In Seattle's increasingly competitive boutique hotel scene, it’s no longer enough to label your operation an “art hotel,” put some black and white photos on the walls and trumpet your urban cred to out-of-towners.

Happily, the Alexis Hotel, a 121-room hotel with a killer location halfway between historic and quickly gentrifying Pioneer Square and historic and long-gentrified Pike Place Market, shuns gimmicks or labels. Instead, the hotel, much like the century-old building listed on the National Register of Historic Places where it’s housed, is all about timeless class: customer service, thoughtful amenities like pet-friendly rooms, a selection of complimentary national and local newspapers, and locally roasted organic coffee and tea awaiting guests in the lobby each morning. Then there’s the free afternoon wine tastings in the cozy, wood-panelled restaurant, often featuring little-known West coast bottles.

The art that does drape the lobby and guest rooms is a result of an extensive $10-million reno last year, that rebranded the property and established ties with the Pacific Northwest art scene.

Rooms start at $226 in the off-season, and $249 otherwise.