How to find the cheapest stay near Seattle airport

Our hotel and off-site courtesy shuttles page shows where hotel vans board at SEA. Compare the final price for your night, room occupancy and cancellation terms. Then check whether you can reach the room when your flight lands.

If you’re landing late or flying early, check the hotels with overnight shuttles first. If your flight fits the Link light rail timetable, you can also price rooms near a station, including downtown Seattle.

SEA lists no public sleep pods, nap rooms or day rooms. The only beds inside the airport are at the USO Center on the Main Terminal mezzanine above Checkpoint 4, before security. All USO services are free. The USO lists Sunday hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, it lists 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, it lists 8 a.m. to midnight.

Compare the close hotels first

The hotel directory lists these hotels with their distances from SEA. A short distance doesn’t promise a short shuttle ride or a walkable route.

For another shuttle option, compare Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Southcenter in Tukwila. The hotel directory puts it 4.1 miles by road from the Main Terminal. Its courtesy shuttle uses the garage’s third-floor pickup lane.

You can also walk to Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center in about five minutes from the terminal. It sits beside SeaTac/Airport station and has a complimentary shuttle if you’d rather ride. Our hotel directory lists it at 1.4 miles by road from the terminal.

If you need a van overnight, the directory lists around-the-clock airport shuttles at these hotels:

Holiday Inn Express lists pickup at courtesy island 1 or 3. Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South also shuttles to Link light rail.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Tacoma International Airport is in Tukwila near Southcenter, 4.3 miles by road from the Main Terminal. It also lists an around-the-clock shuttle, but charges per party. Ask for the charge before comparing its room price with a hotel offering a free ride.

The Port of Seattle lists more motels to call when the close hotels cost too much:

Ask for the price on your night and the shuttle’s pickup and return hours. Confirm the property name before paying.

Include any shuttle charge and the cost of another ride if the shuttle will have stopped.

Make the shuttle work before you book

Ask the hotel two questions: “Will you pick me up after my flight lands?” and “What time can you take me back for my departure?”

After baggage claim, follow signs to the parking garage’s third floor. The Port of Seattle puts hotel courtesy shuttles at islands 1A–D, 2A and 3A–C in the courtesy island lane. Use our courtesy shuttle page for the pickup layout. For wheelchair access or other accommodations, contact the hotel or shuttle operator. The Port of Seattle requires the operator to take the trip or refer you to a similar service. If you need curbside pickup for special needs, call Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906 before you arrive to request permission.

If the hotel can’t pick you up, taxis run around the clock from the garage’s third floor. The Port of Seattle sets a $20 minimum fare for trips from SEA and allows a $1 on-demand surcharge, as shown on our taxi page.

Link light rail widens the search

The train takes 39 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station to Westlake station. Compare Hotel Theodore on Seventh Avenue, Mayflower Park Hotel on Olive Way and Hotel Sorrento at 900 Madison Street with the airport hotels if you’re spending time in Seattle. Check the walk from Westlake station to the hotel’s door.

From baggage claim, look for carousel 16. Go up one floor, cross Skybridge 6 and turn left through the garage to SeaTac/Airport station. Sound Transit charges $3 for an adult one-way trip. Youth 18 and under ride free. ORCA LIFT riders and seniors or disabled riders pay $1 one way. Our Link light rail guide covers payment and stops. The free Train-to-Plane cart runs between the station and garage Level 4 from 5 a.m. to midnight and has space for bags. You can still walk between the garage and station after the cart stops. That walkway stays open 24 hours.

The train isn’t an all-night fallback. Our Link light rail guide lists the first train toward downtown at 4:51 a.m. on weekdays, 4:48 a.m. on Saturday and 5:58 a.m. on Sunday. The last leaves at 12:05 a.m. on weekday nights, 12:06 a.m. on Saturday night and 11:18 p.m. on Sunday night. Sound Transit Express 597 stops on International Boulevard across the pedestrian bridge from the Link station and runs about every 30 minutes overnight. Departures toward downtown run from 12:26 to 4:26 a.m. Saturday service continues to 5:26 a.m., while Sunday service starts at 11:26 p.m. See our bus page for the stop, or price a taxi or rideshare for a direct ride.

King County Metro route 124 also goes downtown overnight. It stops on the airport access road where it meets International Boulevard, south of the terminal. Downtown departures are about 1:22 and 2:35 a.m., or 1:21 and 2:32 a.m. on Sunday night.

The hotel directory lists Red Roof Inn Seattle Airport - SEATAC and Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport within walking distance of Link light rail. Comfort Inn & Suites Sea-Tac Airport and Sleep Inn Sea Tac Airport are within walking distance of Angle Lake station. Best Western and Sleep Inn list shuttles to a Link station. Ask each property how you would get from the station to its door with your bags, especially after dark.

Sources

• Our hotel directory, sleeping and resting page and military lounge page
• Our Main Terminal page, baggage claim guide and security page
• Our courtesy shuttle page and taxi page
• Our Link light rail page, downtown guide and Train-to-Plane cart page
• Our Sound Transit Express page, King County Metro page and rideshare page
• Sound Transit’s 1 Line schedule