McMenamins Anderson School Hotel: A Quirky Stay in a Former Junior High Near Seattle [Review]

Set in an old junior high school with a campus of guest rooms, dining, and entertainment, McMenamins Anderson School Hotel isn’t a typical hotel stay.

I visited in March 2026 for 1 night and enjoyed the novelty of sleeping in a classroom-turned-guest room, along with preserved school details such as hallway signage and playground markings. I was impressed by the property as a self-contained destination, with several dining options, a movie theater, a heated lagoon pool, and frequent live events.

This hotel is memorable, unconventional, and conveniently near Seattle, with a quiet suburban setting.

Booking McMenamins Anderson School Hotel

I booked a king room at McMenamins Anderson School Hotel for $197.77 and paid with my Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card, which earns 3x points on the first $150,000 spent on combined purchases in common business categories, including general travel.

McMenamins Anderson School Hotel does not participate in any major loyalty programs, but it offers the Loyal Order of the Slumbering Bed Heads frequent guest program for earning points at McMenamins properties. Guests can earn points each night for participating hotels booked with the McMenamins online reservation system. A typical room like the one I booked earns 150 points, and redemptions start at 900 points.

This school property is one of several McMenamins properties in Oregon and Washington, including hotels in repurposed historic buildings. McMenamins is a family-owned company with pubs, breweries, and 12 hotels throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Walkable Location in Bothell, Washington

The hotel is in downtown Bothell, about 20 minutes northeast of Seattle, offering easy access to the city without staying in it. It’s also walkable within Bothell, with multiple restaurants, bars, and entertainment within a few blocks. The nearby Sammamish River Trail offers walking and biking along the water.

The School Theme Defines the Experience

McMenamins Anderson School Hotel was built in 1931 as Bothell Junior High and was converted into a 72-room hotel in 2015. The hotel’s origins as a school are evident in the hallways filled with school memorabilia, dining at The Woodshop and the Principal’s Office, the swimming pool building, and clever suggestions from the hotel to “play hooky” during visits.

During my stay, the front of the hotel still looked just like a school, with front steps and a flagpole, and each guest room in a former classroom. Small details of the hotel’s history as a junior high campus dotted the property, including old-school rules signage and hopscotch markings on the concrete. Rather than modernizing everything, McMenamins leaned into these details to preserve the property’s uniqueness.

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Stairs and hallways have a cozy school look.

Instead of a single hotel building, the property was spread across 4 main buildings connected by outdoor walkways with a central courtyard. There was also a separate pool building across a parking lot.

Covered pathways offered protection from the elements, with a walk between guest rooms, dining, and activities that made the property feel more like a campus than a hotel.

I checked in at the front desk, in the same building as the main restaurant, Tavern on the Square, and separate from the guest room building.

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The front desk is separate from the guest rooms.

Despite the active common areas, the hotel was quiet overall, with most of the energy concentrated in the courtyard and dining spaces. It was rare to see or hear another guest in the guest room building, but the dining and entertainment areas were lively throughout my stay.

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I enjoyed walking the campus and discovered a chicken coop near the parking lot.

Parking is near the movie theater and dining, and complimentary for guests. Overflow parking is available at the nearby stadium if the hotel lot is full. Wi-Fi is free for guests.

Every Room Is Unique

All of the guest rooms are in former classrooms and feature hand-painted headboards and wall accents. Each room has a name, typically a notable person from the school or local area.

I stayed in the Ben Boone room, 203, named after a local rancher and entrepreneur (and relative of frontiersman Daniel Boone). The room featured artwork in his likeness, a framed account of his life, and Western-style headboard artwork that reflected Boone’s Washington state pioneer background.

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The Ben Boone room.

The room was large with high ceilings, and I had a window overlooking the courtyard. There was a small table and chairs, a dresser and TV, hanging storage near the entrance, a safe, and a small, open closet. The bathroom featured a small shower, toilet, and vintage sink.

It didn’t have a minifridge or microwave, but it did have an ice bucket that could be filled at the Tavern on the Square. There was also no in-room coffee, though complimentary coffee and tea were available in the morning.

Multiple Distinct Dining Spots Add Flavor

McMenamins Anderson School Hotel has a brewery and features several places to eat or drink:

• Tavern on the Square: The main restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
• Nui Nui: A Balinese pub overlooking the pool, open for lunch and dinner. (Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.)
• The Woodshop: A classic pub with live sports on the TVs, pool tables, pinball, and shuffleboard. (Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.)
• Principal’s Office: A cozy bar on the third floor of the guest room building. (Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.)
• The Shed: A small bar in the courtyard with fireplaces indoors and out. (Monday through Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m.)
• Anderson Market: The gift shop with to-go beer, wine, and spirits. (Daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

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Tavern on the Square, next to the hotel front desk.

Complimentary tea and coffee were available each morning from 5 to 11 a.m. at the Principal’s Office.

Room service breakfast was available via a door hanger tag, with delivery times from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It’s an Entertainment Destination

McMenamins Anderson School Hotel is more like an entertainment complex than a hotel. With its extensive dining, live music, a movie theater, and events, you could spend an entire stay on the property. It was clear that many visitors during my stay were not necessarily hotel guests.

The courtyard hosted a St. Patrick’s Day celebration during my stay, featuring live music. Frequent events range from concerts and history talks to themed nights and tours.

There’s also a movie theater in the old school auditorium. It features a single movie at a time, with 2 to 3 showings per day, typically in the afternoon and evening. Tuesdays at 11 a.m. feature Baby Blockbusters showings with brighter lights and relaxed noise tolerance, intended for families with infants. The theater has a bar open during showtimes with drinks, popcorn, candy, and burgers that can be delivered to your seat during the show.

Another popular feature is the North Shore Lagoon pool in a building across the hotel parking lot. This pool is shallow — it doesn’t get deeper than 4 feet — and indoors, kept at a warm 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

The pool is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s available to guests during open hours from check-in to checkout, but it’s also popular with the community and can get busy. Bothell residents get in free, and others can pay for swim sessions an hour at a time.

Final Thoughts

McMenamins Anderson School Hotel isn’t trying to be a luxury property — and that’s the point. The setting, the history, and the entertainment make it worth a visit. With a variety of dining, entertainment, and events, it’s a quirky and engaging destination.