Splurge Hotels · Seattle
Seattle’s top-rated rooms sit along the downtown waterfront and around Pike Place Market, and only one of them is a walk from a cruise pier. The Edgewater is AAA Four Diamond, over the water, 0.2 miles from Pier 66. The Four Seasons is the one Forbes Four-Star, and nowhere in Washington is Five Diamond.
We looked for the nicest places to stay before a cruise from Seattle. One of the six, the Edgewater, also makes our top 20, because it’s a walk from Pier 66; the other five are the better rooms, and the morning is yours to arrange. Tap the night you’re after and the pick lights up.
Five are AAA Four Diamond for 2026. Thompson Seattle has no AAA rating — Forbes lists it as Recommended, and we say so rather than stretch.
Over the water on Pier 67, 0.2 miles from Pier 66. AAA Four Diamond, and the splurge you can walk to the ship from.
Seattle's one Forbes Four-Star, with a heated infinity pool over Elliott Bay and noon check-out. A block from Pike Place Market.
AAA Four Diamond inside Pike Place Market, with a Cruise Package that covers breakfast and a town car from the airport.
Forbes Recommended, with The Nest's rooftop bar over Puget Sound and dogs free. Steps from Pike Place Market.
Seattle's 1924 grande dame, AAA Four Diamond, with a solarium pool and Shuckers Oyster Bar.
AAA Four Diamond on First Avenue, with a spa and a Topgolf Swing Suite. Half a mile from the Aquarium.
Tap a pin for the hotel’s card, then open the review. The numbers follow the list above.
Hover or tap a hotel to light its column. Green is on offer, gold comes with a cost or a catch, grey isn’t there or isn’t stated.
| Feature | The Edgewater | Four Seasons Seattle | Inn at the Market | Thompson Seattle | Fairmont Olympic | Hotel 1000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA rating | Four Diamond, since 2006 | Four Diamond, since 2009 | Four Diamond, since 2017 | Not on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists | Four Diamond, since 2010 | Four Diamond, since 2007 |
| Forbes Travel Guide | — | Four-Star; Four-Star spa | — | Recommended | Soon to be Rated | — |
| On the beach | No; over the water on Pier 67 | No; over Elliott Bay | No; over the Market | No; a rooftop over the Sound | No; downtown | No; First Avenue |
| Restaurant | Six Seven | Goldfinch Tavern | Café Campagne; Bacco Café | Conversation | The George | All Water |
| Bar or drinks | Six Seven Lounge | INFINITY pool + bar (summer) | — | The Nest | Shuckers; the Olympic Bar | Rosebay; The Nineteenth |
| Spa | — | Full-service spa | In-room massage | — | Penelope & The Beauty Bar | The Spa at Hotel 1000 |
| Breakfast | Paid | Paid | Paid; vouchers in the Cruise Package | Paid | Paid | Not stated |
| Kitchen | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Resort fee | $34 a night | None stated | None stated | Daily fee, amount not shown | $35 a night | $33.17 a night |
| Parking | $66 valet | $75 valet | Valet; fee not published | Valet; rate not read | $81.29 valet; garage from $7 | $60 to $70 |
| Shuttle to the port | Walk: 0.2 miles to Pier 66 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Distance to the port | 0.2 miles to Pier 66 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
None of the six publishes a ride to the ship. The Edgewater is a walk to Pier 66; from the others it’s a short cab to Pier 66 — about a mile by our road estimates — or a longer one out to Pier 91 in Interbay, about 3.3 to 3.9.
The fees add up — nightly, not once. The Fairmont charges $35 a night, the Edgewater $34 and Hotel 1000 $33.17, and valet runs from $60 at Hotel 1000, on Hilton’s page, to $81.29 at the Fairmont (checked Oct 2, 2026).
Want the ride handled? Hotel Ändra, No. 1 in our top 20, sells a Cruise Package with a shuttle to either pier and parking while you sail, and Hyatt House, No. 2, runs its own $12 shuttle to both piers, with free breakfast.
Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
| Hotel | Why it isn’t in the six |
|---|---|
| 1 Hotel Seattle | AAA Four Diamond since 2007, carried over from the Pan Pacific. It's in South Lake Union, inland from both piers; its site mentions a $29 nightly amenity fee but no valet rate. |
| Lotte Hotel Seattle | AAA Four Diamond and Forbes Recommended, but its site wouldn't load for us, so nothing on it is verified. |
| Grand Hyatt Seattle and Hyatt at Olive 8 | Both AAA Four Diamond, in the convention district. We haven't checked their cruise details. |
| The Charter Hotel and The Sound Hotel Belltown | Both AAA Four Diamond. We haven't checked their cruise details yet. |
| Eastside Four Diamonds | W Bellevue, the Woodmark in Kirkland and Willows Lodge in Woodinville are across Lake Washington, the wrong side of town for a sail morning. |
By the ratings, the Four Seasons: it's the only Forbes Four-Star hotel on Forbes's Seattle page, and AAA Four Diamond, with a heated infinity pool over Elliott Bay. Nearest a pier, the Edgewater is AAA Four Diamond and 0.2 miles from Pier 66 by its own count; it ranks No. 6 in our top 20.
No. AAA's 2026 Five Diamond list has no hotel in Washington, and Forbes's Seattle page has no Five-Star. The top AAA rating in town is Four Diamond, and five of our six have it.
None of our six publishes one — and the Edgewater doesn't need it for Pier 66, 0.2 miles away. The Four Seasons' house car runs within a mile but doesn't name the pier, and Inn at the Market's Cruise Package covers the airport, not the ship.
None of the six publishes cruise parking — valet runs from $60 to $81.29 a night where it's priced, and that's for your stay, not your sailing. Pier 91's lot is from $27 a day and Pier 66's garage $33, per the port.
It became 1 Hotel Seattle in South Lake Union, set to open in April 2025 per the builder's news page, and AAA lists it as Four Diamond. It's inland from both piers, so it isn't one of our six.
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