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Categories: Hotels, Restaurants
Neighborhoods: Southwest Portland, Downtown
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An old friend, a past romance, and a new lover all rolled into one.
I used to stay here regularly 4 or 6 years ago. I have always enjoyed to city views, the fireplace room off the lobby, and of course, the heavenly beds and heavenly showers. But my eye wandered and I strayed to the Heathman, a quick affair with the Benson, and a romance with the Avalon. Even an occasional dalliance with the Marriott courtyard.
This trip though, I wanted the comfort of an old friend mixed with the excitement of a new lover. Someone that I knew I could trust with the fresh excitement of downtown Portland. And that is what I got.
A corner room on the 12th floor with a view down the city streets, a warm heavenly bed, and the dual head heavenly shower. A quick call downstairs and a plush bathrobe was delivered. Crack the window a bit and the cool outside air brought in the muted sounds of the city below.
A short stroll down the street to the wagons and trailers serving tasty temptations - Peruvian, Mexican, Japanese. I decided upon a spicy Vietnamese number that I took back to my hotel room - #6, noodle soup with chicken.
Then after the evenings activities (drinks downtown and a Portland Trailblazers game) the old lover feelings returned. A nightcap in the familiar bar downstairs - the 18 year old scotch filling me with warmth. Standing by the fire in the room off the lobby to take away the chill that had crept in. Then upstairs, the warm sensual luxury in the heavenly bed - the familiar comforts, the warm embrace.
I missed you, and now you are back in my life. As good as, no ,better than before.
-------
ps - the $29 parking is a little rough. And why do the high end hotels charge $13 for wireless when the lower cost ones give it to you for free.
But I didn't let those little flaws ruin my experience.
I think I would give it a 3.75 stars if I could XD
Pros:
-The service was nice, and when we mentioned that we were celebrating my birthday, the manager upgraded our room to a corner suite.
-The showers have dual heads, and plently of room for more than one person!
-I am in love with the smell of their soaps/shampoo/conditioner
-The beds live up to their name!
-The location is great, right next to street carts, pioneer square and whole foods.
Cons:
-We were on the 9th floor, yet it was amazing how we could hear what was going on outside so well, including the garbage truck at 5am...I had to be up for school at 8:30 so I didn't enjoy that too much.
-Unless you're celebrating your birthday, you have to pay for internet.
-The room got pretty cold even when we had the heater on as high as we could
Hope this helps someone!
I am always impressed with Westin's and I was not let down with this particular location. Perfect area that is accessible to all downtown and walking distance from a lot of great places and things going on. The staff was super awesome and they even offered small little things that make a place extra sweet such as a free local beer tasting (Fri and Sat from 5pm to 7pm), Free starbucks coffee in the a.m., an assorted library of books to choose from in the fabulous waiting area in the lobby and a $5 a day reimbursement if you opt to clean up your room yourself and skip the maid service which is a sweet deal if you aren't a slob and can just pick up after yourself like you are supposed to do when you are home ;)
Bed was SWEET and the bathroom/shower was very nice and relaxing.
Negative one star for the $29 a day parking (seriously, this isn't SF and thank god we didn't have our car) and $13 a day for internet (I didn't need it but Jeff V. did something with his iPhone to piggyback on his interwebs for free OR you can just walk a few steps down to the local portland coffee shop for free WIFI.)
We would definitely stay here again, way impressed.
Great location! It's walking distance to downtown, Pearl District, Chinatown, and Saturday Market. It has your standard amazingly comfortable heavenly beds, complimentary coffee and tea in your room (actually, the bathroom) and a huge shower w/ double shower heads.
The only downside is the parking fee - but that is to be expected when you're staying in any metro area hotel. If I had money up the wazoo, I would definitely make this my hotel of choice when visiting Portland!
Many other people have said it...
$29 a day for parking? What the fuck!? and $13 a day for internet!? come on...
On top of the $29 a day for parking, the valets expect a tip? Not happening when I'm paying $29 a day. And once they realize you're not gonna tip them, prepare for crap service, dirty looks and a bad attitude.
