We booked The Sorrento as I wanted to give my husband a lovely weekend away as a Christmas gift. I also looked at The Alexis, but was more taken by the Old World charm of The Sorrento. While the experience was a good one, I am not sure I would return to this property. Here are the pros and cons, keeping in mind this was planned as a romantic interlude.

Pros: Fabulous, and I mean truly amazing staff. Jeffrey, a concierge, was especially charming. The staff members were beautifully dressed, low key and exceptionally professional. They knew our name each time we came down, and were very accommodating.

Gorgeous king bed with excellent linens, including a variety of huge, fluffy pillows. Lovely decor throughout, dark and full of ambience.

Beautiful Fireside Bar with soft Jazz entertainment. Pleasant restaurant. We didn't eat there as we are vegetarian and wanted to check out Café Flora.

Cute factor: The elevator mat is changed daily and incorporates that particular day of the week.

Cons: No coffee/tea maker in room. We went out and bought a kettle. I found this hard to take as I like my wake-up cuppa. I found out after my return that I could have asked for one. (This information was provided by their very helpful and pleasant client services manager.) However, there was no card advertising this point, it was not (as far as I can recall) in the service guide, and no one told me at the front desk. This minor point bugged me as, being a Brit, I find I get very antsy when I can't make tea.

Not-too-pleasant scent of "old buildings" in the bathroom, which was also cold and drafty and did not have it's own heat. Very pretty though and well equipped. Lovely bath robes.

Location not central. While the hotel operates a "town car" we had out own wheels and drove into Seattle's city centre. We think we prefer to walk out into the thick of things. The hotel is in a residential area. This said, that is just out personal preference.

We would definitely recommend the hotel to friends, but we would mention the cold bathroom and to ask for a coffee press. It is for these two reasons that I have rated our stay a 4 and not a 5.

This is exactly the sort of hotel that I love to stay in when I'm traveling for business - old world charm, attention-to-detail services, unique decor. But there was a persistent mustiness, a near-nursing-home odor to my room and the entire 5th floor that overpowered my otherwise complete sensory enjoyment of the experience. The staff is lovely. The room was beautifully appointed. The food in the restaurant was delicious. But olfactorily speaking, it was a bit of a stinker.

We visit Seattle annually and have always stayed at the Sorrento. It is a beautiful, old hotel that has always impressed us with its level of service. However, this last last trip was disappointing. First, they have changed their car service. It operates only until 5 p.m. on the weekends and the car was not the same as previous years. It was worn and old. We were also told by the valet that we needed to tip the driver because he only was paid by gratuities. Not only was this advice unnecessary but it was unprofessional.

No car service meant taking taxi cabs to dinner and shopping because this hotel is not within an easy walk of the Market or many restaurants. We were also disappointed by the general lack of service. In our previous stays, we were warmly greeted and our bags taken to our room where the bell-hop would turn on classical music. Turn-down service was automatic and fresh ice delivered nightly to the room. None of this happened during this last trip. In fact, when we asked what hours the Market was opened we were met with a shrug. If we hadn't been treated so well in the past, perhaps this wouldn't have been so shocking.

Maybe this was just a bad weekend but it seemed that the hotel has cut down on its staff and certainly are trimming corners on costs such as the car service. If you are a returning guest anticipating using the car service, just be prepared for the changes.

We stayed two nights in separate stays at the beginning of September. This is a beautiful historic hotel with wood paneling in the lobby and bar. It is a little bit off the main tourist area up on a hill. The hotel has a very romantic atmosphere – as was evidenced by the wedding parties checking in both times we visited. The views are not great since the hotel is not very tall and there are many newer tall buildings between it and the waterfront (an easy walk), but the location is very nice and convenient to the freeways. But who needs to look out the window with such beautifully appointed rooms? The beds are luxurious, with high count sheets and tons of pillows. The rooms include fresh local coffee with a french press and the bathroom amenities are excellent. The furnishings are very tasteful and high quality.
We did have some traffic noise on our first stay - this hotel IS in a city. Also, the first room we had overlooked the parking lot, but the main concern was a generator noise that bothered my husband. I requested a room change, and after being made to wait a long time by an obviously new desk clerk, was given an upgrade to a suite by his more experienced co-worker. When we returned for the second stay later in the week, I requested a room on the other, quieter side of the building. And that is when I learned from the staff that the even numbered rooms have the king beds but are on the noisy side, the odd numbered rooms have the queen beds but are quiet. We had an odd numbered room the second time and had a peaceful, quiet evening.
Do not miss having a drink in the wood paneled lobby bar - even if you don't stay here.