On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Hotels, Steakhouses
Neighborhoods: Southwest Portland, Downtown"This is a nice hotel with attentive staff. I called the Heathman at 3am after being stuck in Hotel Hell just down the street and was told…" read more »
Loading...
I don't usually review hotels on business but this Embassy Suites is different.
Conveniently located downtown Portland
Historical building and nicely kept and appointed
Check in process went surprisingly smooth when I was behind 5 other guests in line....I stared at the electronic check in kiosk for about 3 minutes, then tried to calculate the speed in which the line was moving. Slid credit card in, name popped up, room key and receipt with room number took 90 seconds! I was glad I took the technology route.
In my room, I was surprised to see a welcome card with my name leaning on two bottles of water. Two flat screen monitors with HD and a nice bathroom.
I guess I should take the time to appreciate the details taken for granted when you're speeding down a business weekday week.
Oh, I really wanted to check out with my pal the kiosk but I just couldn't just walk past the friendly front desk person who looked eager to take my room key and wish me a nice day.
Not a huge fan of Embassy Suites, but it's hard to do better if you want to fit two adults and a kid or two into a hotel room. This ES, however, is exceptional. It's a retrofitted hotel that's on the National Registry of Historic Places, so it has the look and feel of an old, large, grand downtown hotel -- but for a decent price you get a big suite instead of closet space. Also, it's located within walking distance of a month's worth of cool things to see and do in downtown Portland.
Like all ES's across the land, however, the patrons are heavily weighted towards families (see reasons above). This means that you'll be sharing the hallways, lobby, breakfast area, and cocktail hour with hoards of brats. One star off for the brats.
I love historic old hotels - the Multnomah must have been fabulous in its heydey. The modernization of this hotel retained the old charm while upgrading the rooms with modern creature comforts. As with all Embassy Suites, there are two rooms - a living area with a sofa bed, a dining room table and a minibar and the bedroom.
The breakfast buffet and evening receptions are complimentary. They are held on the LL2, which is essentially the basement, but the space is large with high ceilings.
There is a business center with free internet access. If you are a Hilton Diamond member, you can choose the option for free internet (saving you $9.95/day).
Staff was very helpful, friendly and accomodating. You can even choose when housekeeping comes to clean your room.
The location is very convenient - two blocks away from the MAX and close enough to places where you would want to walk to - Chinatown, Powell's, the Pearl District, the Waterfront and all of downtown Portland.
Now that I have stayed here I will not stay at any other hotel when I am in Portland. Highly recommended.
This is not your cookie-cutter Embassy Suites (with atrium). You notice that right away when you drive up to what once was the historic Multnomah Hotel. I think that that the Hilton chain did a very nice job preserving much of the architecture and providing some historical information to their guests via a booklet in the room and a nice memorabilia display in the lobby (near the business center). And these touches add a certain elegance to this Embassy Suites that I have yet to find in any of their sister properties.
The only small negative to our stay was that our living room was a bit stuffy. Other than that, the suites (both Gayle's and her sister's) were very comfortable, nicely designed, and great for the family hanging out (and separate sleeping arrangements). Service was prompt and friendly, which we really saw at breakfast, the manager's reception (cocktail hour), and when we needed that roll-away bed when my son came over on Saturday night.
The Lobby was spacious and featured lots of comfortable stuffed chairs that encouraged gathering and friendly conversation. Free Internet is available here via a kiosk and in their business center (via guest key card). The Kincaid's restaurant (including rest rooms) is also easily accessible off the Lobby.
The hotel is also close to the the Portland Saturday Market, Mother's, Bijou Cafe, Voodoo donuts, etc. etc. Come to think of it, pretty much anything within the downtown Portland core is within fairly easy walking distance from this hotel.
Here's what I got for 150.00 per night.
A lovely and comfortable suite in a beautiful hotel. The room consists of a nice living area and a comfy bed.
A great gift shop in which you can score cheap, touristy Portland stuff.
A really fine gym, swimming area, and jacuzzi. I never go in public jacuzzis because I grew up in the 70s, when they had creepy, swinger cultural connotations. Still, it's there.
A free breakfast that includes, at your behest, an omelet whipped up by a heavy, genial Eastern European woman who greets each person with a cheerful, "You want omelet?" And when you tell her what you want in your omelet, she shows you how it's done. I am telling you: if you go to this hotel, you will see this woman. She is sweet and efficient, and she is a stranger in a strange land, so if you do not tip her, you are an impecunious charlatan, and I curse you, your dam, and your sorry brood.