Just the $29 parking and $13 internet were enough to completely ruin everything else good about this hotel. I paid more to park my car than I did to rent it for a week!
The location is great, the rooms were clean, and the beds were fairly comfortable.
The Restaurant downstairs is so ridiculously overpriced, I didn't even bother checking it out.
Classic old school Hotel in the heart of downtown PTOWN. Hotel bar was great, room was small but very very comfortable. The bed rocks!
Staff was just fine. Will stay again soon.
3.5 stars.
it's a small older westin hotel. great location. right in the middle of everything and really close to the rail. actually, there's easy public transportation everywhere in downtown. there are bofa and chase banks nearby. free wifi at The Coffee House. there's a star bucks around the corner. it's a short walk to the malls and shops.
rooms could be a little bigger. the bathroom was the best feature. it had a standing shower w/ a double shower head. i need one of those. there was also a separate bath tub on the side. large areas around the sink to put all your bathroom crap on and shelves to place more of your bathroom necessities on. there's a vanity mirror and blow dryer that actually works well.
the other best feature was the bed! nice king size bed, heavenly mattress and soft pillows. i slept like a baby. we asked for two double beds buuut they said none were available. for some reason i didn't believe him. it wasn't a busy weekend and i also think that priceline may have something to do with it. they were reluctant to give it to us. the guy didn't even look/pretend to check his computer. boo on them.
Bed was great and so was the shower. Location was good. Didn't eat at the restaurant or order room service because it was too highly priced for what you get in my opinion. The size of the room was small. No fridge unless you pay for the mini bar/fridge package. Coffee pot and ice bucket were in the bathroom. No tub. Parking was $29 granted it was valet but I felt I had no other choice. Free wifi.
However I may stay there again because it was convenient and the bed was nice. However it would be nicer to be closer to downtown activities.
This is a great hotel, and I have stayed at many hotels and by far this place got the reputation for the heavenly bed. It's GREATand my back is relax and usually I wake up with a soar back. Our floor even have a work out room which my wife loved it. Our suite is nice and clean. The staff is friendly and cheerful to help. I would recommend this place. It's very quiet and peaceful at night. Oh, the bathroom is also. It's grant. The shower I like the most with two prop shower heads. You can be lost in their for some time.
Okay, more like 4.5.
We were very impressed with our room on the 16th floor corner (huge windows and great views of the city and the hills). I think we would've been less impressed with non-corner rooms and rooms on lower floors. The room was maybe a bit small, but it was high quality. Big props for the double shower head.
Also, BIG PROPS for the dog friendliness (with no fee!). Dog walkers beware however, as the nearest grass is about six bum-ridden blocks away.
BIG THUMBS DOWN for the $29 per night parking. Seriously? Where are we, San Francisco? Park on the street right outside the hotel - it's free after 7 pm and there was always plenty. Also, big thumbs down for the $13 per day wifi. Really? Motel 6 has free wifi.
The Heavenly Bed makes it a great place to go to get some great sleep. It's a small, quiet, good place to get work done during the day as well.
This is my favorite small downtown Portland hotel, it's not really a boutique hotel, but not a Westin Grand either - and that's a good thing! Compared with the 500 Westin's in San Francisco, for instance, this hotel just does its job, does it well, and lets you do whatever it is you came for - as opposed to pushing an "experience".
Good Surprises:
- The dedicated Starwood Pref. Guest floors are nice.
- So quiet inside, it's a pleasure to relax.
- Affordable mini-bar services... $2 soda for instance.
- Excellent price point when compared to other West coast Westin/W-Hotel's
- Lots of seasonal deals, corporate leisure discounts, etc. that improve the value
- Valets are professional, courteous, and treat your vehicle as you'd treat your own: they offered to keep my vehicle out front if I'd be needing it again soon, for instance.
Less-than-cool:
- Valet parking is $29... feels a little overpriced compared to some of the others in the area, but better than SFO and SEA prices so I guess it does make sense.
