The Marriott in Redmond was my go-to if I really wanted to be near MSFT when I was working with them 10 years ago. But more often than not I just stayed in Seattle because it was a *lot* more fun, and I could usually get out there before traffic got bad.

The W in Seattle was a *little* dark and gothy for my tastes, but it was an excellent hotel overall. I was bouncing around at Marriotts and Starwoods for those years, and generally liked the Seattle Marriotts and little better overall. (Never stayed in Bellevue.)

Good to know there are new options right near campus for people who want to be out there...