Photo credit is courtesy of Motif Seattle
Motif Seattle, the city’s newest and largest independent hotel, celebrated its official opening on June 14. Located on Fifth Avenue between Pike and Union Streets, Motif is the former Red Lion on Fifth Avenue. The new luxury hotel, which is managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, underwent a multiyear, multimillion dollar renovation and rebranding, unveiling a fresh new upscale design that is inspired by Seattle’s creative arts scene.
The approximately $25 million, top-to-bottom renovation began in 2011 and was completed earlier this year.  It included the hotel’s meeting spaces, the restaurant Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails, guest rooms and public spaces. According to Doug Phillips, Motif’s regional director of sales and marketing, the finishing touches impacted the overall arrival experience, bringing the “outside in and the inside out. … The building itself, from the design elements, is very Seattle looking. You get the sense that you are really part of the community,” he says.
As part of its connection to Seattle’s creative spirit and as a nod to the local fashion industry, the hotel will introduce a new brand concept one to two times each year, reimagining its collateral materials and artistic details. The first designer was Jordan Christianson who created an exclusive pattern which is found throughout Motif. In addition, the hotel is instigating a busker program through which local musicians will entertain the public and hotel guests on the hotel’s covered front porch.
Motif features 319 guest rooms and 10 suites. The hotel offers more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space on two floors, including a 10,000 square-foot fourth-floor Executive Conference Level with breakout rooms, a 6,000-square-foot ballroom and an executive boardroom. On the third floor is a 9,000-square-foot ballroom with pre-function space. A grand staircase connects the two floors. “We have some of the best meeting space of any property I’ve ever worked at,” says Phillips.
