We ended up picking this property because of its proximity to the airport and the rate. MrsWT73’s usual property, the Marriott Sea Tac was undergoing a major renovation so we opted to avoid the dust and noise by heading somewhere else. I couldn’t be bothered with the dingy Fairfield Inn SeaTac where I’ve stayed several times before so it was off to somewhere new. The Aloft was just as close, offered a reasonable rate, and was relatively new. We picked the Aloft over the equally new Four Points SeaTac as the Four Points is among the last in the hotel row and further away.

We headed outside SeaTac to locate the shuttle bus row. The hotel webpage advertised a free shuttle, which was on a request basis. MrsWT73 called the number on the website by cell but was unable to get through. I lined up at the courtesy phone with about 4 other grandmas but I also wasn’t able to get through; I ended up with endless ringing. Thankfully, the bus driver rolled up in a new van. The shuttle did not appear to be shared with any other hotels. The shuttle driver was friendly, and offered a drive to nearby restaurants or the local casino on request after arriving to the hotel.

On arrival at the new Aloft SeaTac, you get the opportunity to notice things that aren’t always readily visible on the website. This version of surprise happened to be an elevated subway running directly next to the hotel. Thankfully, it was not too noisy or disruptive and aside from the eye sore, we didn’t even notice it.

After we headed inside, the sole front desk agent appeared to be overworked and multitasking. He had phones ringing and 2 in line ahead of us dealing with some issue. He was friendly and assigned us a “quiet” room, away from the train.

On check in, we were assigned #424. As with most Aloft’s, there are limited upgrade opportunities as most rooms are identical. The only upgrade here appears to be a corner room. On one corner, there is an elevated train outside your window so I don’t know how much of an upgrade that really is.

The Room: Guest Room, 1 King

We headed up to the room where we located the standard Aloft room design. The room was identical to my last Aloft stay at the Aloft Munich. I have to say that the Alofts are among the most consistent brand out of most of the Marriott / Starwood portfolio. You always know exactly what you’re going to get from them whenever you stay. The room had the usual hand drawn local art that featured the local area.

The property participates in Make a Green Choice, although that’s a lot less meaningful these days thanks to the lower point values earned.

Food and Beverage: The XYZ Bar

Since it was 8 PM and neither of us had a proper dinner, we headed down the W XYZ bar within the hotel. Since there weren’t many restaurants around the Aloft, the W XYZ bar was quite busy. While it didn’t offer a full menu, it did offer some small snacks.

I ended up with an Out of Office craft beer for $5 USD, and 5 large Korean BBQ chicken wings with a small child size side of White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese for $13 USD. It wasn’t substantial enough to replace a full dinner but was reasonable for a late night munchie snack. If you’re looking for an American portioned sized dinner, I would plan to eat elsewhere.

The lobby featured several pool tables and board games for entertainment.

There was also what appeared to be an interesting time capsule by the front door dated January 2018, when I assumed that the hotel opened.

The room was fairly quiet; save the occasional jet engine blast. The rooms didn’t seem to have too much sound proofing but it didn’t interfere with the quality of sleep all that much.

We were up the next day at 4 AM for our departure. Down in the lobby at 4:30 AM, the shuttle driver was waiting for us. The check out was handled promptly and without any issues. While I would have preferred to use the check out within the App, we’ve had major issues getting stays to post to Marriott Bonvoy so we’ve taken to the interim measure of getting a printed hard copy and an email copy until Marriott ups their game in taking care of their customers and the billing issues

The Aloft Sea Tac Bottom Line:

In conclusion, the Aloft was a reasonable stay in a newer property. The only drawbacks were the limited food and beverage available on the property and that it did not appear all too walkable to other points of interest. Otherwise, it was a great stop for a short stay.

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