Two 42" flat-panel televisions, one for each eye. Had it been football season, I'd have had a beer in one hand, the other down my pants, and would have been helpless to change the channel during halftime.
A manager's reception every night between 5:30 and 7:30 in which you can score much free booze and where the rates on the premium hooch are cut. I got a 4.00 martini that was so generously poured that it took me a half hour to drink it.
Cheap room service. A fair number of items in the menu are under 10 bucks -- a 21% gratuity will be automatically added -- and they are good.
Location. You can walk from here to anywhere downtown.
My one objection to this hotel -- the lone reason for which I hang onto the fifth star -- is that in this day and age, they make you pay ten bucks a day for internet access. That's simply silly.
Let me start off by saying this: I'm a very nice person and hating things is not on my list of things I do on a daily basis. Sure there are things that make me cringe and wish they weren't within a thirty foot radius of myself - but as a whole, I can look past those things.
But there is one thing I absolutely despise, and I have this hotel to thank for solidifying my thoughts: valet parking.
Dear Valet Parking,
I hate you.
I hate how you stand outside a deceptively pleasant hotel, oozing convenience at your "oh now I never have to take *gasp* five minutes and find my own parking spot" state of mind. I hate how you dress the maître d' of valet in a sly suit when in reality that young man probably spends his afternoons in an Affliction t-shirt smoking cloves and watching Harold and Kumar, thinking he's a bro.
But most importantly, I hate when you slide into the driver's seat of my car, turn it on, and proceed to FLOOR the accelerator like your racing Vin Diesel in a Fast and Furious movie. Guess what asshole? It's not your fucking car. You don't see me hopping in your late 80's Ford Taurus going balls out down the road, just praying that you are there to witness it. Not that I would ever have the desire to do such a thing because: 1) I'm not a tool. 2) I have my own car that I've put a lot of time/money/heart into. 3) I'm not a tool.
With love,
David
PS - The hotel wasn't too shabby. Having the free drinks at the bar *almost* made up for the shitty valet and the two broken elevators.
Moral of this story: DON'T USE THEIR VALET. There's a wonderful self-parking garage right down the street on Pine.
Great value when visiting Portland. This is a nice hotel with nice big rooms with 2 nice big TVs. We don't even have 2 TVs at home so it was a luxury to allow our 3 year-old to watch Noggin while we watched adult-themed shows (no, not THOSE kind of adult shows you gutter heads!).
Needless to say the free booze at the manager's reception was a huge hit. And the free breakfast was a better than average buffet of choices. The location was perfect for us, albeit on the edge of sketchy-hood. But we can deal. My son thoroughly enjoyed the swimming pool. And the bed was super comfy!
My stay here was flawless. Either I'm getting less picky, or I've just been having fantastic luck with my hotels. (I think it's the latter). Employees were great - very friendly, knowledgeable. Free breakfast is a great perk, although I never woke up early enough to catch it. They also have an open bar manager's reception starting at 5:30pm, which I didn't get to take advantage of either, but great to know that it's there! They even have a kiosk in the lobby for you to look up directions, print your itinerary, or just surf.
The 1BR suite I had was perfect in size. Everything was clean and there were plenty of pillows on the bed.
As an added plus, they're only blocks away from Mother's Bistro!
I really enjoyed my stay here at the Embassy Suites. The rooms that we got were very big and spacious, although I did get a chance to see the other suites which were a bit smaller and cramped. The indoor pool and their other services were average, but their freebies made up for it. Hot breakfast was included; eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, fruits, etc.. , and the Manager's Reception from 5:30-7:30 everyday (Open Bar, drink as much as you can!) was the highlight of my stay there. The employees were helpful in that if there was an error, they were quick to fix it.
And there are a lot of things within walking distance to this hotel, including; Mall, shopping areas, MAX Transportation, restaurants, etc.
I slept like I took 8 sleeping pills before bed (I had none), the little shampoo and conditioner bottles were ample, and the breakfast was great.
Isn't that all you need in a good hotel?
I stayed here three years ago with my entire family in one room, and I have nothing but pleasant memories! (This includes my older brother vomiting in the sink at 1am after dinner at Sushi Land. Be warned.)
