Shopping and Dining in Seattle Southside FAM Tour

Seattle Southside RTA, in partnership with the Port of Seattle, Crowne Plaza, Anthony's Homeport and Seattle Express, hosted a familiarization trip (FAM) for a group of eight British travel agents from the ITC Luxury Travel Group, Western & Oriental.

Seattle Southside was the last leg of their 6-day adventure FAM before returning home to the U.K. The group of 8 returned to SeaTac after a stopover in Montana. After checking in to their rooms at the Crowne Plaza, they met Kristina Thorne, representative of the RTA, and were promptly shuttled to Westfield Southcenter for some retail therapy. Upon their arrival at Westfield Southcenter, each travel agent was given a special traveler privileges card with some exclusive shopping coupons and deals. Throughout their shopping excursion, Kristina provided highlights on the region’s features and benefits, as well as some fashion advice.

After souvenirs and personal items were purchased, the group freshened up and headed out to a Northwest seafood dining experience at Anthony's Homeport in Des Moines. Anthony's pulled out all the stops with an appetizer sampler platter consisting of a Northwest favorite, Dungeness crab legs. The majority of the group had never cracked their own crab before and it made quite the impression. Each course was paired with a local Washington wine and exceptional service.

Carly Crowe of Western & Oriental, who experienced the FAM tour had this to say, "I must say I was so pleasantly surprised by the Crowne Plaza. I was not expecting the luxury experience that we had there. The sleeping aids on the bed in the room was such a nice touch. I loved Anthony’s Homeport. I felt like I was in the movies with our bibs on, cracking crab claws."

Jon Hardcastle, who also experienced the tour had this to say:

"We were lucky enough to spend a short time at Southside during our stay in Seattle which was an ideal base for a spot of shopping and dinner before heading back to the UK. We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel at Sea Tac Airport which was a great base for the airport, offering a complimentary shuttle and just a short transfer you are at the doors of the superb Westfield Southcenter Mall which is a two level mall with more than 200 stores and eateries, plus a multi-plex cinema to give you chance to recharge if you have shopped till you dropped! For a truly special dinner, I would highly recommend eating at Anthony’s HomePort, Des Moines which boasts superb fresh sea food – the crab was a particular favorite! All in all, Seattle Southside is in a great location and a must for anyone visiting this brilliant city."

Is your group looking to go on a FAM Tour of Seattle Southside? Contact Seattle Southside RTA for more details...