Populus Hotels names a general manager for Populus Seattle
Populus Hotels appointed Rob Brandenberg general manager of Populus Seattle. The 120-room hotel occupies the restored Westland Building in Pioneer Square. The company announced the appointment in September 2026.
Brandenberg takes over hotel operations, team leadership and the guest journey at the property.
A career that started in Switzerland
Brandenberg trained in Switzerland in pastry and French cuisine. He started his hotel career in Zurich, New York and San Francisco, then moved into roles across Asia Pacific.
He was director of operations at The US GRANT, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Diego. He spent five years as general manager of Pan Pacific Seattle. His most recent post was general manager of 1 Hotel Seattle.
At 1 Hotel Seattle he ran the property through a renovation, a pre-opening program and a rebrand under the 1 Hotels name. He has also consulted on food and beverage concepts, guest journey design and pre-opening planning for luxury and residential estates.
Brandenberg has lived in Seattle for more than seven years. He said the region's landscape, arts and culture shape how he runs a hotel.
The hotel he takes over
Populus Seattle opened in May 2025. The property holds a One MICHELIN Key for 2025 and 2026. AFAR named it one of the best new hotels of 2026.
The Westland Building dates to 1907. Miller Hull Partnership designed the adaptive reuse. Populus Hotels and Aparium Hotel Group confirmed the appointment.
Salt Harvest is the ground-floor restaurant. Firn is the rooftop bar on the top floor. The Cafe is the third food and drink outlet.
Populus Hotels runs two properties. The company states the collection sequesters more carbon than it emits across its lifecycle. Populus Seattle is the second carbon positive hotel in the United States, after Populus Denver.
The hotel plants a tree for every room night booked through the One Night One Tree program. The program is a partnership with the National Forest Foundation.