The historic building gives the chain hotel a beautiful, old-school touch of class. The lobby makes you feel all fancy just walking through. And most Embassy Suites have a fun happy hour if you are lucky enough to hit it. I'm talking pretzels and free beer! Or Shirley Temple if you prefer.
It has pretty reasonable rates considering the prime area of town you're in. In fact, I often wish I lived there. Do people still live in hotels anymore? I've always wanted to be Eloise in the Plaza with her pug, Queenie. I'm rambling, but this hotel chain will always hold a special place in my heart.
The rooms are big. Very comfortable. Well priced.
Offers good continental breakfast. Open bars on weekdays and weekends!
I'd stay here again.
What a great place to stay for an all girls weekend! The seven of us shared two suites (a little cramped, but we're cheap that way). Our room was a little cold, so we put in a request for an extra blanket and an extra set of towels for our fourth girl (umm, why are there two big beds that in theory, could sleep four, but only three sets of towels?) and rushed on down a few levels to attend the last hour of "manager's happy hour"... hurrah!!! Free drinks for hotel guests from 5:30 to 7:30!!! Every night! SWEET!!!!
I seem to recall closing a drinking establishment... where were we?? Ah well, can't remember at the mo, but when we got upstairs, there was no extra blanket or towels... We didn't really care at that point as we were rather inebriated, so we trundled off to bed sans blankies (right after I slapped on an experimental breathe right strip... those things are magic!!! It felt like I was getting TOO much air in my lungs!! But I digress).
Fast forward to 6:30 AM... YOU HEARD ME: 6:30 AM!!!! There is insistent knocking on our door. Naturally, even in my hungover state, I was the only one who was able to stagger to the door and figure out how to undo that safety latch thingy... and there, in the doorway was a maid... asking if we got our extra blanket and towels... AT 6:30 AM!!! Well, I said "no, as a matter of fact... we never got them".... She apologized profusely and said she'd be right back with them... at 6:30 IN THE MORNING... ON A SATURDAY. OCH!!!
Ok... I'm over it... or I WAS... until I shut the door, and realized that I still had that darned breathe right strip on my nose... harrumph... the humiliation! Harrr... not really... very slight humiliation... not like that one time....
Anyhow... aside from the early morning blanket delivery, our stay was very pleasant. The beds were super comfy, the bathroom was clean and free of random hairs, water pressure was good, they provided us with umbrellas when we ventured out... and did I mention the happy hour?? I have a new affinity for raspberry lemon drops now. Yummy!
Minus one star for the early delivery and those plastic orchids dotted all over the hotel with fake water in them... I don't like being fooled in such a manner! ;-)
I cannot say enough great things about this hotel!! The staff are very friendly and helpful, the historic building has been beautifully remodeled, all the guest suites are roomy and awesome, and the pool is swanky. The BEST part of all embassy suites are the comfy beds, the wet bar, the managers reception every night (free booze!!!!!) and the breakfast buffet + omelet bar in the AM....all included in the price of a room!!! Also the location in Portland is great for walking around and checking out the city.
By far the best Embassy Suites location that I am aware of! Unlike most cookie cutter Embassy Suites locations this one actually has some charm to it. As you may or may not know most Embassy Suites have the atrium in the middle of the building where as soon as you walk out of your room you can look down to the bottom floor where they try to make it look like it's some kind of park or something. This place is nothing like that. It certainly helps that it's located in the historic Multnomah Hotel building.
The rooms are great and very clean. Service is always great, although the valet parking could be a little faster at getting the cars. At times they seem a bit unorganized. If they could just be as good as the guys at the Benson. Regardless this is my favorite place to stay in Portland, although on occasion we try other places in town, we usually wonder why we didn't just stay here.
Like all Embassy Suites that I am aware of breakfast is included with your stay. The breakfast here is very good. They have a very good variety of items including made to order omelette's. They also have room service, I'm not sure that all Embassy Suites do, but don't hold me to that. It's not bad either, although if it's not too late you can just walk out and try several places within a block or two from here instead.
They have an indoor pool, a business center and a spa & salon all of which seem very nice, but I have not tried yet. The Portland Steak and Chophouse is also located here.
Like I said this is not your typical Embassy Suitess.
