hotel that we enjoyed, and think you might too.

• The Mbar is not located within the hotel, but instead a few blocks away. It is the best spot in the area for drinks with scenic views of the Space Needle and Lake Union. Although it becomes crowded on weekends, especially Fridays and Saturdays, making an advance reservation or arriving early provides the chance to secure a table. However, patrons must be aware that costs are elevated due to the premium vistas.
• The Cafe Hagen simultaneously ranks among one of my favorite yet disliked venues in Seattle. It is preferred prior to 9:00 am when the environment remains relaxed and conversation occurs without disturbance as high-quality coffee is sipped. We appreciate their espresso flight, a novel way to sample three diverse coffees as espresso highlights the range of flavors within coffee. Their house-made pastries also gain legendary status. However, after 10:00 am, an unbearably packed crowd accumulates, comprised predictably of certain corporate employees. My friend who lives nearby commented that only attend after 10:00 am if wanting to wrestle an employee from that company over cheese.
• For superior coffee and a less busy scene, head a short distance from the hotel to the Elm Coffee Roasters. Novel flights allow sampling an espresso, brewed coffee, and macchiato or other similar combinations.
• We genuinely like the Kati Vegan Thai restaurant. Though entirely plant-based, one would be unlikely to observe any distinction except potential exclusion of fish sauce from dishes such as papaya salad. Order the khao soi, utilizing rice noodles rather than the standard variety, along with the massaman curry.
• The Seeking Kombucha taproom permits sampling an assortment of the bubbly probiotic drink`s flavors, with or sans alcohol content. As big kombucha aficionados, Matt formerly maintained a continuously fermenting tea batch and giant SCOBY in the kitchen, rendering this an unexpected find.

First Impressions of the CitizenM

Upon entering the hotel lobby, you’re confronted by the wealth of bright hues adorning the “living room” which offers various seating arrangements from extensive couches and cozy armchairs to the bar and small tables and individual chairs.

The high ceilings and bright colors mentioned earlier give the place an airy, spacious atmosphere. An abundant amount of natural illumination streams through the huge windows, and the friendly staff is present to welcome you upon your arrival at the registration kiosks.

Checking In

Speaking of checking in, this was one of our favored facets of lodging at the CitizenM.

Usually when checking into a hotel, it involves standing in a queue to speak with a staff member at the front desk, providing identification and payment, and waiting as they produce your room key. In especially busy periods, this may take anywhere from five to 30 minutes.

At CitizenM, the check-in process took just three minutes. Their check-in kiosks allow for a remarkably simple and quick registration much like validating a plane boarding pass at the airport, upholding their promise of efficient service for modern travelers.

Everything is done on those screens, though staff will need to manually check your identification.

An innovative part of the check in process was being able to select which side of the building / floor our room was on. Generally, you’re at the discretion of either the computer or the person at the front desk, and you don’t get much say in the matter.

Here, you have the option to select which side of the hotel your room will be on, as well as how high up you`d like it to be. This allows some control without being overly restrictive.

Fortunately for us, the counter attendant had some recommendations – if panoramic city views are desired, the John Street side is preferred.

You`ll then take a moment to craft your own keycard, which is straightforward and seamless and basically just means affixing a blank keycard to a pad and following the directions on the screen (you can generate a second, if you prefer).

What a refreshing perspective that doesn’t involve waiting in line and gives you some control over which room you’ll be occupying for the next few nights!

The Rooms

Once checked in, the subsequent step is taking the elevator – which is surprisingly accommodating, in any case – and heading up to your room.

When you enter, the first thing you’re going to observe is how small it is. Second is the huge window at the far end of the room. And the third thing you’ll notice is the message on the TV with your name welcoming you to your temporary home.

The accommodation area being compact is a conscious decision that CitizenM has made. Rather than creating huge rooms with living spaces that cost $300 per night, they’ve opted for smaller rooms that serve purely as a place to sleep, with plenty of nice common areas where you can socialize and work or unwind outside the room. Which is a trend we’ve seen emerge at a lot of hotels recently (the Freehand in NYC comes to mind), and we’re supporters.

We don’t know about you, but we truly value our sleep these days. CitizenM has done an outstanding job developing a room that serves as the perfect place to spend the night, get a good night’s rest, and prepare for your next day, whether it’ll be spent exploring a new city, or heading off to a business meeting.

The room is narrow, and as you enter you’ll have the shower and toilet on one side, and the sink on the other. At the far end of the room is the window, which takes up most of the wall, and the huge king bed.

