Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Since I was departing Memphis on a Friday evening and we couldn’t board our ship until Sunday, we needed two nights’ lodging in Seattle. We eventually settled on the Element Seattle Downtown which was about a 30-minute walk from Pike Place Market and other attractions along the waterfront. While it would have been nice to be closer, the hotel offered free breakfast and as it turned out there were loads of other folks there ahead of their own cruises, so it was a popular choice. I had a free night certificate thanks to my Chase Marriott credit card. The free night certificate only covered the first 25K points but I was able to add 9K points to it to cover that first night and then 34K points for the second night.
Arrival
My flight landed about 10:30 PM and my friends were both on a flight from Los Angeles that arrived a bit later, at about 11:15 PM. By the time we got our luggage and ordered a 2-stop Uber (our Australian friend was at a different hotel), we did not arrive at the Element until about 12:30 AM. While I had messaged the hotel before we left home to make them aware of our late arrival and they had responded, I sent a second message (via the Marriott app) while waiting in baggage claim and that message was never acknowledged.
When we arrived the door was locked (a good thing) but a security guard let us in and then a staff member assisted us immediately. At that hour the lobby was dead and I wished I wasn’t so worn out (after all, my internal clock thought it was 2:30 AM) so that I could have grabbed photos of all the seating areas. My Silver status was recognized, although that did not get us anything extra – not even points as a welcome amenity.
Guest Room
After taking the elevators up to the 7th floor, we had only to turn left and then left again down a short hallway and we were one of the first doors on the right side in room 707.
We’d ordered a two-queen room and that’s what we received although ours was an accessible room which meant it was a little different from a standard room. It did have the standard layout with a short hallway and the bathroom on one side before stepping deeper into the room. However, instead of having storage area immediately inside the door, there was a kitchenette. The closet was at the far end of the room by the window.
We got our two queen beds, which were quite comfortable. There was a single night stand in between the two and wall-mounted lights for each bed. There was a clock with both USB-A and -C outlets and on the wall were two AC outlets as well as a USB-A outlet. Kudos for lots of power sources!
Across from the beds was a desk with a ginormous TV mounted on the wall above it. To the right was a wardrobe that contained the safe, some drawers as well as an area to hang clothes. There was also an ironing board and an iron included.
Beside the bed was a sleeper sofa with a small round table, and against the bathroom wall there was another small desk with a floor lamp in the corner.
The kitchenette had a 2-burner stove, a dishwasher, a full-sized fridge, and a coffee setup. Only decaf coffee was included in our basket of supplies although I’m sure we could have asked for other kinds if needed. There were usual dishes like plates, bowls, glasses, and coffee cups but not much in the way of cooking pots.
The bathroom is where we noticed the biggest differences vs. a standard room. There were lots of grab bars and the toilet was off to one side to make the transition from a wheelchair easier. There was no place to hang bath towels or wash cloths, which was a bit annoying.
There was no storage under the sink and there were no hooks anywhere for towels or wash cloths.
The shower was not wide enough for a wheelchair but had a fold-down bench in the back. The shower head height could be easily adjusted by sliding it up & down on a pole. There was a small rubber barrier meant to keep the water in the shower area but it did not work well at all. I wish this new hotel (it just opened in January 2026) had done like the Fairfield Inn where I stayed in Copenhagen and had built in a tiny (half-inch) step-down into the shower. That worked much better for keeping the water inside.
Toiletries were from Pharmacopia. While they smelled nice, the conditioner still left my hair frizzy. And the bath gel container was completely empty. When I mentioned this to the front desk, instead of notifying housekeeping, they gave me a new container. While that would have been great had I needed it immediately, I was clearly dressed for the day and then had to turn around and go back upstairs. I did like the light embedded into the mirror.
Hand Toiletries by Pharmacopia
Common Areas
Gym
The hotel has a lovely fitness facility on the 8th (top) floor of the hotel. It has lots of windows allowing for natural light and great views. Since the hotel has only been open a few months, the equipment is in great shape. There are no water bottles available here but water is available.