Great place to stay in Portland. It's centrally located (within fairly easy walking distance of good restaurants, etc.), and the rooms were really nice and spacious. Service was good, too, from check-in to valet, although they didn't seem to have a concierge, which was odd. Valet parking is $23 a day, which is super-steep, but I guess most hotels in downtown areas gouge you like that nowadays. In any case, it was better than self-park, since the garage across the street has very narrow 2-way ramps. Yikes.
My one complaint was breakfast, and I really feel like I shouldn't complain, since it was free, but hey. The food was not great, and the basement room they serve it in is crowded and dingy and just made me uncomfortable. I would definitely stay here again, but head elsewhere for breakfast.
wanugee gives the comprehensive review. Every thing in that review is spot on.
Here's my experience: I arrived at approximately 1 pm, 2 hours before the standard 3 pm check in time. I fully expected them to tell me they couldn't check me in at that time but the front desk staff surprised me. The room that they originally had for me wasn't ready so they found another room. OMG. I ended up in a suite on the Mezzanine level. It was huge for just little ole me!
Amazingly, they haven't taken anything away from the charm of the historic hotel. The beautiful details are still there with the modern conveniences and perks of an Embassy Suites.
I found the hotel staff to be very friendly and helpful. As I was waiting outside to meet a friend the valet offered to get me a car and gave suggestions for places to see. Room service was quick and friendly as well.
I will say, I wish I would have valeted my car. When I checked out the following morning I wanted to put the cost of self-parking on my room bill. However, I was told that you can only do that if you valet your car.
This hotel has an amazing location with fabulous service and amenities. I am excited to return here again!
We stayed here as part of a conference since it was the conference hotel and I was really, very pleasantly surprised. At the price point, this is one of the very best hotels I've stayed in. Granted we probably got some discount for being part of a conference during Portland's off season so they could fill rooms, but it was only around $150 a night and included a hearty and pretty decent breakfast buffet (not almost cold food or reheated pastries like in some hotels) and a "manager's reception" or something with free drinks between 5:30-7:30 pm. These two perks are both nice. Oh, did I mention we got free WiFi for that price, too? I think this may have been worked out as part of the conference deal, but even the regular rates of $9.95 a day are the same or cheaper than some hotels I've stayed in.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, even when dealing with large groups of annoying tourists or conference goers. The review by wanugee N. pretty much says what you need to know about the amenities. It's a very nice hotel, very clean and fairly quiet.
This hotel has way more class than I'd expect from most hotels in its price range. Since it is in an old building the swimming pool is fairly small and is in the 1st level of of the basement and the breakfast and manager's reception drink area is in the 2nd basement level. The breakfast area is nice, but maybe not quite as beautiful as most of the rest of the hotel (being in the basement). Still, I'd rather stay in a nice old building like this one with these features than in some 1970s-looking hotel with a giant swimming pool and a more cold or uninviting atmosphere. It's certainly a nice and welcoming place to stay.
Even compared to much bigger and more expensive hotels it does well. For example, comparing this hotel to the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver BC (where I was at another conference), I liked Embassy Suites better (except for the views) and the Westin was at least $75 more per night (though in expensive Vancouver, BC).
Certainly The Embassy Suites couldn't host as large of a conference as the Westin Bayshore did since I think the Embassy Suites' largest conference rooms will probably only seat somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 people, yet their conference services were MUCH better than those of the Westin Bayshore. The chairs were more comfortable (and actually reclined slightly), the catered lunch was pretty decent for a large catered buffet meal. When the room got too warm, they immediately adjusted the temperature to correct the problem. Even when our conference slammed their wireless network bandwidth they managed to get us a little more bandwidth. Though not everything was 100% perfect they were always EXTREMELY responsive (far more responsive then I've seen most hotels or businesses be). Again, very classy.
I felt the location was really nice. It was centrally located for getting to many of the more interesting neighborhoods. It seems like many hotels are in Portland's downtown department store shopping area which I found to be rather bland and unexciting and actually preferred this location. I just don't care that much about shopping at another Macy's or Nordstroms or someplace such as that since the ones near where I live (San Francisco) are bigger and better than Portland's anyway. Plus I'm not all that wild about upscale chain shopping, anyway.
Most downtown points of interest are walkable within about 20 minutes or less (such as Powell's books, the Pearl District, China Town, downtown shopping). Though the old town area is also close and some might find it slightly sketchy at night (though Voodoo Doughnuts is a couple of blocks away and worth a visit for fun).
