Where to stay in Portland, OR?
 

Any suggestion where to stay in Portland that is within walking distance to plenty restaurants and coffee shops?

Large chain property: Hilton -- http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ore...HHH/index.html

Close to many things including the light rail station.

fozziedoggie, can you compare the Hilton to the Embassy Suites ? I'm booked into the ES in August but the current HH sale as the Hilton at a much better price.

I have never stayed at the ES, I've only stayed at the Hilton once within the past few years. My general impressions were positive, however, if you decide to book the Hilton, reserve a room in the original building and not the Executive Tower. The tower has zero charm/atmosphere and is a separate building down and across the street from the original property.

If flying into PDX, the light rail will take you directly there.

The Embassy Suites downtown is a bit more centrally located than the Hilton as far as restaurants and coffee shops. Also look at the Ace Hotel. Downtown Portland is extremely compact and walkable. So it's difficult to make a bad choice.
A few suggestions: Dinner at the chef's counter at Le Pigeon. Cherry dumplings at Katchka. Happy hour at either Higgins or Jakes.

The Residence Inn in the Pearl District is actually one of my favorite US properties, and feels nothing like a RI at all, more like a boutique.

It's not a chain, but I really enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Lucia. It's a fun boutique hotel within walking distance to everything. If you're looking for a chain, I also liked staying at the Westin, which I believe is owned by the same management company.

I've stayed at the Embassy Suites. It was a while ago, but I'm sure things aren't too different.
It was a local property and acquired by Hilton and re-branded as an ES probably 10-15 years ago. Some of the rooms are very large, the one I had was enormous. So it isn't a typical cookie-cutter ES property, there is no atrium. Gym was just ok (but if you're in Portland, I'd just run along the river).
I think there's a thread on the HHonors forum that I've posted in.

If money is a consideration, you can also look at the Doubletree Lloyd Center. It isn't right downtown, but across the river. It is still in the free zone for the light rail and maybe 5-10 min to most places downtown. When we last stayed there it was considerably lower than either the ES or Hilton downtown.

I would highly recommend renting a car for at least a day. We drove a loop, out to Multonomah Falls and returning around Mt Hood. Otherwise, you definitely do not want a car in town. Public transit is very good nearly everywhere in town.

Thank you. I'm currently still in the ES because the good rate I spotted for the Hilton disappeared too quickly. I have stayed at the DT Lloyd Center previously and, though it is easily accessible by public transport and a decent hotel, I felt it was a little too isolated from street life of downtown.

I stayed at the ES for a conference, and afterward, with free time, managed to move around quite a bit. It really is an easy city to move around in. Also, the rooms were a decent size.

The Nines, which is part of Starwood, is probably one of the nicer properties, with two decent restaurants on-site. The hotel is located 1 block from the light rail stop. Departure restaurant on the rooftop is also where Gregory Geordet works, who was the Top Chef runner up. The concierge lounge is one of the few lounges in the US where they have complimentary beer and wine.

FYI, Portland no longer has a free transit zone downtown.

A bit late but I quite liked the Hotel Vintage (a Kimpton property). It has three suites with outdoor hot tubs :) Location excellent for walking to things.

FWIW, those outdoor hot tubs and related activities can be seen from the Marriott next door. :eek: