COming to Seattle for 2 nights. WHere should we stay? Would like to be walking diustance or a short taxi to the restaurants, shopping, sites. Prefer 4 or 5 star hotels. Any good ways to get deals on hotels- any 2 nights for the price of one, or any other promotions going on in the city?

the hyatt is beautiful and convenient. look at their websites for a bunch of promotions. but it isn't cheap.

And when might this visit occur?

in august

There aren't usually a lot of discounts or promotions available in August since it's high season for tourism. IMO, the nicest hotels (all of which are in walking distance to all the downtown sights and restaurants) are, in no particular order, the Fairmont, the Hyatt, the Alexis and the Inn at the Market. If you can get a reservation for a waterview room at the Inn at the Market, that would be my first choice.

when I went last September, the Inn at the Market was my first choice. unfortunately, it was totally booked. We stayed at the Alexis and liked it quite a bit. It was convenientwalking distance for some of the activities we had planned (the Art Museum, a ball game at Safeco, the Underground tour). I found it slightly less convenient for restaurants. it's not far from the Pikes market and the many fine places in that neighborhood, but the uphill walk was a little farther than I like to do at the end of a long day of sightseeing. Inn at the Market would have been more convenient for that aspect.

That said, the Alexis was a very nice hotel. Good service, excellent breakfast in their restaurant, extremely comfy bed. nice bar for an after dinner drink (especially if you are a fan of single malt scotches)

Inn at the Market
Alexis
Fairmont Olympic (old 4 Seasons)
Grand Hyatt
Sorrento (beautiful but least convenient location)

I've stayed at Alexis (very small room) and Inn on the Market (my favorite, but priced out of my current market). I'm looking forward to our one night stay in about a week at the Inn at Harbor Steps which we booked from them for $148. Then a few days later three nights at the Hotel Andra (often recommended here) at a price of $159.

If you want a 4 star at a good price, try Priceline.com . First go to BiddingForTravel.com (an unaffiliated companion site for Priceline users) and find the Seattle hotels section. There's a Hotel List showing which 4-star hotels people have gotten in downtown Seattle with Priceline. Are all of those acceptable? If so, try the Priceline route. If even one hotel would not be right and would ruin your vacation plans (most of said hotels are also reviewed on BFT), don't use Priceline.

If you want to do Priceline, read BiddingForTravel to learn how to do it. There are plenty of 4-star free rebids in Seattle, so you should be able to find a decent deal that way.

Andrew