Recently stayed at the Holiday Inn in Kent, WA on a Friday night before flying out of SEA on a DL mileage run (and to add a qualifying stay to the 10K/40K promo). I used an $89 1K bonus miles rate (Feel free to pummel me for paying $89 for the extra 1K points. Should I have tried Priceline?
).
Originally I had not planned to write a review, so I took no notes - apologies for lack of detail in some places.
Main reason for staying here: HI Kent offers free parking for seven days with a stay of at least one night in the hotel. They tend to be cheaper than the full service HI at SEA (which I criticized in a previous thread and also charges $12/day to park) and the SEA HIX (which offers free parking, but only during your stay).
I loathe the parking-go-round at SEA, so I decided to see if the HI Kent was worthwhile.
If you're not familiar with the area, finding the hotel on your own (I drove across Tacoma Narrows from the Peninsula) can be a little tricky. The easiest way for me was to exit I-5 to WA-18, then take WA-167 north to the 84th/ Central Ave Exit. This is easier than using I-405 as the HI website suggests, especially if traffic is backed up on I-5.
Check-in went very well as both FD employees were very friendly, recognized me as a PC member, and explained the hotel features extensively. They also arranged my wake-up call and 0400 airport shuttle ride at check-in.
I used the fitness center after check-in. A little small, but two treadmills, dumbbells, and a stair climber were available, plus TV w/remote, towels, and a water fountain.
Ate dinner at the restuarant, Mitzel's. The restaurant setup is unusual as Mitzel's is located next door to the hotel and looks like an entirely separate business (most likely owned by the same firm as the HI) save the fact that you can bill to your room. They're open until 11PM Fri-Sun. I just had an appetizer plate and a couple of Red Hooks (to make up for the gym
). Average quality food for an HI, though perhaps because Mitzel's is a chain restuarant the prices were a little lower than what a restaurant inside the hotel would charge.
Room was a KNGN. Clean, decent size for an HI. Powerful single-unit AC/heater. Bed was made up with standard hotel comforter. Sheets were actually pressed, which IMO makes the room much more presentable and suggests that Housekeeping cares about its job. Free broadband line available in the room. Speed not great but good enough for browsing/email - downloads would take awhile. Did not use the wireless connection, though the whole property is supposedly wireless-accessible.
Bathroom above average for an HI. The new "mint" soap/shampoo set was available instead of the junk old Holiday Collection. Shower/toilet room large enough so that the shower curtain wasn't brushing up against the toilet (an issue with some HI/HIXs). Modern shower head with good water pressure.
TV was 27", though I recall only about 15 channels being available. Not a big TV watcher - the limited number of channels was a bigger issue for me in the gym than in the room.
0330 wake-up call came on time, though didn't need it because I used the nice loud clock radio as insurance.
Night auditor had the shuttle driver ready for me (possibly the other auditor, didn't ask) and had my bill already printed.
Airport shuttle nothing fancy like the hotels around SEA have; just a white Ford van with green HI logo, no module on the back (so if the van ever gets full luggage space could be an issue). I was the only one going to the airport. Ride was about 12 minutes in the dark up out of the valley and through the "scenic" part of Sea-Tac. No traffic to speak of. We passed the 76 station (on Military Road?) that has to have some of the most expensive gas outside of downtown Seattle ($3.60/gal at the time) - please, never buy gas from those turkeys. Driver was cordial but spent most of the time listening to the radio. Dropped me off AT the terminal next to the DL check-in area. Nice touch - surprised the Port police didn't get after him. Made sure I tipped the driver.
Upon returning from my MR the next day, I called the hotel as soon as we started taxiing at 630PM or so and asked for a 8PM pick-up at Island 3. Grabbed my bag, ate dinner, and still didn't see the driver until 845PM. Turned out the FD guy I called got brow-beaten by some guests into having the driver drop them off at a local shopping mall just after he got off the phone with me. Driver got stuck in traffic on that run, with the result being he was late to SEA. Presumably traffic was fairly heavy getting to SEA, but either the FD or driver (or both) didn't plan the pick-up well. Nobody else being picked up. Driver not a good English speaker and said very little the entire time. The ride back to the hotel took about 20 minutes.
Dropped off my bags in my car and drove off. Total parking cost for this MR: $0.
Wasn't in the hotel a long time, but area seems pretty safe. I parked within sight of the main entrance just to be sure, though.
Overall, I'd recommend the HI Kent highly if you know you'll be staying in the SEA, using the airport, and need to park your car. I paid nothing to park, and with the hotel's week-long parking availability you could save a ton of money on parking fees by staying here, flying out, and returning after five days or so. In some cases the stay would pay for itself.
Hotel staff is friendly, property is pretty good, and outside the problem with pick-up at SEA I had no issues. If you're willing to wait a little longer for your ride back from SEA, I think the HI Kent offers good value and is a good choice for a SEA area hotel - I'll almost certainly stay there again.^