Read Travel Seattle’s Populus is a Revolutionary Idea: Art Gallery As Hotel The new Seattle-based hotel incorporates a variety of local art in its lobby, restaurant and guest rooms, all available for purchase Michael Frank By Ric Stovall, Courtesy of Populus SeattleArt in hotels, as a rule, often stinks. The two-hotel “chain” of Populus hotels, in Seattle and Denver, are bringing a new perspective to the art hotel concept. By Ric Stovall, Courtesy of Populus SeattleIn the case of Populus Seattle, which opened in June 2025, the building is part of a greater transformation of Pioneer Square. By Ric Stovall, Courtesy of Populus SeattleNieri says that the Populus project felt daunting since filling 120 rooms and all the common spaces was no small task. “You have a restaurant and a rooftop bar and a cafe; it’s a lot!”But he also knew this was a unique chance to overcome the “negative connotations around hotel art.