Every good hotel tries to make a statement about how we live or ought to live—and if the Hotel 1000 (www.hotel1000seattle.com, 877-315-1088) is trying to say something, then that something is likely how cosmopolitan people with joie de vivre will live in an intensely urban setting 10 to 15 years from now. The hotel, which just opened in June, definitely feels ahead of its time. 
After all, here's a property that allows guests to have a go at some of the top golf courses in the world, albeit in the virtual reality simulation called The Golf Club. Ask the hotel's golf director (who knew a metropolitan hotel would have such a thing?), Chapin Kelly, about tournament play, closest-to-the-pin contests and even lessons with a golf professional. Hourly rates are $30 per person.
But the golf club is only the tip of the iceberg at this technologically inclined property, where infrared sensors scan the room for body heat to alert staff to whether your room is occupied or not, without having to knock on the door and call out, "Housekeeping!," and a "smart mini-bar" automatically alerts staff when you're out of a certain product.
Other unique touches include marble-walled showers in the bathrooms that fill from a hole in the ceiling, and guest-room keycards that open your door with only a wave of the hand.
If one thought of hotels as people, then the Hotel 1000 would be that sleek, well-dressed, hip, modern woman whose slightly aloof demeanor sets your imagination alight.
But the hotel isn't uncomfortably sleek. One shouldn't be
surprised, for instance, to have an in-room Starbucks option at a hotel in
Seattle, but it's still a nice touch here at the Hotel 1000 to call up for a
latte when the urge strikes. And that's only one of the things that makes the
new Hotel 1000 a realistic contender to its claim of the hottest property in
the downtown
Location: The Hotel 1000 (1000 First Avenue) is in the heart of downtown Seattle, steps away from the waterfront along Elliott Bay and a short walk to the Pike Place Market, the Seattle Art Museum, the city's business district and Pioneer Square.
The location makes for nice views of the bay, Puget Sound,
the Olympic Mountains and
The Rooms: Each is outfitted with 40-inch LCD screens that can be customized to play a slide show of a client's favorite art and music when he or she arrives in the room. (It's a wonderful touch; call ahead to make sure you can take advantage of this service.)
The room also has an MP3 player and an iPod docking station, 5.1 surround sound, touch-screen VOIP phones that offer everything from stock quotes to airline arrival times. There is also free domestic long distance service from the rooms.
Each room also includes such opulent touches as fine Thai bed linens, mico-fiber bath robes, and double-loop cotton terry bath sheets.
Meeting Rooms: In the meeting rooms, clients will find smart podiums, 63-inch plasma projection screens and video conferencing. The entire hotel has complimentary Wi-Fi. Free high-speed Ethernet access is available in each room.
Management: The hotel is managed by MTM Luxury
Lodging and owned by a local developer Murray Franklin, Corp. MTM operates a
string of properties in
For VIP clients, contact General Manager Brian Flaherty, a
veteran of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Olympic in
Miscellaneous: The hotel has a private wine cellar; a
spa called The Spaahh, a library at which coffee and tea service are available,
and a restaurant named BOKA (the acronym stands for "Bold Original Kitchen
Artistry") that has gotten positive reviews from the local press. We liked
how the walls continually change colors. The hotel's business center has
private work stations available.