Populus Seattle

Populus Seattle opened in May 2025 inside the restored 1907 Westland Building in Pioneer Square, turning a century-old commercial building into the second hotel in Populus's carbon-positive collection. Its 120 rooms sit around a new interior 'sky court,' with 328 commissioned artworks throughout and a Michelin Key earned in its first year.

The place

Occupies the restored 1907 Westland Building in Pioneer Square, a six-story brick-and-timber structure previously used for commercial and office purposes that had never before operated as a hotel.

The concept

Populus Seattle is the second property in Populus Hotels' carbon-positive collection, after Populus Denver, and the brand's first adaptive-reuse project (the Denver debut was new construction). Miller Hull's renovation kept the brick-and-timber shell largely intact while cutting a new central 'garden sky court' through the middle of the building to bring daylight and air into what had been a dense warehouse floorplate. The project was known publicly as Hotel Westland through much of its development before opening under the Populus name in May 2025.

It leans hard into a Pioneer Square art identity: 328 original commissions from 35 local and international artists, curated by ARTXIV, run through the public spaces and guest rooms, and the property earned a Michelin Key in its debut year for design and guest experience.

Dining & wellness

Salt Harvest, the ground-floor restaurant, serves seasonal Pacific Northwest cooking; Firn, the rooftop bar and lounge, is billed as Pioneer Square's first rooftop bar, with views over the neighborhood and Puget Sound.