- Only wish that Portland's no sales tax also meant no tourist/hotel tax! Occupancy tax is something silly like 12.5%.
Note:
If you need Internet access, save yourself $13 and just enjoy an espresso at the excellent Portland Coffee House on the corner of Alder and Broadway... free wifi.
Damn fine location near downtown or the Pearl with a hella-awesome shower.
It's a hotel, what kind of review are you expecting?
Bed, yes. Mini-bar, yes.
Whenever my wife and I travel, we stay at Starwood properties. I've got to say, this was the 1st disappointment we've had in all of our travels.
The only reason it is getting 3 stars, is the friendly service down at the front desk. Adam the concierge and Nick the bell hop were extremely friendly and helpful. If not for them, I'd be dropping the one or two star.
For starters, the room smelled like moth balls!!! Nasty. Next, all of our bath items (lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap) were all already open! Gross. Finally, there were only 2 elevators for a 19 story hotel! Can you say, wait at least 5 minutes any time you want to leave the room!!!
When we come back, because there are no other Starwood hotels in the city, we will not be staying in one. Bummer.
Starwood, Portland is on the up. When are you opening up a W????
Note to blonde guy at the reception desk: when you tell a guest that a credit card will be used only for incidentals, please be prepared for said guest to be PISSED when said credit card is charged $716 that night! GRRRR...
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that the Heavenly king size bed was, well, heavenly!
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that the valet guys were super nice!
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that the 3rd floor gym was quiet, had new equipment and complimentary headphones.
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that the location of this hotel was perfectly in walking distance of everything in downtown.
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that dual-shower heads and a separate tub are just what you need after a 2-hour workday. Yes, I said 2-hour.
Blonde reception guy, you are lucky that I do not remember your name to tell you how lucky you are that I did not deduct a star in your (dis)honor!
btw - $29/night for valet? Ouch!
(3.5 Stars)
Spent only one night here, and a brief one at that, but enjoyed this place. Has a distinct boutique feel for a Westin, at least in the common areas. Rooms are more standard, but still nice enough. Good spot.
Star scoring scale:
5 = Spectacular
4 = Better than average, really enjoyed it
3 = Average, don't regret it
2 = Disappointing
1 = Abysmal
Westin PDX, you are fabulous.
Best staff around (especially compared to The Nines).
Pretty good food.
Great rooms with fantastic views.
The fireplace is lovely.
Did I mention the ridiculously great staff? They take care of everything, are super sweet, ensure that everything is perfect and if it isn't, they fix it fast. Also, the rooms are really, really clean and perfectly done.
Westin PDX, I will never be swayed to the supposed "Luxury Collection" and BAD BAD BAD food at The Nines (even with my love of turquoise).
I just love my heavenly bed. This one did not disappoint.
Boutique hotel, quiet, clean. Good service. No problems that have been reported by previous yelpers. The price point was great. Had a couple drinks at the Daily Grill one late afternoon after a day of walking around. Oh soooo nice.
The shower and tub were just fine. Great water pressure on the double head shower, always appreciated in a hotel setting.
The rooms are small, but the hotel is older with a nice remodel job. Unless you weigh a couple tons, it's just fine - but hey! Time to get flat screen monitors!
Yes, yes the bed's are wonderful and the room was clean and lovely.
I also like the tea selection that was complimentary in the room (I was sick at the time and needed fluids. Do as mom always said when it comes to get better.) The double shower head was exciting but I did not take advantage since I was running late for work.
Room service breakfast was also good but there is a huge proportion discrepancy between the continental breakfast and a full breakfast. Next time I think I will go off the kids menu.
DOWNSIDE: We had a reservation for a suite and somehow got magically down graded (wtf?) between when we call to double check on the reservation at 10:30 am and arriving at 11pm.
Stayed here for three nights on the last leg of our trip back to the mainland where we tried to do too many things in too little time.
After the Westin in Seattle sucking so much, I was seriously considering canceling this one and looking for a different hotel, but laziness won out.
