Location

Came by public transportation, but understand hotel is easily accesible from I-5. Located behind Everett train station (Transit Center) with frequent express bus service to Seattle, as well as limited commuter hour Sounder train service.

Check In

Recognized as Platinum by clerk. Upgraded to 7th (Executive) Floor room, with 24/7 access to their Pantry (a/k/a Lounge). Offered points or $10 f/b amentity for their bar/restaurant (off lobby).�

Room

I had been to the previous Holiday Inn at this site several times, so was plaesed to see plenty of electrical sockets in the remodeling, as opposed to the 1980's situation of bringing an extension cord and pulling back the mattress to create my own bedside charging station. On the other hand, those rooms featured a microwave and fridge. Photos show the room layout as well as I can describe it in words � ...

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Toiletries are by Shoebox - a brand I'd not encountered before.A minor quibble might be that sitting on the couch I could have used a short extension cord from the outlet in the lamp, but managed. Didn't take a picture of the shower, featuring dual overhead-handheld options.

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Dining

Here we go with Marriott's touting Lounge Access for elite guests!

Thought I'd taken a picture of the entire pantry itself, from the hallway, but guess not. There were people coming and going, so didn't have the luxury of composing shots. Picture a room roughly 3' x 20' behind glass with a key activated door� ...

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Veggies and dip offering made for a lounge-ish touch in the evening, I guess? Pastry options for breakfast, along with cereal (not just the boxes above) and instant oatmeal. Missing from pictures is the Seattle's Best coffee machine featuring ground-to-order selections (as well as hot water for the oatmeal), as well as a selection of chips. Also, a second cooler for water and soft drinks. Dining room staff were fairly assiduous about restocking.

Holiday Inn had a dated bar/restaurant and coffee stand off the lobby. These were combined into a modern, (vaguely hip) bar and restaurant. I had a beer and appetizer at the bar - decent beer for the $5 happy hour price, while the teriyaki beef was okay, if not great.�

There is a breakfast buffet: $12 continental and $19 all-included, which I skipped in favor of a muffin I'd brought and coffee from the Lounge.

Service

When I arrived, the room I'd been assigned was set at 68F, but showed an actual temperature of 76F (it was a hot day). I called to report it, maintenance guy fiddled around, and in not-so-fluent English advised me that it should cool down on its own, but if I were still not happy to call the desk (again). He had set it at 66F, but when I came back from the bar there had been no change. Was given another room immediately following my second call, which was better, but still not great. I'm not feeling their AC is truly up to occasional Seattle-area heatwaves (80s/90s).

Overall

Staff were terrific in terms of customer service, but as an elite, the pantry left me disappointed as the "lounge" touted by Marriott. Either throw in the term "pantry" as a benefit, or better yet, the $12 continental breakfast. This hotel is a rare instance where it's possibly better not to be an elite in terms of expectations?