Newly opened Populus Seattle touts the Pacific Northwest sensibility inside and out with spacious suites, inspired shared spaces, locally curated art, seamless connectivity and eco-conscious roots. Cassie Tannenberg checks in to check out the naturally sustainable style of Seattle’s newest lifestyle digs.
Designed with sustainability in mind, Populus Seattle opened on 22 May 2025 in the Railspur District of the historic Pioneer Square neighbourhood in Downtown Seattle.
Only the second Populus property in Aparium Hotel Group’s lifestyle portfolio (Populus Denver was the first), Populus Seattle is housed within a 1907 former railway warehouse building and embodies the brand’s adaptive reuse and biophilic ethos.
Populus Seattle Lifestyle Manager Ryan Webster said all aspects of the hotel’s operations and guest experience are designed with sustainability at the forefront.
“Without ever sacrificing comfort or style, Populus Seattle subtly invites guests to experience conscious hospitality through special touches, such as dynamic and captivating works of art that were created on site to celebrate the Pacific Northwest’s landscapes, cultural heritage and creative pulse,” he said.
Essentially, this means an art gallery that doubles as a hotel with a collection of more than 300 artworks for sale, including 50 originals, created by 35-plus local, regional and international artists and curated in partnership with global art production house ARTXIV.
Art leaves an indelible mark on the property with striking outdoor murals extending the creative influence to the streets of Pioneer Square’s Urban Villages development in the Railspur District.
Its eco credentials are also sound. Webster notes an 80/20 split of old and new through the reuse of existing structures, enhanced by plant-filled interiors and the green roof that houses pollinator-friendly local wildflowers and hives.
Populus Seattle is a carbon-positive property, working with the local King County’s Forest Carbon Program and investing in reforestation and recycled food waste projects and using 100 per cent renewable electricity to offset the hotel’s carbon footprint.
Checking-in
With salvaged, moss-laden branches foraged from Pacific Northwest forests making up the G(host) Forest art installation by Isvald Klingels in the glass foyer, Populus Seattle establishes its eco-conscious and art ethos from first contact.
It has an immediate soothing effect, while the soaring ceilings and mezzanine-level public spaces draw the eye upward with eye-catching artworks, industrial hardware and overflowing greenery.
Attention to detail is clear from the hotel room numbers that recall the hand-lettered style of the 1907 building’s warehouse past with botanical illustrations to the curated library of horticultural and outdoor books; nature is nurtured all around.
Even the Populus Seattle door key is eco – wooden discs housed in a compostable paper sleeve packed with local wildflower seeds for US residents to take home and plant.
The 120-key hotel is located in Downtown Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighbourhood, around 20 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and the Port of Seattle and within walking distance of top Seattle attractions, such as Alaskan Way and Pike Place Market.
Populus Seattle’s convenient, accessible location makes it ideal for travellers visiting Seattle by sea and air to explore Downtown, Belltown, SoDo, including Lumen Field for sports fans, and beyond.
The room
I’m staying in room 329 – one of Populus Seattle’s Lupine King or standard rooms (each guestroom is named for a native plant species, in my case, bluebonnets).
The room makes the most of its architectural bones with massive Douglas fir beams and flooring, soaring elevation, floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed brickwork offsetting an inviting interior style designed for lounging around.
In fact, the spacious rooms are so inviting, Webster tells me many guests do not even make it to the onsite gym (more on that later), preferring to stay in their room.
My room features dark blue walls with wooden accents, a slim desk and chair and large windows with a view of the Railspur District’s brick façades outside. Thoughtful touches include dimmer lights and lamps, curated books on PNW birds and trees and the aforementioned commissioned artwork – in my room, Sunlight (Ashford) by local Seattle multimedia artist Hank Reavis.
The Lupine King rooms (including an accessible option) run up to 26sqm and include a king bed with plush Massachusetts-made Matouk linens and a PNW Pendleton throw blanket, smart TV, a locally curated mini-bar, in-room safe and free Wi-Fi.
Instead of an iron, there’s a handy steamer. In place of bottled water, rooms have an electric kettle and a carafe and two glasses with chilled, filtered water stations available on each floor to fill up on H2O. Guestrooms are the only hotel spaces with fake foliage, if you’re not the green thumb you wish you were.
A catchall dish by the bed is another welcome addition – how often have you wished for a dedicated spot for your precious bits and pieces in plain sight during a hotel stay?
The bathroom features a large rain shower with grey tiles, a marble sink, brass accents and a large mirror. It contains Aesop pump dispenser amenities – a stylish scent of home for Australians, Matouk bathrobes and towels, slippers for two and a rapid-dry T3 AireLuxe hairdryer. Cotton buds and pads, tissues and toilet paper are the only single-use hotel bathroom staples available.
It’s stylish and cosy, providing a soothing loft-style sanctuary with an industrial edge.
Food and drink
Populus Seattle takes its food and beverage offering seriously; no space is an afterthought here. The hotel has a ground-floor cafe with barista-made coffees, teas and a smattering of pastries (a daily coffee is free for guests) with direct alley access alongside the onsite Salt Harvest restaurant and bar(open for breakfast, lunch and dinner until 10pm daily) and the rooftop bar, Firn.
Salt Harvest offers a farm-to-table menu rooted in PNW land and sea flavours and a live-fire cooking method with a wine, cocktail and mocktail list that complements small plates for sharing and robust mains. Its sustainable décor matches the cosy warmth.
Standout dinner dishes enjoyed during our visit include artisan local sourdough, wild king salmon and pasture-raised chicken alongside a range of vegetable-forward sides, such as broccoli rabe and cabbage atop bean curd aioli and ambered summer beets, hearty enough for a standalone meal.
Firn, accessible by elevator only, has its own distinct appeal as Pioneer Square’s first and only rooftop bar, making it a popular hang on my early autumn visit. The interior is draped in layers and levels of greenery, while the alfresco terrace embraces its skyline view with wildflowers for a buzzing ambience.
Named for a type of glacial snow, Firn’s creative cocktail menu riffs on ice in all forms, from eye-catching shaved-ice concoctions for two to ice-cold classics with a twist, such as my pisco palmer (an Arnold Palmer-pisco sour interpretation).
Amenities
If the F&B options weren’t enough of a drawcard, Populus Seattle also has other considered and curated spaces that invite reflection and engagement – whether that’s in solitude or communal areas.
It contains a fully equipped 24/7 gym, replete with the latest weights and cardio equipment in a mirrored, brick space, including the hotel’s Peloton subscription for guests who want to get their sweat on. Alternatively, you can step outside and walk to the waterfront for an outdoor walking or running route.
It also features two flexible gathering spaces on the ground floor: a library/co-working area, filled with biophilic literature, lounges, desks and bowls of apples, and a music room – a low-slung space with a recording studio feel – that doubles as a live music venue or event space for up to 80 people.
The verdict
A sustainable and stylish accommodation CBD option that walks the talk is rare, but Populus Seattle pulls it off with eco credentials and intentional touches, weaving considered local art and flora into the mix for a chic retreat that feels fresh and future-forward. Like Webster said, you may never want to leave.
The details
- Address: 100 South King Street, Seattle, WA 98104
- Room type: Populus Seattle has 120 rooms, studios and suites, including the Lupine King Room (standard room)
- Check-in: 3pm
- Check-out: 11am
- Rates: From USD$387 – $2,257 per night
- Website: populusseattle.com
The writer was hosted by Visit Seattle.
