Readers' Choice 2026
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Best Resort/Hotel: Populous Seattle
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
Once again, Populous Seattle has taken the gold for Best Hotel. A gem in Pioneer Square, this 120-room property—part of the neighborhood’s Railspur micro-district—is an adaptive reuse project that converted the century-old Westland Building into an inviting, art-forward space with a beloved rooftop bar, Firn. (It’s the only rooftop bar in the neighborhood.) The rooms are elegantly Northwest, with original wood ceiling beams and exposed brick, wool blankets, and shades of blue and green that match the regional landscape. Locally sourced coffee and tea make the café a must-stop in the morning, and Salt Harvest Restaurant puts hearth-cooked meals on full display. The team at Populous worked with locally based art production house ARTXIV on an evolving art program for its walls, resulting in more than 300 purchasable original commissions in celebration of the Pacific Northwest.
Runner Up: Willows Lodge
About Readers' Choice 2026
Once a year, we turn the tables and ask our readers about their favorite local spots. The neighborhood café with the best coffee, the restaurant you book for every special occasion, and where you send out-of-town guests for top-tier cocktails. Seattleites have opinions, and they shared them with us. This year, we received more votes than ever before, with some familiar favorites returning and plenty of new names making the list.
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