The MAX light rail line is only 3 blocks away for getting to and from here and the airport.
I don't know about parking fees, but there is a car rental agency across the street and I suspect most people coming in from out of town won't really need a car until/unless going to outlying areas away from downtown.
Overall, a highly recommended hotel for its price in Portland.
This is an excellent hotel and the location can not be beat! Our room was very nice, the view spectacular!
Breakfast down in the basement was very nice! This is a great place to stay!
This building has quite a history also. Way back in the day, an airplane has landed on and taken off from the roof of this building, twice! Check the entire story at:
http://www.pdxhistory....
Watch out for the parking charges! We were kinda surprised, and we're used to L-A prices! It's a classic hotel "gotcha!"
But guess what, now we know! So do all these yelp users! Uh Oh! :-)
I can't add much to the other reviews here. We stayed at the Embassy Suites during our trip to Portland in April 2007, and had a wonderful time. We love suites when we travel with the kids, so they get their own room. This one was exceptional. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms are well decorated, the breakfast was really good (and free), and the pool was a lot of fun--and kind of cool since it was in the basement. The hotel was walking distance to a light rail stop, which we took to get to the Children's Museum and Zoo. It was a great stay, which I hope to repeat someday.
A beautiful old hotel converted into an Embassy Suites. Free breakfast with eggs and pancakes and stuff and really close to delicious food and bus stops. Very bouncy, soft beds. Great massage in the spa in the lobby.
Mini-fridge and microwave in the suite! Useful for storing bottles of water.
1-star deduction for the thin walls. We heard some *ahem* unmentionable activities a couple of times during our stay.
It's not your usual embassy suites. This hotel was the Multnomah Hotel which opened in 1912. but enough with the history lesson. the fact is I snore so this is the perfect hotel for our travel needs. the location is great. within walking distance is the saturday market, vodoo dounts, pioneer square...pretty mcuh everything.
I stayed in a suite here when I came up for my cousin's wedding last summer. I'm really liking this suite thing, having a separate sitting area & bedroom.
The wedding reception was conveniently located here too.
The hotel is a historic hotel with a large pretty lobby.
We got breakfast buffet in the basement, which was pretty good too. My parents, who had shown up in Portland a few nights before I did, had even made friends with one of the servers! :-)
Located in downtown Portland, walking distance to the Classical Chinese Gardens.
Unexpectedly nice suite, good service, great location. This is a beautiful hotel, and we look forward to staying here again when we visit PDX.
DISCLAIMER: This review is not related to
"sleeping soundly". At all. But...
Three words:
New. Years. Eve.
Now, I'm not saying that the ES a great place to spend your entire night, but I AM saying that if you are interested in some classic Portland bar hopping with a bunch of your friends, there is no better way to do it than to rent one of the ES' relatively inexpensive suites and sneak 40 of your "best" friends inside to get down on some pre- and post- bar party action. I'm not kidding - the place is a locational goldmine. Its right near all the weekend action, with 8 people throwing down its about 20 bucks a pop, and you don't piss off your REAL neighbors! And don't get me started about new years eve there...
A place that does everything good but nothing great. Our room is divided into two parts; king size bed with flat screen t.v. and living room with sofa bed and flat screen t.v. So, it worked out really well for us and our two sons. The only problem with the room was the shower curtain, which needed to be changed because of the smell. The hotel is older and the small elevators are an obvious sign. But, the manager's reception is a nice touch; all you can build and eat nachos with all the beer, wine, soft drink, and juice you can drink. The free breakfast works out as well; pancakes, sausage, bacon, cereal, milk, fruit, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, juice, soda, and an omelete station. The indoor pool was a nice surprise because it was much bigger than I expected PLUS, it was a salt water pool. The two hot tubs were good and so was the dry sauna. My wife thought the gym was good as well. It is not located in the heart of downtown Portland but somewhat on the fringe. The hotel restaurant, Kincaids, is pretty good and has happy hour (I think?) all day on Saturday and Sunday. The service was actually pretty good and I am afraid that I prejudged the young desk staff.