The beds were spacious and comfortable, rivaling the quality of mattresses in any hotel. What`s more, soundproofing on the fourth floor muted outside noises to near silence while blackout curtains ensured restful sleep.

Every item in the room, from the temperature to the lighting and curtains, can be controlled using an iPad on the desk, something we were uncertain about prior to our stay. It turns out, this is a simple way to access all room controls in one place. Instructions are also provided for using Chromecast/Airplay for Netflix and other streaming services or Spotify for music.

Another thing to note is that every room at the hotel is essentially the identical – no need to decide between “small deluxe” and “small deluxe premium” rooms. Meaning each room has precisely one king bed – there’s no choice to have two queens instead.

The downside here is that they’re not great for bigger groups – like young families – with more than two people who need to stay in the same space. Instead, we think it’s really geared towards couples and close friends (who don’t mind sharing a bed) and solo travelers.

It’s also worth noting that, for people who aren’t as familiar with each other as a married couple is, the bathroom is separated from the rest of the small room with a thin plastic wall.

Convinced yet?
Click here to explore details, examine reviews, and verify availability at the CitizenM Seattle.

The Common Spaces

The entire initial floor of the lodging is one extensive accessible area to be utilized by guests as their living space while they reside.

A spacious sitting area with various seating selections is located right behind the check-in points. Imagine long couches and communal tables, individual tables and chairs, cozy armchairs, and more. The decor employs bright and colorful hues, with some trendy artistic pieces (like a leopard sculpture?) that appear to bring the whole space together seamlessly.

Adjacent to the open seating area is CanteenM, serving as part bar, part coffee shop, part restaurant. In the morning, it offers breakfast, and throughout the day provides lunch and dinner, as well as coffee and other beverages at all hours. There is seating at the counter, and additional high top tables on the opposite side of the bar region.

Around the corner from the check in points is another seating area, with even more options for working or relaxing. There are two Mac desktop computers here for guest usage, and layouts that are more like a desk than a living room, if attempting to accomplish some work.

There also seem to be three rooms where meetings can be held (though it`s unclear how booking them may work).

Other Hotel Amenities

While the rooms and common areas are excellent, a few of the other hotel amenities could be improved. Which isn`t entirely unexpected given the cost here.

The Wifi is excellent.We watched a movie and streamed music in our room with absolutely zero issues. Plus, it’s free! Charging for WiFi in a hotel in 2022 is absurd

Breakfast Costs but Offers Quality.Breakfast is not covered by the room rate but can be added for $18.95 per person each night. We opted out but walked down to observe what was available, noticing a nice selection of pastries, cold items, and hot choices served buffet-style along with coffee of course. It appeared superior to most hotel breakfast spreads and the convenience of being in the lobby is appreciated, yet we feel you can find better nearby for $20. Notably, reserving in advance or ordering on the day of results in an identical price so the decision can wait until morning without premium for flexibility.

Parking availability is limited.Onsite parking isn`t provided, and their recommendation essentially amounted to “we`re unsure, maybe check this app.” Street parking in the vicinity can be competitive, but it`s your most cost-effective choice if traveling by car. Otherwise, a couple nearby lots exist. We`d opt for the garage at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott a few blocks east of the lodging.

Neither coffee nor mini bar within rooms (though drinks and java in the lobby), sometimes a cup is welcomed upon waking. There is, however, a Whole Foods a block away where refreshments and iced coffee for small in-room units can be obtained.

There’s a gym. We didn’t use it, preferring to walk miles and miles around Seattle to get our exercise in, but you can!

The Bottom Line

The CitizenM Seattle fully delivered on the promise of accessible high-end lodging for the modern traveler.

From the seamless check-in process, to the comfortable room and excellent beds, throughout to the minute-long check out, we were impressed by the entire experience.

They’ve made staying in hotels more enjoyable by removing what guests often dislike – unnecessary extras, decorative bathrobes, and WiFi fees – instead prioritizing comfortable shared spaces, excellently appointed bedrooms with light-blocking curtains and king-sized beds, plus a seamless experience from start to finish.

And while the rooms are undoubtedly small and missing some of the in-room amenities that other hotels may have, we think they’ve done a good job of shifting those amenities to be in the common areas instead to allow for a more affordable price.

We will certainly spend time at another CitizenM Hotel soon. We think exploring one would be worth your time as well.

That is, as long as you don’t have a car (no onsite parking, and the parking options nearby aren’t great) and as long as you’re okay with two people to a room sharing a bed (every room is the same, which means the only choice is one king bed – apologies families with children!).