Hotel help in Portland OR
September 30, 2010 6:59 PM   Subscribe

Going on a last minute trip to Portland Oct 5 through 9 and looking for a good hotel in the downtown area for my husband and self. I'm hoping to find something nice, must have wifi, under 200 (preferably closer to 100) walkable to downtown stuff, and on the quiet side. We are there for the Guided by Voices show. I've never been to portland and have no idea what is there except they have a big bookstore I want to go to. Any suggestions for stuff to do in downtown area would be great - I will be doing more research online but I'm so tired from working since 5 am I can't stare at a screen anymore. thanks so much!
posted by Melsky to Travel & Transportation around Portland, OR (18 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
I think you want the Ace Hotel http://acehotel.com/portland

Walkable to Powells and many other fine Portland attractions.
posted by jz at 7:07 PM on September 30, 2010


The Jupiter.

Look no further.
posted by Danf at 7:07 PM on September 30, 2010


We have successfully Pricelined our way into two very nice hotels in SW Portland, the names of which escape me, but one of them was a Kimpton property - I think it was the Monaco; the other was possibly the Marriott. Both were mere minutes' walk from Powells, and the Tugboat Bewery. Neither was far (maybe a 15-minute walk in a safe and populated neighborhood) from the Crystal Ballroom, if that's where the show is.

A word about both the Ace and the Jupiter: from what I've read, neither is particularly quiet. The bar at the Ace is ace, though.

If you've never Pricelined anything before, you can select the neighborhood you want and the quality of the hotel (e.g. 4-star), so you won't end up at $30/night fleabag near the airport. I think we got both hotels for under $100/night, and both were quiet.
posted by rtha at 7:21 PM on September 30, 2010


It's a bit of a walk to downtown, but the EconoLodge City Center is a top-notch place to stay if you aren't looking for anything fancy.
posted by cmonkey at 7:37 PM on September 30, 2010


I spent a week at The Heathman Hotel a few years back, and it was absolutely delightful. It looks like it's at the upper end of your price range, but there may be better deals to be found on the internet. I know I didn't pay full price, but I don't remember how I found the deal. It's so totally worth it even if you just go ahead and splurge.
posted by Balonious Assault at 7:40 PM on September 30, 2010


Best answer: I have been reminded! We have stayed at the Benson. It was very nice.
posted by rtha at 7:49 PM on September 30, 2010


Best answer: In terms of things to do downtown, be sure and make a visit to Voodoo Donuts, preferably the one on SW 3rd, and late at night.
posted by thepdm at 8:07 PM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Go to biddingfortravel.com and check out the Portland forum to see how much people have been getting rooms for on Priceline. Also make sure you read the strategy for getting a free rebid, though that's most useful if you are among for 4-star hotels (the stars refer to the range of services available, not the overall quality of the hotel). In your price range, you may have to go for a three star, which should be fine, but there are more of them in more parts of town, so the rebid strategy isn't as useful.

Anyway, for what it is worth, last night I had to go up to $125/night to get a room in Portland at a 4* hotel for 3 nights starting tonight. It's a hotel I haven't been in before. In the past, Ive gotten rooms at the Benson, Hotel Vintage Plaza, Hotel Monaco, and Hotel Lucia on Priceline for under $100/night, and I've been happy with all of them. They are all pretty close to Powell's Books. I've also ended up at the Mariott, which was fine, but in a deader part of town, not that the walk was bad. The Doubletree at Lloyyd Center is further away, but it's short ride in the MAX light rail in to downtown.
posted by Good Brain at 8:29 PM on September 30, 2010


Best answer: After Powell's, visit Cacao a few blocks away for some great chocolate.

Ride the aerial tram. It costs $4, but it's a spectacular view. Don't forget to look down and see the burnt-out house below. It's not precisely downtown, but it's accessible by the streetcar.

Pokpok is authentic and delicious thai food. The chef's other restaurant, Ping, is downtown but based on the two dishes I had there was not as nice.
posted by novalis_dt at 9:10 PM on September 30, 2010


When we visit Portland and are staying overnight, we love going to Hotel deLuxe. It's located a very pretty 1-2 minute walk to the Pearl district (where you'll find Powell's Bookstore) and a quick trolley ride to downtown. The hotel is classy, quiet, the bartender is an old soul who makes great 1950s cocktails, the beds are comfortable, and the price is within your budget (~$140-160/night).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:18 PM on September 30, 2010


Por Que No is over the river from downtown, and is a great (if busy) spot for delicious Mexican food and drinks.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:21 PM on September 30, 2010


While not downtown precisely I would recommend the Silver Cloud Hotel in the very walkable and very close to downtown neighborhood of the NW District. There are tons of restaurants and cafes near the hotel: on 23rd and 21st avenues especially. Also you can hop on the streetcar and get into town quite quickly and easily (about 10 minutres). If you want a little more upscale and in downtown, I would recommend the Hotel Deluxe. But if you really want to be adventurous, and are up for getting out of downtown and seeing another side of Portland east of the river, I would recommend the Bluebird Guesthouse on SE Division. You can walk through leafy neighborhoods and head down Division or Clinton to find cafes, etc. Or you can walk 10 minutes over to Hawthorne. Two other neighborhoods to check out while in town, though far from this, are the Alberta Arts District and Mississippi Avenue in North Portland.
posted by existential hobo at 11:59 PM on September 30, 2010


the ace.
posted by violetk at 12:16 AM on October 1, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks so much for all the answers. We had thought about staying at the ace but the only thing left is 250 a night deluxe rooms and that's a bit much. Also I think it might not be so quiet. I'm now looking into doing the priceline thing or possibly just staying at the Benson.
posted by Melsky at 3:18 AM on October 1, 2010


Girlfriend just suggested the Blue Bird Guesthouse, too. Key draw there is that its just down the street from from Pine State Biscuits (breakfast!) and the Waffle Window (awesome!). We'll be driving through and likely staying there the week after you.

Screen Door was great for dinner last time we were there, too.
posted by pkingdesign at 3:25 AM on October 1, 2010


You might try the Inn at Northrup Station, you get a huge room, with a kitchen-ette, breakfast is included, free streetcar tickets, (The hotel is at a streetcar stop), I have stayed there many times and love it. Near shopping and lots of great restaurants.
posted by jennstra at 1:21 PM on October 1, 2010


If you're thinking about the Bluebird Guesthouse, I'd like to note that it's in a decent location as far as public transit goes. I live and work about fifteen blocks away from 35th and Division, and there's direct n/s e/w bus lines with frequent service running through the area, so it's easy to hop on a bus and get somewhere.

Even though it's not in the heart of Portland's big tall cityscape, SE Portland is a fun part of town with a really friendly vibe.
posted by redsparkler at 9:35 PM on October 2, 2010


Response by poster: For anyone else reading this looking for a Portland hotel, I'm staying at the Hotel Paramount at 808 sw taylor street, pretty much everything I wanted. It's quiet, clean, large rooms, very central location. I'm paying 158 per night. Thanks to everyone for the help!
posted by Melsky at 6:30 AM on October 6, 2010 [1 favorite]


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