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Waterville · Hotel shortlist

High end hotels in the university district, Waterville

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 Waterville hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Waterville, out of the 6 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.2.

Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District is the one I would book myself.

Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District

Highest rated of the five

Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District

★★★★★4.5 from 822 reviews

Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 822 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under the university district and around $265 a night on the dates we checked.

6 hotels in Waterville qualified for this list and five made it. MarQueen Hotel is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District1

    Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District

    ★★★★★4.5 from 822 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. MarQueen Hotel2

    MarQueen Hotel

    ★★★★★4.2 from 900 reviews

    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  3. Staybridge Suites Seattle Downtown - Lake Union by IHG3

    Staybridge Suites Seattle Downtown - Lake Union by IHG

    ★★★★★4.3 from 643 reviews

    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

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  4. Silver Cloud Hotel - University District4

    Silver Cloud Hotel - University District

    ★★★★★4.3 from 809 reviews

    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  5. Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Lake Union5

    Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Lake Union

    ★★★★★4.2 from 1,706 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

6 Waterville hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Closes the shop two weeks each winter and goes wherever people make something fermented. Dairies in the Basque country, the Caucasus and rural Sardinia.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.