Hotel Review: Cedarbrook Lodge

My first trip to the Pacific Northwestern part of the United States was for my first time attending PAX West, a major gaming convention. The event was in downtown Seattle, but in an effort to save some money while still having a pretty plush experience, I laid my head down some 20 miles away at the Cedarbrook Lodge.

The Low Down:

• One Week Stay
• Solo Traveler
• Last Minute Booking
• Lodge
• Business trip
• Vacation

It seems most travelers only stay at the lodge for a night or two, often standby passengers from nearby SeaTac Airport or overnighters looking to move on to a cruise ship to Alaska the next day. My schedule meant I would stay for nearly a full week at the Lodge, meaning I had plenty of time to get familiar with my surroundings.

I didn’t get *too* familiar with the bar, I promise.

Of the many amenities I sampled (restaurant, free breakfast, bar, lounge areas, gym, and more) I only regret skipping a visit to the spa. I certainly could have used a massage after several days of walking around downtown Seattle!

Overall, the Cedarbrook Lodge is good value for the money, and best for short stays – you’ll find out why in my list below:

Good:

• Beautiful setting
• Great location near SeaTac Airport
• Friendly staff
• Room decor is pleasant
• Plentiful snacks in the lounge areas including string cheese, yogurt, Haagen Das ice cream, bottled water, candy, chips
• Updated bar area with varied wine selection
• Good, hot, free breakfast each morning
• Free internet that is actually usable
• Updated gym equipment
• Free on-demand shuttle to and from airport and link light rail station made sightseeing and convention attendance a breeze.

Not As Good:

• Room window would not close.  I had to remove the screen, letting tons of dust fall inside the room the process, in an attempt to close the window myself.  I still couldn’t get it all the way closed. Thankfully it wasn’t raining or cold during my stay.
• Got food poisoning from the 8 dollar fruit selection and paid 20 dollars for buttered spaghetti noodles each night. If you don’t have a car with you, you are in a bit of trouble when it comes to obtaining outside food.
• Lodge restaurant dinner menu is too heavy and wildly overpriced. Ordered a bacon cheeseburger (cooked medium) and it was over cooked (well done) and weighty, with the potato roll nearly matching the heft and texture of the meat. A mess.
• Decor looks dated, and the buildings walls and elevators show the wear and tear from housing mostly short term visitors from the airport
• By my 4th day at the lodge they’d stopped cleaning my room altogether, and with each day of my stay, the room cleaning job diminished in quality.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay and I’d probably stay there again – but there are so many cool hotels to try in the Seattle area!