Wll be in Seattle soon--any advise on Seattle Marriott? In particular the Renaissance Madison Hotel--any comments? Location, proximity to downtown activities? Room quality?

Also, this is my first time in Seattle, will be there the weekend with an all day conference on Friday. Is it necessary to rent a car, or is there enough to do within a cab ride distance in the downtown area on Saturday? Any advise much appreciated.

It just so happens that I am in SEA right now visiting a friend for the President's Day Weekend.

In my opinion, you will not need a rental car if you stay downtown. I almost stayed at the Renaissance last Memorial Day Weekend but canceled at the last minute as I found other accommodations. The hotel itself looks nice, at least the lobby. It is a high-rise at the southeast corner of downtown, just inside I5.

Plenty of restaurants, shops, sights and the like w/in a 10-minute walk down towards Alaskan Way. Great seafood restaurants along the water. Seattle has a VERY active downtown, with thousands of residents in the numerous high-rise apts and condos which dot the area.

Anthony's on Pier 66 is very nice. Upstairs is more formal and pricey. Downstairs is more casual and affordable. Both offer great views of the sound.

If you'd like to know more, let me know either via reply to this post or through my personal e-mail. Will be here through Monday evening.

AtlMan

The Madison is one of my favorites in Seattle and you'll really enjoy staying there. Whatever you do, get access to the Club. It is open 7 days and it is staffed with knowledgeable and helpful Concierges rather than food service types. They are extremely up to date on the restaurant scene and you can also depend on them to guide you to what is doing. The pool area is great so don't forget your suits if you are going to have some extra time.
Downtown Seattle contains many top attractions and is compact enough that you can access everything by cab or public transpo. I even seem to recall that I was told that the metrobuses were gratis on the weekends. The suburbs are of some interest, especially to the north, but you would need to rent a car and fight traffic that is about as bad as Long Island or Northern VA, or maybe even worse. Have a good time, snackyx.

Snackyx, I agree with Monitor. The Madison Renaissance is one of my favorites. Good location and one of the finest concierge lounges I've come across -- very attentive and knowledgeable. Hotel staff are exceptionally polite and professional.

I stayed at the Renaissance Madison a few months ago on a very inexpensive weekend rate. When I checked in the clerk told me he had upgraded me to a corner suite. I am merely silver and would have never asked. It had huge windows on both sides in the bedroom with a great view of the Sound. Plus, I really like the wakeup coffee service in the morning.

I live in SEA and would be happy to answer any detailed ?s you may have if you email me. The Renaissance is very nice although some of the rooms are a bit smaller than others. I've stayed there and have had friends stay there as well. You can walk just about everywhere in the downtown area. Buses are always free in the downtown free zone (not just on weekends). You can also take a ferry and go to some of the islands in the sound e.g., Bainbridge, Vashon, Whidbey. You can also use the bus system to go anywhere else in the city. You can take the monorail from Westlake Center to the Space Needle, Experience Music Project, and IMAX at the Science Center (can also get to Key Arena this way to see the Sonics). Hope you enjoy our city!

BTW - sorry - forgot to include this on the previous post. . .there is a special that runs in the winter for hotels in Seattle. You can book on-line. There are some very good deals here. The specials are good until 03/31/01. Here's the website (I am in no way affilated with them, just thought I'd pass along the info):
http://www.seattleinsider.com - look for supersaver weekend.