Hotel Max

Hotel Max is a Seattle hotel that pays tribute to many of the city’s musicians. From the moment you walk in, the tone is unmistakably musical — photographs and instruments line the walls, setting the atmosphere before you even reach the front desk.

The 5th Floor, Grunge and Sub Pop

The fifth floor of Hotel Max is an entire wing dedicated to Sub Pop Records, the Seattle-based independent label founded in the late 1980s that launched Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, among the other names that defined grunge.

The room doors on this floor are adorned with photographs by Charles Peterson, the photographer who documented the Seattle scene in the 1990s with an intensity that became part of the movement’s visual identity.

Inside the Sub Pop rooms, a turntable awaits guests with a record selection personally curated and regularly updated by the label itself. The walls carry decorations that reference the Sub Pop catalog in a way that feels understated and considered rather than overwhelming.

Not every room in the hotel has this setup. Guests who want to stay on the themed fifth floor need to specifically select the rooms listed as “Sub Pop” when booking.

It is a great way to bring a little more grunge into a music-focused itinerary in Seattle — making the immersion complete, right down to where you sleep.