This was a small-ish Westin and ended up being just fine. It was for the most part clean, and it was nice and quiet. Although I was a little bit disappointed to find that all the towels were tattered and one had a two foot long tear.
The staff were great. One of the ladies at the front desk even let me into their super secret back room to use the shredder after my mother in law delivered to me a zip lock bag full of "Important Documents" which included such gems as the stub from my husband's social security card (with the SSN penciled on it, of course) and a 1985 brochure about vaccinations (it did say "Important Information" on it), along with all of his childhood vaccine records!
Valets were extremely helpful and always attentive. Reception was helpful and courteous. Our room was spacious, quiet, and clean. I loved the huge tub! Location was perfect, right in the middle of a quiet part of downtown. Heavenly bed was (as always) great, soft towels, great water pressure in the shower, ample drawers for putting clothes away. The elevators came quickly, and I loved having my dog with me by the fireplace while we sat in the huge chairs during happy hour downstairs. All in all an excellent experience and we will be back!
Cozy little hotel in the heart of Portland. If you're looking for size or impact, this probably isn't the place for you. If you want a pretty decent location and good service then this place is not too bad.
The lobby and waiting area are tiny - kinda like them boutique hotels. It's kind of a refreshing change for Westin. The service was very good all around. The desk, bell, wait, etc, all pretty good. No big complaints.
My room was pretty small but the price was reasonable so I couldn't complain.
speakman dual-head showers FTW
I've stayed at the Westin twice, with different experiences.
The first visit was with my wife and two kids, using one of their "family discounts" for a long weekend. This was in April, 2006. Our room (two double beds) was much too small for a family, and fairly outdated. The chairs in the room were uncomfortable. I had a feeling it would be much better for business travel.
So, in March, 2007, I tried it again -- traveling by myself for business purposes. I had a king bed room, on the corner of the building, and it was marvelous! The room was much more modern than my previous stay, and more spacious. The view was great. I only stayed one night, but it was very enjoyable.
So, I'd recommend this highly for business travel or small traveling parties, but not for families.
Couple more things:
* Parking fees are way too high, but that's downtown Portland for you.
* On both stays, the staff was very helpful -- especially the bell hops and valets.
* Location is great. Portland's downtown isn't huge, and you can get where you're going pretty quickly from here. It's only about 10 minutes by car to the zoo, for example.
Small, but ample room in a great location if you are interested in being close to the tax-free shopping and the hip pearl district. I loved the shower with the dual head nozzle so that I can hog the water from my husband without guilt!
It's been a long long time since I stayed at a Westin but have to say this Portland version pretty much rocked. I seriously didn't expect much but boy was our room pretty damn "pimp". Cheers to you Westin for your double headed shower heads and to your king size beds. Because after a night of drinking and sharing a bed with another dude. A double headed shower helps to wash the sin off!!!!!!!!! :O
We've stayed at the Westin twice now, and have really enjoyed our stay both times.
The staff is consistently attentive and friendly while maintaining the utmost professionalism and the decor is updated and sleek, yet homey. Of course, the Heavenly beds are amazingly comfortable, and with this most recent stay we really liked the Heavenly showerhead (a dual showerhead) as well.
I'd recommend the Westin for anyone staying in downtown Portland. It is centrally located and you can amuse yourself just walking out from your hotel to explore the city.
I've stayed at better Westin's. This one needs a major upgrade, but as always, the Heavenly bed was heavenly and the bathroom quite spacious. Also, their Heavenly crib is cute as can be and comes with a matching throw rug. They also provide a high chair and stroller for free, so the four stars are for the great baby free stuff!
We also enjoyed the cozy fireplace room with a glass of wine and Scrabble. Overall a good experience and a decent internet rate of $159/night.
This is a gorgeous hotel in a prime spot in Portland- walkable to many things (including Voo-doo donuts! hahahah).
My job sent me here to do some recruiting, and I enjoyed my stay completely! The beds were super comfy and the bathroom very spacious and they had a great tub (which i used!) Also, they are attached to the Daily Grill so I had a good breakfast before the job fair.
