I am a business traveler, traveling Monday through Thursday, for most of my professional life. I've seen hundreds of hotel rooms and dozens of hotels, and was compelled to actually write a review of a hotel (for the first time ever!) because of my experience at the Hotel Murano.

The Hotel: In a word - stunning. And gorgeous. And unique. And the ultimate showcase of local and international artists. The decor is in stark contrast to the vast majority of hotels in which I've stayed, and rivals the decor that W hotels are so famous for. Each floor features a different glass artist, and the meeting rooms, hallways, lobby and hotel rooms are littered with gorgeous treasures and artifacts from varying artists. The rooms themselves are unique, and offer a much appreciated pop of colour in an otherwise bland world of business travel.

The hotel is in a prime location, within walking distance of all of Tacoma's little treasures - AMAZING museums, shopping, galleries and restaurants/bars are within blocks.

The Staff: Outstanding. From front desk, to managers, to cleaning staff, to restaurant servers and bartenders, to the gift shop, and the bell staff - everyone is friendly, professional, and willing to go the extra mile. The last time I received service from a staff that was this knowledgeable and friendly was when I visited Wisconsin over a year ago! :)

The Gift Shop: Called "Creative Forces Gifts & Sundries", this gift shop alone is worth a visit, even if you are not staying at the hotel. Run by a local artist, she has assembled an incredibly beautiful and unique collection of treasures made by other local artists. I visited all of the local museums in the months I spent in Tacoma for work, and the museum gift shops/other local shops pale in comparison to this one. Hands down, Creative Forces has 1) the best collection of local art (not just glass art!), and 2) is the best hotel gift shop I've ever visited, and 3) the owner is an artist herself. Her appreciation and understanding of the craft is evident - go pay her a visit!

The Restaurant: Surprisingly inspired, with attention to detail and a focus on serving what's local and in season. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour and creativity of the menu. Though the menu is a tad on the expensive side, the food is consistently good, and the restaurant does offer a cosy private lounge and/or a view of Mt. Rainier.

All in, the Hotel Murano is particularly memorable (to be honest? Likely the best) hotel experience I've had. Period. The combination of service, decor, and people makes it stand out among the blur and fog of years of business travel. It really is a gem.

This is a great hotel located in the central part of Tacoma. It is an excellent place for business travelers to stay. The hotel pays attention to every detail -- beautiful rooms, a little goodie basket, and many other things that just make you feel comfortable. The BITE restaurant has great food and for breakfast I has the Pacific Frittata -- a wonderful combination of dungeness crab, crimini mushrooms, asparagus, fontina cheese, and skillet browned potatoes.

We stayed 5 nights at the Hotel Murano to get Married. There isn't much to say that others haven't already said about this hotel. Our room was on the 23rd floor with beautiful views of Puget Sound and of the City. The room was nicely appointed with a big comfy down comforter and is decorated with artwork sketches from the artist assigned to your floor. We enjoyed the Lobby Bar with Kristy taking care of our every need, (Appetizers at the bar equal the food from Bite Restaurant) each day we actually wanted to visit the Lobby Bar because Kristy sews the web for travelers by engaging patrons with warmth and hospitality. We ate at Bite often not just for convenience but the food is amazing our favorites were the Kobe burger and they make a killer grilled cheese and tomato soup. A special and memorable touch came from a server Britannia who had served us previously and arrived to our table with desert to congratulate us on our Nuptials as well as the manager and others. This is one Hotel Staff that bests any Resort or high end Hotel we've ever stayed at.

Tacoma is wonderful to explore with awesome restaurants and bars as well as antique shops, a Theatre district and your selection of Coffee Houses to suit any taste. The investment in infrastructure is apparent everywhere you go in Tacoma. We felt safe wherever we ventured and used the "Link" often and it's free, clean and has a Security Guard on every train. We visited Seattle which is wonderful in its own but for a true Washington Experience Tacoma and Murano was the place for us. We thank the Hotel Murano and the people of Tacoma for giving us more than we could've ever wished for. Jim and Shawn

This was our second trip to this hotel and it was as stunning as I remembered. The glass artwork is gorgeous and it is displayed everywhere. If you can, go to each floor and you will see a display of an artists works along with information about them. The rooms are nicely decorated and have a "goodie basket" of treats, for a charge of course. The staff was very helpful, the front desk quickly changed our room when we asked due to loud neighbors, we were not going to ask but the bartender would not let us be disappointed by something they could change. How awesome! Thanks for a great time Hotel Murano. By the way, Bite resturant is absolutely wonderful!