The 7: Hotel Max, Seattle

The 7 Reasons I Love the Hotel Max, Seattle, Washington

1. Art to art. Staying at the Max is like a night at the museum -- the Museum of Modern Art, that is. The art of 39 Northwestern artists covers not only the walls of the rooms and halls, but each room's door and even the occasional window as well. So rich is the collection, no two rooms are adorned alike. If you're an art aficionado, you'll simply have to keep coming back until you've enjoyed each room's offerings. Pity.

2. Chic to chic. All art needs a good canvas, and the Max provides that in spades. Cool grey walls and strategic lighting let the art do the talking. From the minute you enter the lobby, the eye is drawn immediately to the pupil-popping high-gloss red lacquer panels of the reception desk. Pumpkin orange and hot pink accents pepper the décor and keep the eyes dancing in every room. With rooms from just $129, that's a lot of beauty for the buck.

3. You've been served. The Max's ever-smiling staff is unfailingly courteous, possibly a result of being surrounded by such gorgeous environs all day every day. No matter what your whim, they're at your beck and call -- literally: There's a "You Got It" button on the phone.

4. Move over, Gideon. Lots of hotels (the Max included) have a pillow menu, but the Max is concerned with the comfort of your spirit as well as your body. Whenever you're ready for a meditative moment, the Max's Spiritual Menu offers everything from the Bhagavad Gita to the Book of Mormon. They even have the Book of Scientology, so celebrity-spotting is not out of the question.

5. Pup with people. The Max is pet-friendly: For a $45 non-refundable fee, your best friend gets a pet bed, two bowls, treats, toy, bags, bottled water and dog food. Good boy!

6. Midnight sushi. Let's just say you've been out to Capitol Hill and need a little, um, absorption food. No problem! The Max offers 24-hour room services from Red Fin, their equally hip Asian-fusion restaurant below. They have sake, too. Just saying.

7. Gaycation! The Max is an equal-opportunity enabler of passion. Request their Gaycation! package and get a Climax Box has pink fuzzy handcuffs, pink blindfold, glow in the dark naughty dice, a tickling feather, lubricant and a mini max vibrator. Additionally, boys get an O Boy Kit; women receive a Tongue Dinger and O’My Clitoral Stimulating Gel. Cigarettes sold separately.

Hotel Max, 620 Stewart St, Seattle, Washington; 866-833-6299, www.HotelMaxSeattle.com