A brick building that was originally an early-1900s warehouse designed for Albert Hambach, a steam and plumbing supplies dealer, is now a plant-filled hotel with a sprawling rooftop bar in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. Designed by the Miller Hull Partnership, Populus Seattle — the second hotel from Populus Hotels, a collection of carbon positive properties — kept and repurposed materials like brick and hefty Douglas fir beams. At the same time, it removed things that had been added later — like elevators installed in the 1970s — in order to open a skylight from which sun spills down from the roof to the lobby. The building’s industrial history carries through to its 120 accommodations, which have exposed brick and exposed wood beams.
Plants and trees abound, especially in the lobby, where tropical plants line the staircase, and on the rooftop, which is enlivened with native prairie plants. The roof is also where you’ll discover Firn, a bar with views of the skyline and waterfront. Shareable plates might include baked Camembert, oysters on the half shell and chilled prawns. The hotel’s restaurant, Salt Harvest, has menus inspired by the Pacific Northwest, including live-fire dishes like king salmon and duck breast.
Populus Seattle is in the RailSpur area, named for the railways that passed through there. Nowadays, you can check out shops and restaurants in its historical warehouse buildings. Prices from $359 a night. For every night you stay, the hotel will plant a tree as part of it’s One Night, One Tree program.