Embassy Suites, part of the Hilton Group, took over the old world charm of the historic Multnomah Hotel about 10 years ago and converted into a tastefully updated hotel while retaining the key elements of years past. The Multnomah Hotel, built and opened in 1912, is on the National Registry of Historical Places. Its two story lobby, with marbled based pillars and art deco fresco details, elegant appointments with potted ferns accented by colorful silk flower arangements and marble opaque light fixtures and baby grand piano, is a time capsule of glory days gone by, with a memorabilia case of historical artifacts including napkins, name tags, serving dishes and photographs from the early 20th century. This is in stark contrast to the modern Embassy Suites template of large multi-story atrium lobbies, koi ponds and artificial water falls in most new construction Embassy Suites, like the one at PDX airport. The new carpets retain the designs indicative of earlier 1900's fashion and the valanced hallway drapes and textured leaf wall paper with waynescoating add to the updated elegance of similary updated hotels in other major downtown cities like San Francisco's Fairmont or St Francis Hotels, albeit with less grandeur but more intimacy and warmth than the old Drake Hotel in Chicago.
Designed with 600 rooms for its 1912 opening, it has been paired down to 276 larger rooms with modern amenities of wet bars and refrigerators, in room coffee makers and hi-speed net access, and sprinklered safety features. Dark wood furniture, armoured TV dressers and desks are accented by gold framed art deco mirrors throughout. The king size/double beds are appointed with 5 pillows and a large gold fabric roll, topped by the cushioned mattress pad offering a lush sleeping platform competitive to the other major chains business travellers have come to expect in room accomodations. This hotel offers a $250 - $350 a night ambiance for a $150 - $199 price.
The downtown neighborhood is an eclectic mix of people shops and experiences. Within a few blocks are Chinatown, the old Bowery area with the Salvation Army and Mission Church, office buildings, cafes and coffee shops (Dante's, Belbati), restaurants (Ruth's Chris) pool hall bars w/live rock bands (Ash Street Saloon, Pan), day spas and second hand clothiers (Torso), and throwbacks like the Portland Outdoor Store, offering clothes/riding accessories for English or Western styles. Past century brick facades are mixed with Grunge era shops and night life, with modern steel/glass office buildings.
Tree lined streets are accentuated with early 20th century double lamp light posts. Excellent transit options include 9 bus routes on the adjacent corner going along 3 major routes (A, B, C) of the excellent Tri-Met bus system, connecting travellers to Milwaukie, Tualatin, Lake Oswego and other nearby cities, and another block away is the Max trolley car that goes to the airport. Passing Pedi-cabs, Taxis, bicycles, skate boards, and pedestrians young and old of all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds are all commonly sighted. The laid back Portland look with obligatory hoodie, knit cap, or Nepalese/Peruvian knit cap with ear flaps are predominate for the young adults.
The hotel has a mezzanine and 3 lower levels of meeting rooms, featuring the Queen Marie Ballroom, named after the visit of Queen Marie of Romania . On Level LL2 is the Arcadia Garden, where the signature complimentary hot breakfast and nightly hospitality mixer is offered, now benchmarked by other competitor's business oriented hotels. There is a pool and workout facility, the Nyla Day Spa in the hotel, as well as the Portland Steak and Chop House.
Service is excellent, professional and offered with greetings and a smile by the entire staff, including housekeeping. A concierge is available in the lobby. A personal welcome card in hand addressed envelope awaits you from Steve Jung, the GM, offering his extension number for your needs. The desk staff is multi-cultural, multi-lingual. Parking is across the street for $17/night self park, but it is best to Valet for $23/night, as service is quick and accomodated by your name, not a ticket number, with full in/out priveleges. Driving access over the 3 nearby bridges is convenient to airport (10 mi northeast)and other parts of the Portland area.
If you are tired of the cookie cutter suburban business hotel chains,
try this for old world charm, attentive service and central location for the same price.
I am a resident of Portland. I frequently look to get away by staying at a downtown hotel and becoming a tourist of my own city. I recently booked a weekend at Embassy Suites for my wife, myself and three growing boys. I've stayed at the Marriott, Heathman Hotel, the Mark Spencer. None can compare to this one. Even stalwarts like the Benson, Governor and Fifth Avenue Suites will have a tough time besting this place. The Embassy Suites is #1 in TripAdvisor, which is saying a lot.
