Bike-friendly hotel in Seattle, WA?!?

[jacco]

Hi,

I have to go to Seattle for work the 2nd week of May. My former colleague and roommate, a German guy and beemer rider (airhead), will be there as well. He's still living in Europe, so we never rode together, but talked about it for close to a decade now. So we're planning to do a week long tour on the west coast together directly after this meeting that we're attending in Seattle. To cut a long story short, I'm seriously considering riding my bike out there. That means that I'll need to find a bike-friendly hotel, preferably within reasonable distance from the conference center. Or a B&B, that's fine too. The meeting will be in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on the corner of 7th St. and Pike St. Anyone with suggestions?

Thanks much,
Jacco

[XAQUE]

I'll need to find a bike-friendly hotel...
Thanks much,
Jacco

What do you mean by "bike-friendly?"

A safe neighborhood to park the bike?
A place that will let you pull the bike into the lobby at night?

I guess I've just never thought of a hotel being non-bike-friendly

Is there something I should worry 'bout while traveling?

-Xaque-

[BRADFORDBENN]

Having stayed at many a hotel, the best recommendation I have is to call and ask. I have had a few hotels say that they can not guarantee the safety of my RT and I should look else where, but once they know about it all have been really helpful. If you get really stumped you could always pull out the anon book...

[jacco]

What do you mean by "bike-friendly?"

A safe neighborhood to park the bike?
A place that will let you pull the bike into the lobby at night?

I guess I've just never thought of a hotel being non-bike-friendly

Is there something I should worry 'bout while traveling?

-Xaque-

I didn't mean that the typical hotel is bike-unfriendly, I'd say "bike-unaware" or something. You cannot blame them, we're not a huge market share. But they generally have stuff like a parking garage where you're not allowed to self-park, etc. And 24/7 street parking in downtown is probably not smart either, or maybe not even possible. BradfordBenn is right, I should just call some hotels, but I thought I'd give it a shot here first, hoping that someone had a good experience with some place or, even better, a brother-in-law that used to race bikes for a living and now runs a B&B in downtown Seattle with garage. (I'm daydreaming...).

Cheers,
jacco

[Ab544927]

I didn't mean that the typical hotel is bike-unfriendly, I'd say "bike-unaware" or something. You cannot blame them, we're not a huge market share. But they generally have stuff like a parking garage where you're not allowed to self-park, etc. And 24/7 street parking in downtown is probably not smart either, or maybe not even possible. BradfordBenn is right, I should just call some hotels, but I thought I'd give it a shot here first, hoping that someone had a good experience with some place or, even better, a brother-in-law that used to race bikes for a living and now runs a B&B in downtown Seattle with garage. (I'm daydreaming...).

Cheers,
jacco

On vacation I have found the smaller hotels more toward the suburbs and countryside will sometimes even offer the use of their barn. I have had good luck though just using an old looking bike cover with no logo on it and strap it on firmly. Nobody hs messed with it yet as I do not make it look like it is anything worthwhile.

[XAQUE]

...they generally have stuff like a parking garage where you're not allowed to self-park, etc. And 24/7 street parking in downtown is probably not smart either, or maybe not even possible...
jacco

thanks for explaining that!

I guess I've never been in a situation where it mattered so it didn't occur to me that it could be a problem elsewhere.

Come to think of it, all the places I've stayed with my bike have been more rural. All the hotels I've rode to have had a dedicated parking lot in their "compound" and I just use my bike cover at night.

-Xaque-

[jacco]

thanks for explaining that!

I guess I've never been in a situation where it mattered so it didn't occur to me that it could be a problem elsewhere.

Come to think of it, all the places I've stayed with my bike have been more rural. All the hotels I've rode to have had a dedicated parking lot in their "compound" and I just use my bike cover at night.

-Xaque-

Makes sense, I'm not a huge fan of the "downtown twisties" around cabs either. But this meeting takes up a lot of space so rural is out of the question . Anyway, I have a backup plan, sort of. The bike will more than need a 24k service by the time I get there. So I might contact a local BMW dealer to see if they can store the bike for a week in return for them performing this probably not so cheap service... (What does a 24k go for, these days?!?)

