A good hotel embodies the aesthetic, the vibe, and the flavor of its location. Populus, a newly-opened boutique hotel in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, is a great hotel. Douglas fir native to the Pacific Northwest surrounds guests upon entering the lobby. Exposed brick and reclaimed wood accent deep, saturated colors, warm lighting, and plush textures throughout the public spaces, and cozy rooms are fit with curated artworks and windows overlooking one of Seattle’s most historic districts. What separates Populus from other localized boutiques, though, is that all this is simply topical – the core of its greatness lies in how the brand functions, and in how that ethos drives the guest experience.
I traveled in August to Seattle to report on Populus. The original assignment was to write a review based on my experience there, much like I’d attempted at the original Populus location in Denver. But as I learned in Colorado, the Populus experience is as much about how a traveler impacts their location as is about what they take away from it. Parent company Urban Villages and hospitality management brand Aparium stepped way out on a limb with the concept of a “carbon-positive” hotel. The mantra is embedded into everything here – from the kitchen at Salt Harvest to the solar farm on the hotel’s roof. As such, I feel that in order to honestly evaluate the property, a better way to approach writing about Populus would be to write about how the hotel fits values of environmental stewardship regarding its dining, design, and location.
Staying at Populus Seattle
First, though, the basics. Rooms at Populus start around $239 per night – not a cheap date. Many spends are removed by staying here, though. There’s no need for a car – arrive by transit, commute via that, foot, or micromobility. There’s no need to go offsite for coffee or workspace – I spent each morning on my laptop in the Library, sipping fresh (and free) joe while hammering out story edits. Breakfast is available at Salt Harvest (I loved the peanut-butter-stuffed Hong Kong French Toast and the acai bowl). The onsite cafe adjacent to Salt Harvest serves caffeinated drinks in the morning and converts into a cocktail lounge in time for happy hour.
Most rooms are small – standards king or double-queen rooms run under 300 square feet, Alder Double Queens and Cedar Corner Kings run between 300 and 350 square feet. That space is optimized with a workdesk, TV, mini-bar in the closet, and a window-side reading seat. Books on local flora and fauna sit on the side table. Travelers can go larger with suites up to 1,050 square feet. Bathrooms feature zero-waste Aesop toiletries and rain showers, with Pendleton blankets on the bed.
Connecting guests to the community
Photo: Ric Stovall
Matador Network believes that at its best, travel is an unequivocal force for good in the world. That venturing beyond one’s backyard opens minds, increases empathy, and brings humanity closer together, therefore changing the place as positively as it changes the person. Populus embodies this in many ways, most visibly through its Pacific Northwest-inspired design and extensive collection of localized art. Once I moved past the douglas fir in the lobby, the next thing I noticed at Populus Seattle were the large works of art that adorned the lobby and Salt Harvest restaurant. The hotel’s art program is shaped by ARTXIV, a curatorial house led by Dominic Nieri that treats the hotel as both gallery and residency.
More than 300 works by about 35 artists—most based in the Pacific Northwest and many from local Indigenous communities—were commissioned for the property. A 2024 residency program brought artists to work in a building adjacent to Populus currently being remodeled by Urban Villages that will soon house not just artist studios but coworking, a business incubator, and event space. The residency aimed to help artists produce pieces directly inspired by the site and its surroundings. The collection is intentionally dynamic: all of it is available for purchase, and as works sell, they are replaced with new commissions, ensuring the art remains a living, evolving presence within the hotel. My room, and all rooms onsite, feature one such piece of art. Thematically, the pieces highlight the ecology and culture of the region. Exhibitions like Populus: Origins reveal the creative process behind the hotel’s identity, showing sketches and developmental works alongside finished art.
Regenerative dining — and travel as a force for good
Populus also embodies regenerative travel through its mantra of environmental stewardship. This stewardship is readily apparent in the kitchen at Salt Harvest, the hotel’s seasonally driven, Pacific Northwest–inspired restaurant. As much as possible, ingredients are sourced from regenerative farms, fisheries, and ranches. The menu changes with the seasons – with a focus on local seafood and veggies – and emphasizes elemental cooking techniques like open flame, hearth, and smoke. Pickling and canning help the restaurant stay regenerative through the year.