Rooms: A spacious suite with marble flooring/countertops. Nicely furnished. Very clean. Nice! We experienced no problems with noise and felt like the walls were well-insulated. Since the transit mall is north by a couple of blocks, bus noise is not an issue. Portland does a great job with public transportation by maintaining narrow, well-defined transit corridors. So if your hotel is along the transit mall, like the Hilton is, you may get bus noise. No problem here. Also, the traffic lights within downtown are strictly timed to maintain a steady 13 mph speed through the city, so noise from cars is generally not intrusive. Our room had no view except for the adjacent wing of the hotel. Others may have decent views on the street-side, but with only eight floors don't expect a panorama.
Decor: A grand lobby fit for such a historic building.
Service: Friendly, accomodating. The Concierge was top-notch. Front desk attentive and cheerful. Complimentary shuttle within the city will take you wherever you need to, with in a farly short distance. I recommend the Japanese Garden as a must see. Unfortunately, no shuttle to and from the airport. However, the MAX light rail will wisk you directly from the airport to very near the hotel.
Location: Two blocks from Saturday Market and the MAX light rail; three blocks from Waterfront Park; 7-8 blocks to Pioneer Square; six blocks to the Classical Chinese Garden; six blocks to the trendy Pearl District; many great restaurants nearby, but with access to the MAX and the Streetcar in the fareless square, you can find the best of the best quite easily and for nothing.; right in the midst of some of Portland's best (and sometimes rowdy) nightclubs. Check out Darcelle or Embers if you like the alternative scene.
Amenities: All the usual perks of a fine hotel. Great indoor pool kept nice and warm. Our kids spent 2 1/2 hours per day in it. Portland Steak and Chophouse known for good food. Parking is expensive, so we took the MAX in from the suburbs and lived like tourists. Outstanding FREE buffet breakfast with all the trimmings plus an omelete station. Not good for the waistline with all that great bacon, sausage and biscuits with gravy. Manger's Reception with complimentary wine and a few well drinks. These perks really give you a good bang for your buck.
My family will stay at this facility again. Since I live here, I am familiar with all the choices. At this price point, the Embassy Suites is up there with the best in the city and can even be considered a best value for the suite-sized rooms and added amenities.
Normally I give pretty good ratings to the Hilton family of hotels, but this time, these guys screwed up. I'm not sure what it is about 2 chinese guys and mexican that make the workers at this particular Embassy Suites uneasy. All we did was change our reservation to their hotel and give them more money. Instead of a gracious accomodating welcome, we got resentment and rude behaviour. First of all, when they were moving our reservation to this particular location, we figured there might be a different rate, but rather than try and find the lowest rate for a HHonors member, they just gave the standard rate. It wasted 20 minutes to get this sorted out. And then it was a special honour to have been told by the desk attendant that there was a no party policy. Once again, 2 chinese guys and a mexican. I didn't say we looked shabby or like we were there to tear the place apart. Anyway, I'm not making any assumptions, but they really made us feel unwelcome.
We went downstairs for the Manager's Reception. Talk about sub par. The drinks were fine, but the food selection was meager at best. There were nacho chips, cheese and refried beans. Nothing else. It was pretty disappointing. Not sure if this is what people in the northwest eat or what, but I was none too pleased. Anyway, had the free drinks and then we were off.
The second incident that occurred was late at night, as guests, we stopped in to use the facilities. Inside the washroom, we played 3 shots of paper towel basketball that resulted in two loud "Ohhhhh"'s. Anyway, as we were walking out, the security guard noted that we were on our way out as she was walking towards us. The front desk attendant this time, was nice enough to tell us that she could hear us from in the washroom. Great, send the guards!
Anyway, with all that behind us, the rooms were nice. They were a good size and had all the things that you come to expect from a Hilton family hotel. Just wish the service was about 10 levels better.
This is my idea of comfort. I went mano a labios with their king-sized bed (complete with an entire Whitman's sampler of assorted pillows and bolsters), and got soundly KO'd. And excepting a short episode with a radio-cranking deafmeister in the next room (an elderly gentleman with lead ears but a very fine taste in piano jazz), I enjoyed perfect silence. It's close to everything, but then again, downtown Portland ain't all that big.
Current Deals and Packages
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
Corporate Savings Package
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
A sampling of my adventures in the Pac NW from my…
My limited experience in Portland...but so far, so…
We took a wonderful trip to Oregon in April 2007,…