[kbasa]

When I'm in Seattle, I like the Ace Hotel. www.acehotel.com

It's a little different than the regular chain restaraunts and is in a cool neighborhood called Belltown. It's a bit of a walk to 7th and Pike, but it's a nice walk. A cab would be cheap, I'd imagine.

I'm not sure how they'd accomodate a bike (or a car for that matter), but it's a decent place to stay. I like the rooms with the included bath, though if you're going cheap, you can use the shared bathrooms and get a lower rate.

[jacco]

if you're going cheap, you can use the shared bathrooms and get a lower rate.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I don't have to go too cheap, since you guys are all paying!

Your tax money at work.

But don't complain, since I'll end up paying for the travel out of my own pocket, saving y'all the cost of my flight. I'll not even bother to try to get reimbursed for the mileage I'll put in my bike

[PacWestGS]

Makes sense, I'm not a huge fan of the "downtown twisties" around cabs either. But this meeting takes up a lot of space so rural is out of the question . Anyway, I have a backup plan, sort of. The bike will more than need a 24k service by the time I get there. So I might contact a local BMW dealer to see if they can store the bike for a week in return for them performing this probably not so cheap service... (What does a 24k go for, these days?!?)

Jacco, I'll try and answer some of your questions but, I have not 'Hotel'd it' in down town Seattle.

There are two really good BMW shops here. South Sound BMW Ride West BMW

Another good place to look for Bike Friendly places: Sound Rider Net

My 24K service was about $650 at South Sound BMW. Both stores have loaner bikes, but you should ask before you show up.

Seattle is not a hot bed of motorcycle theft, so you should be pretty safe locking it, covering it, and leaving it in a parking lot.

Whenever I travel, I always try to get a first floor room with a parking space right outside the door/window. Some if not all motels have covered walkways and I have asked if I could park under them in most cases they have said yes. As long as your bike is not blocking a fire escape/path. All the major brand Hotels have indoor parking garages that are controlled entrance/exit. There is hardly any place in Seattle that you can park "FREE" that is one part of the 'market' that has been 'secured' by the local's and the towing company's.

If you want to leave it at my house for the week (don't know why you'd want to) to many places to go explore and ride up here. You are welcome, PM me. If you are paying out of pocket for the lodging, you can stay in my Travel Trailer too. Commute distance to Down Town is 65-miles about an hour to an hour 20 depending on traffic. Bikes get to use HOV lane but it ends way before you get to Tacoma. If you wanted to take the scenic route along the water it's a bit slower but, well enjoyed. I'll give you all the 'long-cuts' because the shortest route is directly up I-5.

I also know that there are other rider's here in the Anon that are closer than I am, so that might be a good place to start. You're welcome at my place, as long as you shower at least once daily...

You know what, my wife is gone (during this time) visiting her home, you can have the spare bedroom.

Russ

EDIT: On Kbasa's note, Seattle has one of the best Mass-Transit Bus systems in the US. But driving downtown sucks.

[jacco]

Dear SFDOC,

Thanks for the extensive reply and very generous offer to use your spare bedroom, which I seem to qualify for since I do shower at least once daily, assuming there is one within a 10 mile radius. But I'm going there for work, my hotel will be paid for, so I'll try to stay some place downtown. I do not plan to use the bike at all during the week, but to tour around for 7-10 days afterwards. So I'll try to find a hotel within walking distance from the conference (=up to 30 minute walk). I'll check out the two dealerships to see which one is most convenient (location-wise), and to see if I can leave my bike at one of them for the week, possibly for a small fee.

Thanks again,
Jacco

[Holly]

My son was married in Denver last May. The hotel where we stayed was a "boutique" type ie. rack rate for the rooms was $550.00 and it was a heritage building, so no parking. (Wedding rate was only $139.00 ) When we arrived with 3,000 km worth of bugs on us, they barely blinked an eye. We wanted the indoor, guarded garage, so the valet simply walked ahead of us and led the way to the garage around the block. We parked the bikes and they were safe and sound for the week.

Holly