We dined one evening at Chef Conny Andersson’s Chef’s Table, a test concept the kitchen is honing that allows diners to eat right in front of where their food is being prepared. It’s asinine to think that society has reached a point where pairing local fish and veggies elicits reactions along the lines of, “I never thought this could be so good!” Yet that refrain best described my view of the meal. King Salmon paired perfectly with creamed corn and leeks, duck breast raised up the street at Little Farm by the Sea accented a chutney made with regional fruits. The chef offers an extensive veggie-driven menu as well, built around foraged mushrooms and locally-grown veggies that – thanks to the regenerative sourcing – have a positive environmental impact, a true rarity in restaurant dining.
Rooftop cocktail bar Firn brings the same ethos to its drinks menu. I became particularly fond of the Casual Crush mezcal cocktail. At both establishments, all food waste at onsite restaurants Salt Harvest and Firn is deposed in an onsite biodigester that turns the scraps into compost that is then delivered back to local farms.
Populus Seattle embodies ‘smart urbanism’
The deck at Firn overlooks the downtown Seattle skyline. Photo: Ric Stovall
“The best way to protect nature is to help people experience it,” Urban Villages CEO Jon Buerge, told our group of journalists during a tour of the property. “Climate change, at its most basic level, is about a disconnect from nature.”
The adaptive reuse of the 1907 Westland building preserves Douglas-fir beams, exposed brick, and historic decking, blending history with natural textures to reduce embodied carbon. A central skylight and “Sky Court” flood the interiors with daylight, while living installations like the six-story “Moss Foss” wall and the “G Forest” of fallen cedar and yew logs bring the feel of a rainforest indoors. Native plants and pollinator-friendly species fill the rooftop and solarium, providing habitats for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees, while also offering guests a sensory experience of greenery, light, and open air. I heard tell of a frog inhabiting the greenery area in the hotel’s entrance – though I’m rather certain I caught Dom Neiri, the hotel’s art curator, in a bluff on the topic when asked how the frog actually thrives there.
Frog or no frog, the design beyond its aesthetics embodies the ethos of positive adaptive reuse: the hotel runs on renewable electricity, sequesters more carbon than it emits, composts food waste, and plants a tree for every night’s stay. The focus on local ecology—using species native to the Pacific Northwest and incorporating art inspired by regional landscapes—isn’t just a bow tied around an empty box. The result is a distinctive balance of history, place, and nature. Urban Villages calculated that it emitted 7,000 tons of carbon constructing its Denver hotel, and sequestered 10,000 tons. Here, the initial pollution was less because the building already existed.
Pioneer Square is just south of downtown Seattle and has a stop on the Sound Transit Link train system that heads out to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Renting a car is a waste of money and time here, because the hotel intentionally shuns dedicated parking – and everything is walkable, anyway. Shortly after arriving I walked up to a meeting at Reuben’s Brews, less than a mile from the hotel, and passed no less than two dozen restaurants and at least as many coffee shops. Another night we walked a few blocks to a concert at WAMU Theatre, adjacent to Lumen Field and TMobile Park, where the Seahawks and Mariners play. Most everywhere I went, in fact, I walked or took transit, with a couple Ubers mixed in when we headed to kayak at Alki Beach or to dinner at Willmott’s Ghost on the other side of downtown.
Do you see a frog in the entryway? Photo: Ric Stovall
The adaptive reuse, renewable energy, and walkability of Populus Seattle perfectly embody my values. Buerge worded it better than myself, however, by saying, “It’s often thought that environmentalism is a redactive process. That shouldn’t be the case. It’s about environmentalism actually making things better.”
Throughout our stay I heard Buerge and his colleagues repeatedly discuss the idea of future Populus locations – the next one perhaps, they suggested, being in a place more immediately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than Seattle or Denver. The hope would be to kickstart or further resiliency efforts there, while bringing the community and its visitors together towards this important mission.
“As we think about growing the Populus family of hotels, the goal is to stay true to the commitments of our brand and the authenticity of that community,” Buerge says.
Populus is one in a long line of boutique hotel brands seeking to “redefine urban lodging.” The differentiator where Urban Villages really innovates is in bridging the separation between people and place – in a world that increasingly needs it, Populus guests can leave knowing they benefitted the place they visited.