Laundry
Across from the gym is the laundry room. It has seven pairs of washers and dryers and an additional two dryers. For the paired sets it was $3 to wash and $3.50 to dry. I don’t know if it was any more expensive for the extra pair of dryers.
Yoga Room
There was an additional room for yoga or stretching or whatever but I don’t have a photo because it was being used for a private reception when I was taking photos.
Rooftop
The rooftop has some great views of the city and has a place for a private reception.
You can also see the Space Needle, which is only a short walk away.
Lobby Area
The ground floor is a busy place. When entering through the front door, before you even reach the lobby you’ll see the Trule Yours cafe. It’s open 7-3 on weekdays and 8-5 on weekends. I’m not sure what they serve as we didn’t get a chance to visit it.
Across from the front desk is the little store with a very good selection of both food & drinks and any travel-type amenities you may have forgotten.
There are a very large number of seating areas of all types. I don’t have a photo of the areas closest to the breakfast buffet but in that area were lots of 2- and 4-top seats along with a long high-top table that could seat 10 or 12. That area was always super-busy during breakfast and at other times was very dark so I didn’t try to photograph it.
But other areas had comfy chairs and sofas, there were also some tables that could be used for dining, playing cards, working puzzles, etc. One area was labeled the Quiet Room (though there were no doors to block out sounds).
Behind the front desk was another area with a 2-computer business center.
The bar, which opens at 5 PM, was always busy in the evenings. It had a decent selection of food and after a busy day walking around the city a Chicken Caesar Salad hit the spot. 
Here’s the menu:
Breakfast
Breakfast is served 7-10 AM daily and was a little chaotic both mornings we were there. After arriving so late the first night we slept in and were there for the last half-hour or so. The second morning we were earlier but so were lots of other people. I can only imagine that on the weekends, earlier is better if you want a less busy time.
The photos may seem to be at odd angles but I was trying to shoot around a lot of people and had to take what I could get. There were hot options as well but they were all in pots with rather heavy lids that did not stay up by themselves and I didn’t think there was much value in photos of pots with tops on them. But the pots contained eggs, breakfast potatoes, chicken or turkey sausage, and a frittata. We found it odd that the pots were not the kind where the lid was attached and could easily be raised with one hand while you held your plate in the other. We also found it odd that behind the hot section were sliding windows where – you’d think – the workers could refresh the pots without having to come into the dining area but nope, when a dish ran out someone had to squeeze into the line and carry it back to the kitchen. Maybe there’s a good reason for that and I just don’t know about it.
The rest of the buffet was your normal breakfast stuff like this coffee station that also had the tea bags though the hot water was directly behind where I’m taking this photo.
There was a yogurt bar with plain yogurt that you could dress up as you like with fruit (blueberries and strawberries) as well as crunchy toppings like granola, nuts, banana chips, etc.
There were several different kinds of cereal including Cheerios and granola. Whole, 2%, and non-fat milk along with almond milk (and perhaps other kinds).
A juice bar had orange, apple, and cranberry juice.
And there was a bread section with bagels, breads, and pastries along with a toaster oven.
A bit of fresh fruit was available as well.
Location
The hotel is about 15 miles from the airport. Late night with no traffic it’s 18-24 minutes with virtually no traffic. We did have a stop to drop off our Australian friend on the way and with that diversion and tip our Uber fare (possibly including late night surcharge, but I’m not sure) was over $110.
If you want to pick up a rideshare at the hotel, whose address is on Aurora Avenue North, be aware that is the very busy street beside the hotel and not where the entrance is. The entrance is on Roy Street and that’s where the rideshare will collect you.
We were able to walk back to the hotel from Pike Place Market but it was over a mile away with a few small hills. The hotel is about an 11-minute walk from the Space Needle and the surrounding park. So they’re both do-able just not particularly close if you’re not accustomed to walking.
In the end
The hotel provided what we needed: a place to stay for a couple of nights, a location that was not too inconvenient, breakfast was included, and a clean, comfortable room. Were I looking to stay in the area to do tourist things I might select a different location but for a short weekend stay ahead of a cruise we, and many other folks we ran into, found this a perfectly acceptable place to stay.
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