What is the history of Heliotrope: the hotel and the name?

Some of my favorite types of accommodations are the vintage motels that have been redone and reimagined. You’ll definitely find this when you pull up to Heliotrope Hotel in Bellingham, Washington. The owners transformed a 1950s motel into a modern Pacific Northwest headquarters for hospitality, relaxation, and recreation with pops of their signature orange color. The owners are artists and designers, entrepreneurs, educators, parents, avid adventurers, and local community contributors who care about this unique northwest corner and their guest’s experience at Heliotrope. You truly feel like part of the family when you stay at this trendy motel.

If you’re wondering, as we were, where the name Heliotrope comes from then I’m here to help. Heliotrope is a Greek word, meaning “turn toward the sun”. Most rooms at the hotel are south-facing, bathing them in natural light which we loved because I’m a person who likes to open the windows and let the light shine right on in. The mountain heliotrope is a Pacific Northwest native flower in the valerian family, which has been used for centuries to assist with sleep, relaxation, and easing anxiety which guests are sure to achieve while visiting. Heliotrope Ridge is a popular Whatcom hiking trail synonymous with adventure, taking hikers to the edge of the Coleman Glacier and climbers onto the summit of Mt. Baker. Overall, it’s a pretty cool name for a hotel in the Pacific Northwest to have.

Disclaimer: This article is in partnership with Heliotrope, but as always, all opinions and thoughts are my own. This post also features some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your love and support!

What are the rooms like at The Heliotrope Motel?

We’ve stayed in two different types of rooms at Heliotrope now and loved both so much! The first time we stayed was right when we moved to Bellingham in 2022 which made it fun to come back and really experience it as a local this time. The last time we stayed in the Twins Sisters Double Queen room which had two bedrooms and was great for us at the time because my brother was with us. The room we stayed in most recently included a queen bed and a pull-out bed/sofa.

Forest | Maple

The Maple room was lovely and included everything you could possibly need such as a queen bed, 3/4 bath with a modern tiled shower, original art by local artists, 40" HDTV, high-speed WIFI, mini fridge, custom-built cabinetry from Smith & Vallee Woodworks, hand-hewn tree coat rack, power and USB charging outlets beside the bed, and a pull-out sleeper sofa for extra guests. It immediately gives off Scandinavian vibes with the light wood and pops of orange, which of course you’ll surely see is Heliotrope’s signature color. This room felt very spacious which was great because we brought our two large dogs with us. We’ve been in motel/hotel rooms before that are very small and Heliotrope’s rooms are definitely not that. We felt as though we had a ton of room in front of the bed all the way to where the TV was located and then even a living room-type space near the desk!

We love traveling with our pups when we can and this room didn’t feel crowded with them in it AT ALL - and that is saying a lot for these 80-pound dogs. We also bring their travel crates with us every time we stay at a hotel with them and they fit perfectly in front of the TV with plenty of additional room to walk by. You can find these exact crates here.

Is Heliotrope actually dog-friendly?

I’ve been to numerous motels and hotels that say they’re dog-friendly when they actually just allow dogs. Dog-friendly hotels are those that actually consider the dogs and their owners. Each time we’ve stayed at Heliotrope with our dogs we were greeted with treats and doggie packs for each pup. The doggie packs include: 5 doggie poop bags, 1 dog towel (we used for paws and to put under their bowls, 2 dog bowls, and 1 dog rug/bed. This was already above and beyond anything we’ve received at hotels for our doodles!

There’s a $35 pet fee per dog which honestly isn’t bad at all. Learn more about having your dogs with you at Heliotrope here.

What amenities are available at Heliotrope?

A fully fenced dog run

In addition to everything they offer for dogs, Heliotrope has a fully fenced dog space for potties or just running around with tall trees and a space for you to throw away their doodies. This is truly such a luxury to have at hotels when you’re staying with your dogs. We’ve traveled to numerous places with our pups and have never had a fully fenced area just for our dogs! A little green space with potty bags and a trash can, sure — but even that is fairly rare so to find this at Heliotrope, to say we were impressed was an understatement.

The Yard for hanging with friends & family

The Yard is one of the spaces you’ll immediately see when you pull up to the hotel. It’s perfect for relaxing on the lawn, picnics, games of cornhole, and gathering with old and new friends around the fire pit at night. Sometimes the front desk has smores kits for purchase to roast marshmallows over the fire. If they don’t have any at the front, there’s a local supermarket right across the street. We played a couple of games and even walked around the Yard in the morning with our coffee in hand.

The Hub for playing games and enjoying drinks by the fire

The Hub is Heliotrope's front desk for check-in, information center, lounging space, store, and basically your go-to for anything and everything. Relax on the couches, borrow a book from their full basket of them, work on your laptop, enjoy coffee or tea by the fire, or grab some ice for your room.

In addition, the Hub is where you can grab some snacks, local beer, borrow a game, or even make yourself a cup of tea (which I did often). They even stocked a local beer called Heliotrope which was awesome to stay on themed.

I wasn’t too sure if I would like having to go out of the room to grab coffee in The Hub, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit! It forced me to get up early, get ready, and go grab some fresh coffee. They serve it right at 7:00 AM which is when we walked in because ya girl NEEDED it. Andrew isn’t a coffee drinker so he made some hot chocolate they had sitting next to the coffee and it was good too. We decided we wanted to enjoy the fresh air and great Washington weather so we sat on the chairs in front of our room while the dogs slept in their portable crates on the other side of the wall. I even took some time to read my book outside with coffee in hand while Andrew went back to the room to snuggle the doodles. In addition to the coffee, Heliotrope offers small bites such as breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal, granola bars, etc.

Where are good places to eat close to Heliotrope?

Recommendations are key when traveling, therefore I wanted to share some of our go-to spots for food, treats, coffee, etc. near the hotel.

BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH: Little Cheerful, Mount Bakery, Bellingham Cider Company, and The Black Cat

COFFEE SHOPS AND CAFES: Camber, Woods, Caffe Adagio, and Lettered Streets Coffee

LUNCH, DINNER, OR DRINKS: Aslan Brewing, The Black Sheep, Zeeks Pizza, Carnal, and ÖVN

Overall, I highly recommend staying at Heliotrope, especially if you have dogs!

XOXO