Accommodation for traveling kids: Best Western Airport Executel, Seattle

On our trip to Sweden this past summer we stayed overnight in Seattle before taking our Iceland Air flight from Sea-Tac to Stockholm, through Keflavik. The hotel we chose was the Best Western Airport Executel, located outside downtown Seattle.

At Sea-Tac airport.

The room
Our double-queen room was nice and big with two very comfortable queen-sized beds, a fridge, coffee maker, kettle, TV, bathroom with bath-tub, and plenty of space for our many suitcases and bags.

Having a fridge was handy for storing some milk, yogourt and snacks in for the kids. The bathtub got a complete workout since my children entertained themselves by having 2 baths each in that one day, and why not? There are worse ways to spend the time than having baths and watching TV!

Free wireless internet was provided and worked well during our stay. (I really hope every hotel is providing this service free by now: I keep reading that some hotels charge for it, but I really don't understand the reasoning behind that.)

Amenities
One of the selling points when I chose this hotel for our stay was that it had a pool. It was easy to get to and had a small change room/washroom adjacent to the pool and gym area. We had a nice dip and if I hadn't been by myself with the kids, I would have also used the gym. We spent most of our time in the hot-tub and the kids really loved that.

There are a lot of restaurants in the surrounding area, but we ate both dinner and breakfast in the hotel restaurant and the food was very good. For dinner, the kids' menu had a good selection, service was great and the food arrived promptly. The breakfast buffet had a nice selection of hot and cold foods (make your own waffles!), and it was a great way to start off a long day of travel.

The hotel provides a free shuttle-service to the airport, and even though the first shuttle bus had some technical difficulties, another bus was brought out quickly and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Service
The staff was unfailingly helpful, polite, and friendly. I felt very welcome with my kids, and little touches like a supply of free, fresh fruit in the lobby, and helpful service in the restaurant made things even better. Checking in and out was a breeze.

Verdict
I'd stay at this hotel again in a heartbeat. It was a good deal, and a perfect fit for our needs. The kids had fun, and we got a good night's sleep which really helped get us on our way for the long flight to Sweden.