Seattle is widely regarded to be one of America’s most liveable cities, and for those seeking a short-term rental property for their stay, the options are abundant.
A view over Seattle’s downtown district (Photo: Michael Gwyther-Jones via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Surrounded by water, mountains and forests, Seattle is a nature lover’s paradise. But the city is also rich in culture and commerce, with a vibrant music scene and two of the world’s largest tech companies, Microsoft and Amazon, both based here. Sport is a seriously big deal, too, while an array of restaurants, cafes and shops pepper downtown. This area is also where most of the city’s rental apartments can be found. If you’re planning a short stay in Seattle but would prefer to reside in a non-Airbnb property, here are three alternative online resources for Seattle rentals that we’re happy to recommend.
Booking
Booking.com is our number one pick for choosing a short-term furnished rental in Seattle for stays of up to a fortnight. The online accommodation giant is among the biggest players in their field and their reputation means that users can book with confidence. While it is primarily a hotel booking website, Booking.com also has a large number of apartments and aparthotels for weekly rentals and monthly rentals of up to 30 days. When we searched for short-stay options in Seattle, nearly 90 apartments were available, including everything from studios through to multiple bedroom residences, and with rates starting at $70 per night. The website also offers a Best Price Guarantee and there’s a dedicated reviews section covering each property that lets you read feedback from previous guests.
Sonder
Offering studios, lofts, hotel rooms, and apartments in cities around the world, Sonder has a huge variety of its properties available for stays of a few days up to a couple of months. Sonder provides many of the benefits of a hotel but without the cost, such as access to concierge services, contactless check-in, and 24/7 maintenance. Additionally, unlike Airbnb, the company professionally runs all of their inventory, so you never have to deal with a middleman. A key difference with Booking.com is that there are also generous discounts for extended stays, with 27% off for rentals of more than 7 nights and 33% for stays of a fortnight or longer. When we looked for weekly rentals in Seattle, we found prices starting at $153 per night for a studio apartment.
The Blueground
Established in 2013, Blueground has quickly grown in size and stature within the property rentals sector. It caters for guests seeking fully-furnished apartments under flexible lease arrangements for stays of 30 days or longer. Similarly to Sonder, rentals of more than a month can result in big savings, as the longer your stay, the cheaper the pricing usually is. During our search for Seattle apartments, we found rates starting from $1,530 per month for a studio. Overall the company lists over 200 available apartments in and around the city. The company’s professionally-managed, turnkey properties include everything from studios to one and two-bed apartments. The online booking process is quick and simple, and there’s also a 24-hour support service accessed through a dedicated guest app.
Coliving
Another option for a temporary rental solution is a coliving space, a modern, community-based form of shared housing that can reduce your living costs by as much as 2% compared with living alone. One of the biggest coliving platforms is Coliving.com, which lists fully furnished, specially-designed living spaces that bring people together through inviting, open areas where residents can work and socialise as a group, as well as private bedrooms where you can unwind away from the crowd. On-site amenities often include laundry services, kitchens, gyms, and swimming pool, and there are also regular community-hosted events. Dedicated property managers provide regular cleaning services and help resolve any issues that may arise. When we searched for coliving apartments in Seattle, we found 12 available, starting at $552 per month.