Best Hotels near Island Books, Mercer Island

I’ve stayed at this hotel whenever I’m in Bellevue, WA for well over thirty years. My earliest memories of this property were as a Red Lion Hotel. Then it became a Double Tree and finally, on its deathbed , it’s a Hilton. How the mighty have fallen… Not withstanding the property, which I’ll get into, I will say that the staff are generally kind and helpful. So this review is not to diminish their efforts. However hard they work, the reality is this property is beyond salvage and should be torn down and a new property should be built in its place. The bedrooms are grossly outdated, and when you look behind the doors, or in between the furniture, you’ll see how old this hotel is. While it’s sizeable in space and scope, the elevators are tragically slow, with two-of-four being out of commission when we stayed there recently. Sadly, the water pressure is so low it takes forever to wash and rinse. Our keycard failed three separate times, requiring a long walk and painful elevator ride back to the main desk where the staff reset the keycard. The pool is functioning, but there were never enough chairs and loungers. Add to this there were never enough fresh towels and you’re getting the taste of mediocrity this hotel delivers. One absolutely disgusting site is the swamp that lies just beside the pool (down the concrete foundation about twenty feet). I have no idea who thinks this is aesthetically pleasing, but it’s not. It’s home to a few ducks who clearly have poor taste in accommodations, as did we. This poolside unattraction is downright ugly. One thing I was interested to see were several staff members not wearing any type of formal Hilton uniforms. The breakfast buffet chef was literally dressed in Carharts with a t-shirt, work boots and a ball cap on. And one of the maintenance staff looked like he just walked in off the street. Management must have been on vacation at another property. Finally, the outside of the building, including the massive sloping glass facade, clearly hasn’t been washed in decades. And worse, yet, the parking area is filthy to say the least. Food containers, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and hygiene products lay a strewn for days with no effort to maintain a modest effort in appearance. This was the last time we will stay at this hotel. If you want to save yourself frustration and disappointment, I encourage you to stay at the new Marriott up the street. Literally blocks away, it’s a cleaner, nicer bet.

We just left the Residence Inn Bellevue after checking out of room 743 for three night and it was one of our worst hotel stays in a long time. I’m a Marriott Ambassador member and pretty much live in hotels and this stay was beyond rough. We booked a two bedroom room and upon checking in they gave us a mobility accessible room which was fine except for the fact that we brought our little kids who had access to everything (knives, the door locks, garbage disposal switch etc). The real problem was the noise, the room is situated right on the 405 freeway and we couldn’t sleep at all. When I checked in I asked the lady at the front desk and she said it would be quiet which it wasn’t. Then the next morning when I went down to ask about a room switch the morning desk manager told me all the 2 bedrooms are on the freeway corner and she verbatim said “the 2 bedroom rooms are loudest rooms in the whole hotel and she has no idea why they even sell them or situated them right on the freeway”. On top of the no sleep for three nights we paid an absurd $550/night for the Residence inn. The room is in need of a major facelift with banged up cabinets, stains in the floors, torn up carpeting, etc. Also on top of the cake there was a crushed up medicine under the couch that our two year old found, so they need to drastically need to do a much better job cleaning. This whole hotel stay was very rough and I high advise to stay somewhere else next time!

The staff was curteous and kind. The appliances were all in working order, and everything was clean upon arrival. The hotel is on top of a large hill, and there is a grocery store within a block's walk, which is very convenient.

Nice and comfortable airport hotel. Location is tremendous, as it’s near to SEA airport, with lots of food venues around. A complimentary airport shuttle is available. The shuttle departs every thirty minutes to the airport, at :00 and :30. Exceptionally kind and helpful staff at the hotel, however, one specific shuttle driver was extremely rude and unbothered. I did not catch his name. Didn’t bother helping me with my suitcases and at the airport didn’t bother taking out my suitcases either. Also the shuttle departed full, so some passengers had to stand. Rooms were very clean, but a bit outdated. Since the hotel is big, there are two fitness facilities available, very convenient. I had a 1 bed queen room with a balcony, which is a nice touch. I would stay again, if staying near SEA airport.

We had two rooms, with four queen size beds, for our five person group (grandpa, son and wife, two grown grandchildren). Our stay was for nine nights; we alternated day trips into Seattle with trips to the parks . . . Olympic, and Mt. Rainier. The location of the hotel was perfect for our needs; we could get into Seattle by car in under a half hour or we could take the bus which stops a block away. The area was safe and the city of Bellevue seems clean and upscale. There are many restaurants of all types within walking distance. The rooms have mini fridges which gives you some 'cost control' for breakfast and for snacks. The only negatives were that there was no breakfast included and most nearby restaurants opened around eleven. Also, the parking cost $20 plus tax and the spaces are very tight and the entrance and exit are awkwardly set up. The front desk was very nice and, we had a great time and we would go back again to this hotel.

The room itself was fine, but the free WiFi wouldn't work for my laptop, only our phones. We talked to tech support twice and they ran me through the standard litany of things, but nothing worked. This is the same laptop that could literally go down into the lobby, find a different access point, and connect fine, but the actual hotel's WiFi was hot garbage. Considering I was there for three nights, it was definitely inconvenient and something that'll prompt me to stay elsewhere for my next trip.

Shuttle was at curb when I arrived, no wait. Several airlines use the hotel for employee layovers - therefore the shuttle is easy and frequent. I did mobile check in - hotel is a bit of a maze when you first arrive. I suggest in person check in for this reason so you can get some directions. I was on the second floor (lobby level) and walked in a large square to find my room which was actually very close to the front desk. Room was great, Marriott standard with all expected amenities. Room service was good and prompt. Concierge lounge was nice and had good evening hor'doerves and a standard Marriott breakfast. Had lunch in the restaurant - good service and food. Gym was adequate but I did not see a Peloton bike. Shuttle back to airport was quick - I waited about 5 minutes. Solid experience.