Macrame chandeliers dangling above me made me feel like I was beneath a tree as I brushed my fingertips over the live edges of a trunk coffee table. The surrounding nature entranced me, but I wasn’t under a tree. I wasn’t even outside.
I was in the lobby of 1 Hotel Seattle, which was recently voted the No. 1 hotel in the city in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.
The hotel is part of a luxury chain I’d never heard of before called 1 Hotels. I stayed there the week it opened during a three-day trip to Seattle in May 2025.
I usually avoid hotel chains because I prefer to have unique experiences in each destination I visit. However, when I learned that the luxury hotel was opening days before my Pacific Northwest adventure, I took the opportunity to sleep in a brand-new room and give this unfamiliar chain a chance.
I booked a one-night stay for $450, and I’m so glad I did because 1 Hotel Seattle felt nothing like a chain. In fact, if I hadn’t done my research, I would have thought it was a boutique establishment.
Take a look around the nature-inspired hotel.
The luxury 1 Hotel Seattle opened on May 6, 2025. I stayed there four days later.
The 1 Hotels chain has been around since 2015 and operates worldwide. It has locations in the US, the UK, and Australia, among other places. More than a dozen locations are open and operating, with more coming soon to Mexico, Greece, and France.
Every 1 Hotel is centered on nature and sustainability, according to the company’s website.
The Seattle location opened on May 6, 2025, and has a starting rate of $400 a night, a hotel representative told Business Insider.
“All 1 Hotels are rooted in their surroundings, so what sets 1 Hotel Seattle apart is how deeply it channels the spirit of the Pacific Northwest,” Rob Brandenberg, the general manager at the time 1 Hotel Seattle opened, told Business Insider.
It’s in a tech neighborhood that’s less than a mile from Pike Place Market.
The hotel is on the southern edge of South Lake Union, Seattle’s tech neighborhood. It’s conveniently located within a mile of the waterfront and Pike Place Market.
The natural vibe struck me upon arrival.
I was greeted with a driftwood sculpture of the brand’s signature No. 1. Organic textures filled the space, from the floors to the walls.
“The hotel draws from the raw beauty of the Pacific Northwest, with reclaimed wood, natural stone, moss-inspired art, and live-edge furnishings woven throughout the design,” Brandenberg said.
The lobby was unlike any I’d seen before.
The lobby brought the outside in with furniture resembling tree trunks, potted plants of all sizes, and what Brandenberg calls a “living wall of greenery” climbing two stories high behind a reclaimed timber-and-stone staircase.
As I stepped inside, a soothing soundtrack made me feel like I was in some kind of sanctuary. I was listening to the Sounds of 1, the chain’s signature playlist curated by Michaelangelo L’Acqua, the global entertainment director for 1 Hotels’ parent company, Starwood Hotels.
“Acoustic instrumentation and soulful vocals are balanced with select electronic elements, creating a sound that transitions seamlessly from the energy of the day into the moodier tones of night,” a hotel representative told Business Insider in an email. “The music ebbs and flows with the rhythm of the property, complementing the natural materials and calming atmosphere found throughout the space.”
With a calming nature-inspired soundtrack, an array of organic textures to touch, and greenery surrounding me, I thought the lobby was a great place to practice mindfulness.
The hotel had a restaurant and a lobby bar.
Brandenberg said the on-site restaurant, La Loba, fuses Spanish, Japanese, and Mediterranean cuisine using local ingredients.
“And at Drift, the lobby bar, guests can expect fresh, locally sourced ingredients and Pacific Northwest-distilled spirits — an elevated yet easygoing take on modern mixology,” he added.
Brandenberg said the hotel works with local farmers and offers zero-waste mixology classes.
Across from the lobby, there was a gift shop.
The 1 Hotels gift shop, Good Things, has a sustainable clothing collection with youth and adult sizes, accessories, scents, and other small items.
Six event spaces were spread out on the second floor.
Events, including weddings and business meetings, take place on the second floor at 1 Hotel Seattle.
I noticed that the event rooms were flooded with natural light.
On the same floor, there was an outdoor terrace.
The patio, which is open year-round, was surrounded by towering buildings and trees with a stellar view of the iconic Space Needle.
Brandenberg called it a “quiet spot to connect with nature.”
The second floor also housed the gym.
Known as the Field House, the on-site gym had free weights and cardio machines, such as resistance treadmills and Peloton bikes, as well as group classes and personal training sessions.
A basket of green apples and a filtered water tap were also near the entrance.
My room calmed me with warm lighting and natural hues.
The hotel has 153 rooms, 45 of which are suites. I stayed in a 327-square-foot City King room.
The room had a king-size bed with organic linen sheets across from a 55-inch TV. It also had a cozy sitting area, a wardrobe, and a full bathroom. I found many amenities, including an espresso machine, a mini bar, and a yoga mat.
Nods to the natural environment were everywhere. The reclaimed wood headboard was anchored above a tree-trunk nightstand. A tree-like coat rack hung on the wall next to a potted plant with draping vines on the console table.
The bathroom blended nature and modern luxury.
The bathroom surfaces were a mix of natural materials, from wood bases to Chiara quartzite counters.
A rainfall shower with pebble stone flooring was on one side of the room. On the other side was a large bathtub with a sliding door that opened to the rest of the room, so I could watch TV while soaking in the tub.
Inside the bathroom, I found Bamford toiletries, a hairdryer, slippers, and a robe that felt like a giant sweatshirt.
I found sustainable amenities I’d never seen in a hotel room before.
When I entered the room, I spotted a welcome message written on a textured chalkboard rather than the typical greeting printed on cardstock.
Instead of disposable water bottles, my room had a filtered water tap and glassware sourced from recycled wine bottles.
There was also a small wooden plaque detailing the hotel’s “1 Less Thing” program, where guests can leave clothing to donate to Mary’s Place, a local family shelter the hotel partners with.
These details set 1 Hotel Seattle apart from other luxury accommodations I’ve booked around the world.
“This isn’t just another hotel,” Brandenberg said. “It’s a place for travelers who care about where they stay, how they stay, and the impact they leave behind.”
The hotel’s environmental vibe was so alluring that it made me want to be a more sustainable traveler.
It’s easy for me to see why this chain was voted Seattle’s best hotel.
From the nature-forward design and modern-luxury feel to the sustainable amenities, every detail of this hotel impressed me.
Now I’ll stay in a 1 Hotel every chance I get.
Read the original article on Business Insider