Kicky Hotels: Seattle & Tacoma Makeovers That Are All About Art

Tired of cookie-cutter hotels?  The Provenance Hotels group is making checking in fun because there's so much to check out in their Seattle and nearby Tacoma hotels

I last walked through the Hotel Max in Seattle three years ago when the old downtown Hotel Vance was undergoing a total facelift.  But even, the possibilities were obvious.  This weekend, I got to see the finished product.

A curator named Tessa Papas was hired to find the city's most interesting artists and photographers, acquire some of their work, and use it to fill the Hotel Max's lobby, hallways, and rooms.  Today, more than 350 original works of art by 39 local talents are sprinkled liberally throughout this boutique hotel with putty-colored walls, big windows, and small but efficient bathrooms with a touch of marble and light gray tiles in the bath and shower. 

Like many hotels carved out of historic, older buildings, the rooms can be small at the Hotel Max.  But there's so much to see within walking distance of the hotel that you're going to use your room mostly for sleeping.  And with flat-screen Dell televisions, a pillow menu, and very comfortable beds, you're set.  A bellman greeted me as soon as I pulled up to the hotel on Saturday afternoon, and the front desk staff couldn't have been more welcoming.  I only deducted points for so-so water pressure in the shower and a small bathroom sink that took its time to drain.  Points given for great towels and robes.

In nearby Tacoma (about a 25-minute drive away), the same developers have taken a Sheraton near the city's convention center and turned it into a hotel-cum-glass museum.  (There's a larger glass museum in Tacoma near the hotel.)   Unlike the Hotel Max, the Hotel Murano, named after the island near Venice known for its history of glass blowing,  is  very modern, with a soaring lobby and lots of natural light. On each of the 21 guest floors, a glass artist is showcased to museum standards in a display the moment you step off the elevator.  (That's "Balance 52" by American Steve Klein above.)  The artists are from around the world, with glass blowers from Australia, Argentina, Denmark, Japan and other countries represented. 

[Please continue reading for more about the hotel and pictures of some of the stunning pieces on display.]

Though it's hard to tell at first glance, the Hotel Murano has more than 300 rooms (that begin at a very reasonable $140 a night--up to $100 more if there's a major  convention in town).  Along with general manager Mark Mathews, I visited every floor of the hotel featuring glass art, and each was a delightful surprise.  There was the "Blue Fin" by Australian Richard Whiteley, a chunk of two-toned blue glass as icy and menacing as, well, as a shark's fin.  American Seth Randal is represented by a piece of pate de verre, molded glass of red and purple with a visage at its base.  And on the seventh floor is English artist Jessica Townsend's startling "Homage to the Implant," a line up of various sized glass breasts.  GM Mathews told me so far he hasn't had any complaints from guests. 

We are, of course, in the land of Dale Chihuly, and he's represented in the lobby.  But the biggest piece of work is the enormous sculpture on the hotel's facade, a big piece of glass by Greek artist Costas Varotsos  titled "Orizon," which is "horizon" in Greek, and is said to be appraised at $2 million.  The lobby centerpiece is a Venetian chandelier, and in the downstairs hallway that serves meeting rooms, glass Viking boats that tell of Norse myths hang from the ceiling.  Even the front desk (left) is a bold, horizontal billboard of fused glass by Italian Orfeo Quagliata.  Management says most hotel renovations cost about $8,000 per room; in the case of the Hotel Murano, that number hit $62,000 per room thanks partly to the art gathered by Tessa Papas, the same woman who rounded up the artists and photographers for the Hotel Max. 

The rooms are modern with simple, bold colors, and the room art is sketches by each floor's artist.  Forget to bring your iPod?  Just ask for one at the front desk pre-loaded with music (rock, jazz, raggae, hip hop, blues, classical or alternative rock--you choose), and if a Bible isn't your spiritual guide, you can request the Bhagavad Gita, theTorah, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, or the Tao Te Ching.

I didn't stay overnight, but two friends and I had lunch at BITE, the Hotel Murano's informal restaurant.  Don't miss the white peach and blueberry slushie and the Pacific Northwest Cobb Salad with bay shrimp, Dugeness crab, buttermilk blue cheese and a light vinaigrette.  The cuisine is inventive and darn good--this isn't your parent's hotel restaurant.

Both the Hotel Max and the Hotel Murano sport Aveda bathroom amenities, though I wish a shower gel was included along with the shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion.  Lighting is good for working and reading, Wi-Fi is about $12 a day at the Hotel Max; valet parking is $30 a day.  The Hotel Max has window air conditioners, but they're efficient, quiet and, in my room, didn't blow on me as I slept. 

From the company that brought you the top-rated Hotel Lucia in Portland, OR, these two hotels are ready for prime time and make overnight stays more interesting than usual.