The Westin also has a "decrompressing" 2 hour thing with tea and chocolate- I didn't participate but it was very cute :D
I also saw a few nationally known reporters in the lobby schmoozing it up which was sa-weet.
If I could drop $$$ whenever I traveled, I'd def consider the Westin as a place to stay always.
Hubby and I are in Portland meeting up with friends who are running in the Hood to Coast event. The city is totally booked. Luckily, I planned early and secured a room via http://Skoosh.com at $184/night. Still pricier than I'd like, but hey it's a 5-star hotel with superb downtown location so what can I do?
Bed is awesome-- super comfy. Bathroom totally rocks with a tub AND a separate shower (with DOUBLE shower heads-- how over the top is that?). TV could use a few more channels but whatever.
There's 24-hr access to the fitness room and business center (didn't check out either) plus 24-7 room service. Staff seem pleasant although the front desk had trouble finding my frequent flyer number-- really annoying. Also, I booked the res in my name and paid with my card, but the hotel insisted on putting the information as Ms. John E*. Hello, I don't have the same last name. Major pet peeve. Finally, we waited 15 minutes for the car even though I called ahead and gave them a time when we'd be down. Took off a star for sub-par service.
Other than that, my gripes are typical for the high-end hotels. They're blatantly greedy. Seriously, I'm already forking over almost $200!
1. No free local calls
2. Wifi costs $10 per 24 hours
3. Parking is $25/night
For another data point, Red Roof and La Quinta don't charge squat for the above amenities. Of course, their beds aren't nearly as heavenly...
I've stayed at this hotel three separate times. It's okay, but nothing exceptional (especially when you consider the price - this last time was $291/night w/tax). The rooms are a little small and I don't like the design -- too many bright colors on the walls and in the hallway. The bed is very good - like all Westins. They did a nice job with the bathrooms, too. I've always had a room with a separate shower and bath, although I'm not sure all rooms have this. The lobby is a bit of a dissapointment - very small with no bar. There is a Daily Grill restaurant connected to the lobby, which I guess serves as the bar, but it doesn't really cut it for me.
I'll probably come back next time I'm here for business, but if they brought a W to town (also Starwood) I would stay there without a second thought.
I typically stay at the Marriott Waterfront when in Portland, but one of its drawbacks is that it isn't close to anything. And after Prop 8, I am reluctant to stay at a Marriott hotel. So after reading what my fellow yelpers had to say, I decided to try this hotel instead. I was very pleased with everything. Check-in was friendly and efficient, and Anna was more like a concierge than a front desk clerk. Everyone was helpful, as we ran into bad weather and our restaurant choices were limited, and the highways had chain restrictions! But that didn't prevent us from enjoying our brief stay in Portland. We were recommended two great places to eat nearby, enjoyed a brisk walk to Pioneer Place, and when we needed more Kleenex, the response was friendly and immediate. Our room was nicely appointed but not luxurious -- I wonder what the suites are like -- but we had a great view, quiet surroundings (I love the small lobby) and being able to crack the window open was fantastic! A great stay at a wonderful hotel with a reasonable rate. I really couldn't ask for anything more...
Great service with a genuine smile! The staffers took care of us from the moment we got to the hotel to the time that we left. The bellboys and doormen were quite informative and always very helpful. Room service was delicious! I've always had problems with room service at hotels - but my laziness prevented me from leaving my room and thus was forced to order a juicy hamburger - filled me up for the whole day! Ohhh and the rooms were quite lovely too as were the woman loving bathrooms. *sigh* If I only had that big and nice of a bathroom at home. Maybe I'll just permanently move to the Westin at Portland - yeah!
I know I can't eat flowers, but when my room service food came with pretty flowers in a little vase, it made my day. That's what I call "service." The room was very spacious and had stylish decor. Oh, I loved the bathroom with a big window overlooking the city. Though it was mystery to me why they put their complimentary coffee&tea in the bathroom. I'm in love with the Heavenly Bed. It makes me not want to sleep in any other hotel beds. $30 for parking seems a bit overpriced.
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Hotels
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