THE BASICS After surfing Hotel 1000’s Web site, which tallies the hotel’s many futuristic technologies (a tub that fills from the ceiling, infrared occupancy sensors), you may arrive at the hotel expecting a scene from the Jetsons. A moving welcome mat that zips you to your room? Or maybe a levitating front desk? If so, the low-tech but stylish lobby will be a letdown. The hotel-of-the-future is actually behind the scenes. In what may be an industry first, the entire hotel runs on a Net-based platform that controls everything from the concierge’s wireless headset to the water pressure in your room. But the James Bond award goes to that infrared sensor, which scans the room for body heat so that housekeepers don’t accidently walk in on guests. Knocking is so last-century.
THE LOCATION A short walk from Pike Place Market and the Belltown night-life district, the 120-room hotel occupies the lower 14 floors of a new residential tower in downtown Seattle. A well-heeled crowd spills out of the hotel’s popular restaurant, BOKA Kitchen + Bar, neutralizing the effect of the seedy pawn and pornography shops next door.
THE ROOMS After check-in, the front desk clerk escorted us to our room, No. 1406, to show off the gadgets: a smart minibar that tells housekeeping when you’re out of beer; an ultrahigh-speed Internet connection; and, most impressively, a 40-inch L.C.D. screen that does quadruple duty as a 5.1 virtual surround-sound theater, computer screen, satellite radio and digital art gallery. There’s also a nifty touch-screen VoIP phone that schedules wake-up calls, summons your car from the valet, orders breakfast and checks weather and flight status — all with surprising ease. Yet, despite all the gizmos, the room did not feel like a Circuit City. The décor was sleek and comfortable, with a downy bed, lots of earth tones and dark woods, and a smattering of homey touches like a bedside collection of Thoreau essays and an old-fashioned metal alarm clock. Unfortunately, the clock’s battery died that evening.
THE BATHROOMS Cavernous and sexy, with dark teal walls, limestone floors and an electronic shade that descends from the ceiling with the flick of a switch so that guests in the bedroom can’t see in. There is a deep soaking tub and a separate, marble-walled shower stocked with Molton Brown toiletries. The best part? The bathtub does, indeed, fill from a hole in the ceiling — and without splashing. Pretty cool.
AMENTITES The usual perks (Wi-Fi at no extra charge, a full-service spa and a compact gym) plus plenty of unexpected amenities (virtual-reality golf, a rooftop dog run and no charge for domestic calls). A cozy lounge next to the lobby serves breakfast in the morning and cocktails at night and a fourth-floor library has a fireplace, cushy reading chairs and a seductive book collection — a perfect hideout during Seattle’s rainy days.
ROOM SERVICE Available 24 hours, including a Wagyu beef burger ($14) and Northwest King salmon with beluga lentils ($29). There’s also a children’s menu. Breakfast (three microscopic blueberry muffins, yogurt with fruit and granola and a glass of orange juice) came to $16 and was delivered as promised at 9 a.m. I called a few minutes later for honey; it was delivered—teleported? — almost instantaneously.
THE BOTTOM LINE A wired-to-the-gills hotel for geeks and nongeeks alike. Published rates start at $400, but rooms booked through the hotel’s Web site can start as low as $275. Hotel 1000; 1000 First Avenue, Seattle; (206) 957-1000 or (877) 315-1088; www.hotel1000seattle.com.