Hyatt at Olive 8

Formerly something of a no man’s land, the northeast corner of downtown Seattle has recently sprouted a collection of shiny modern towers. Olive 8, crowned by a frosty blue glass halo, stands just slightly above the others, and provides a neat and tidy home for Hyatt’s new business-boutique hotel, where mod-luxe meets Northwest chill, with a focus on healthfulness. The location, on Olive Street at 8th Avenue, makes for a central home-base for visitors, about halfway between Pike Place Market and the vibrant Capitol Hill.

While many of Seattle’s hotels hold tight to the city’s (relatively short) history, Hyatt at Olive 8 is gleamingly modern and entirely unsentimental. The lobby and public spaces exude an International Style tautness that leans more toward elegant than cozy. Rooms are pleasantly spare and buttoned-up, but never cold, while the bathrooms, similarly modern, benefit from warm stone shower surrounds. Dark wood accents and thick throw blankets keep your senses situated in the Pacific Northwest.

Among the hotel’s attractions is its green roof, a gesture towards sustainability that’s perfectly at home in this earth-loving region. While the native grass seedling may offer less immediate pleasure than the sunny mosaic-tiled indoor pool, it’s nice to know the building itself is working to keep the environment healthy. Meanwhile, keeping you healthy is the on-site Elaia Spa, with a list of organic body treatments, delivered in warmly modern spaces. Urban, Olive 8’s in-house restaurant, concentrates on farm-to-table cuisine, rendering its name somewhat ironic. While rustic fare in such a crisply modern downtown setting might seem conceptually misaligned, the contrast it creates is quintessentially Seattle.