Travel
New Bellevue Hotel’s Voyeuristic Glass Showers May Not be for Everyone
W Bellevue’s lake-house motif ensures a vacation vibe—no matter the season.
By Nia Martin August 10, 2017
This article originally appeared in the August 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
The recently opened W Bellevue (Lincoln Square, 10455 NE Fifth Place; 425.709.9000) is a place to see and be seen—literally. A peek inside one of the 220 guest rooms (there are also 25 suites) reveals a floor-to-ceiling glass shower, placed boldly in the middle of the space. But then, “shy” has never been the W’s style.
Billed as a pop version of a family lake house, the hotel boasts multiple fireplaces in communal spaces, swings and a place for some retro relaxation in The Library, with its shelves of board games and romance novels.
Grab a drink, or two or three, at Civility & Unrest—a speakeasy lounge serving craft cocktails—and chase it with seasonal farm fare prepared by chef Jason Wilson (formerly of Crush and Miller’s Guild) at The Lakehouse restaurant, which could be a bonafide destination. Afterward, stumble back to your room, where guest drawers are stacked awry like suitcases, the bedroom side tables have attached lamps modeled after waterside dock lighting and the carpet is “stained” with a spilled red wine design.
When the sun rises, go ahead and request an aspirin and seltzer. The W won’t judge; after all, what happens at the lake house stays at the lake house.
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