Am here for 1 night for a quick biz trip. Didn't really see any stand-alone trip reports on this property & actually not many mentions in the Portland family thread, so thought I'd start a stand-alone thread for this property to a) report a recent stay & b) to make it easier when someone is searching.

Originally booked to arrive yest but client changed date by 1 day. Rate had increased on the Marriott website when I went to change the arrival date, but when I contacted the hotel directly they switched the arrival date to 1 day later & kept the rate. Well done them!

The property is on Airport Parkway (aka, "airport hotel row") just a couple of miles from the airport. You pass the Residence Inn at Cascade Station & then the Courtyard on the way to SHS. Fairfield Inn is directly across the street.

There is an airport shuttle. I didn't see one of those phone things at the airport, so I just called the property & they sent over the shuttle which arrived 5-7 minutes after my call. Very friendly driver. According to the hotel services booklet, the shuttle runs every 30 minutes between 4am & noon, and then on demand until 1am. I noticed at check-in that there was a sign-up sheet that said if you're taking shuttle the next day to please sign up the night before.

The shuttle driver mentioned that they will also take you to Cascade Station (a shopping center area) a mile up the road & where the RI is located & to the Metra/Metrolink stop which you can take into the city (presumably the one at Cascade Station, but maybe airport; not sure).

There is a Holiday Inn Express next to the SHS; both hotels owned by the same company, as they share a parking lot. Also there is a sign in the elevator that says you can park on the east side lot & behind the 2 properties but not the west side as they don't own that lot. Since most arriving would have no clue what is the east or west side of the lot, let me help out. You can park in front of the SHS, the back of the SHS & on the side that faces the HIE (east) & even in the HIE lot on any side. You can't park on the other side of the SHS (west) which faces an office bldg, as that lot is owned by the office bldg next to it. Parking is free.

The shuttle driver mentioned that just past the HIE & then one more property's parking lot, there is a sports bar, Chinese place, and some fast food places such as Subway, BK, etc. There are also some restaurants in the Cascades Station area, although they're chains and/or fast food.

In the room is a 'room service' menu, where you can order from Chin's Kitchen or Papa's Pizza Parlor. Chin's offers free delivery but $20 min order. Pap's has $2.50 deliv charge with $15 min order. The 'room service' cannot be charged to your room. You have to pay CK or PPP directly.

On the back of the menu is the TV line-up (also in the property services booklet). 45 dif channels; approx 50% HD.

The staff was friendly on check-in. I took the points rather than amenity.

Breakfast is 6-9am on weekdays, and 6-10am on weekends & holidays. I saw on the website something about a beer/wine reception during the week, but nothing mentioned to me at check-in. Called the front desk & asked about it. The 'manager's reception' with complimentary beer/wine/appetizers is Tuesday evenings, from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Papers in the lobby area include USA Today, Portland Tribune & The Oregonian.

Rooms & lobby were renovated within the last year.

I was upgraded to a king deluxe (room 303) from a double queen room, which is a corner suite at the front of the building. The living room area is huge. Big picture windows in both the living room & bedroom (not really much of a view though). There is only one TV in the room on the wall between the bedroom & living room area, but it pulls out/lever so you can turn it to the bedroom, desk or living room. Hairdryer is in a bag in closet. The closet door is small, but the closet is deep so plenty of room to hang clothes. In this room there's only one small drawer with an open shelf above it to put clothes, which isn't much room.

For those who like to adjust the room temp & some prefer auto & some manual, etc, there's a sign next to the room temp control telling you how to do all the adjustments so you can make it work best for you, which is a plus.

The downside to this room is - it's noisy! The cars going by in front on the way to/from the airport & airplane taking off/landing noise. It's raining today & I think that intensifies sound. Plus I think at some point they changed the direction of take-off/landings where it's a bit louder than it was. In between flights or cars it's quiet, but when they're going it is noisy. I think if someone had a room in the back or on the side not facing the airport it might be a bit quieter. The bedroom window in my room faces the parkway, & the living room window faces the airport.

A client will also be staying at this property. I'll ask him in the morning if his room was noisy or not. If not, then I'd just say avoid the 3 rooms facing the front of the building (and maybe those on the airport side).

The room doors are the kind that clang shut, as I've figured out since all the cleaning staff have been in the area of my room this afternoon.

A pet peeve re: SHS (and not directed specifically at this property). I hate that when you turn the light on in the bathroom (ie, shower/toilet room) that a very loud fan goes on that could wake up the dead. I prefer 2 switches - one for light & one for fan, or at least a quieter fan.

Internet access that you log in to is different in the room vs. the public areas. They give you a piece of paper that details both, as well as the password. The password changes at 11am each Monday.

If I think of anything else or something crops up, I'll update the thread.

Cheers.