Embassy Suites Portland - Downtown {US-OR}
Sep 21, 2002, 10:33 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
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Posts: 7,553
Embassy Suites Portland - Downtown {US-OR}
I read the other thread going on HHonors Portland hotels. This Hotel sounds cool and fun. Just got off the phone with the Hotel's reservations department. Said they did a $50m plus renovation and number one hotel in ES system. Is this true? How is Hotel in terms of location for tourists? Said treatment for Diamond's if available was suite looking onto mountains? Anyone have any SUITE experiences here? Any info.
appreciated. It is between this and the Portland Westin. Thanks
appreciated. It is between this and the Portland Westin. Thanks
Sep 23, 2002, 10:01 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS MVPG, Hyatt Discoverist, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,399
I have stayed at the downtown Embassy Suites 4 times in the last year. I think it is a great hotel. They did an excellent job of renovating what was the old Multnomah Hotel, which was probably originally constructed in the early 1920s. Each room has a coffee table book that goes into a lot of the hotel's original history. The lobby is very impressive - high ceilings and ornate detailing. The regular suites are nice. Two times I have been upgraded to the larger suites, which are named after Portland businesses. I think I stayed in the Nike and US Bancorp suites, both of which are on the second floor. They come with a 10 person dining room table and are probably 2 to 3 times larger than the regular suites. It's kind of overkill for a solo business traveler like myself but it's still fun.
The ES is located in the northern part of downtown, so it is not as centrally located as the Westin. However, downtown Portland is very compact and the blocks are not long. An able bodied person can easily walk from the ES to the southern part of downtown in about 15 to 20 minutes. Downtown Portland should really be explored on foot anyways.
They do the usual ES breakfast thing in the basement and they have a good restaurant that is attached to the hotel (can't remember the name). The hotel is located about one block from US Bancorp Tower, which has the Portland City Grill located on the 42nd floor. Great views of the city and mountains.
This hotel seems to recognize my gold status as evidenced by the room upgrades I have had (2 jumbo suites and 1 corner suite during my last 4 visits).
I like this hotel better than the newer atrium style ES. Give it a try.
The ES is located in the northern part of downtown, so it is not as centrally located as the Westin. However, downtown Portland is very compact and the blocks are not long. An able bodied person can easily walk from the ES to the southern part of downtown in about 15 to 20 minutes. Downtown Portland should really be explored on foot anyways.
They do the usual ES breakfast thing in the basement and they have a good restaurant that is attached to the hotel (can't remember the name). The hotel is located about one block from US Bancorp Tower, which has the Portland City Grill located on the 42nd floor. Great views of the city and mountains.
This hotel seems to recognize my gold status as evidenced by the room upgrades I have had (2 jumbo suites and 1 corner suite during my last 4 visits).
I like this hotel better than the newer atrium style ES. Give it a try.
Sep 23, 2002, 6:27 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Lake Oswego, OR
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Posts: 3,202
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Jeeves:
They do the usual ES breakfast thing in the basement and they have a good restaurant that is attached to the hotel (can't remember the name).</font>
They do the usual ES breakfast thing in the basement and they have a good restaurant that is attached to the hotel (can't remember the name).</font>
Oct 1, 2002, 7:28 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
Embassy Suites Portland downtown
Excellent and exceptional. This Hotel is well written about in FT. I just want to add it is all true. We were in PDX this past weekend with friends. They were also impressed. We all agreed on one thing- now we have set ourselves up to be disappointed with other ES.
Oct 2, 2002, 2:23 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: BW Diamond, Choice Plat, National Exec Elite
Posts: 3,120
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kokonutz:
...and stumbling distance to the brewers festival
</font>
...and stumbling distance to the brewers festival
</font>
Don't tease me like that! I miss Portland...
Oct 10, 2003, 11:21 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: LAX CA
Programs: UA1P MM, Hilton Dia, Mar Lifetime Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 2,536
ES Downtown Portland OR, Problem
Looking for advise. My brother and his wife stayed their last month. Upon check-in the bell hop took their luggage, he gave a $5 tip and went to his room. 45 minutes later the security people, with bell hop behind him, informed him their luggage, he and his wife, had been stolen while in the possession of the bell hop. The ES claimed they were only liable for $150 per suitcase, per the state of Oregon’s' "innkeeper statute". Subsequently, the hotel is not willing to pay for more than that and want him to file a claim with his homeowners insurance. The suitcases and their content are valued at several thousand dollars. What can be done to get the full money recouped.
Oct 10, 2003, 5:15 pm
#11
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,607
"If you've got a phone, you've got a lawyer..."
Although it sounds like if the ES is right, a lawyer can do little more then raise a fuss and maybe play a PR card or two...
Good luck!
Although it sounds like if the ES is right, a lawyer can do little more then raise a fuss and maybe play a PR card or two...
Good luck!
Oct 10, 2003, 10:51 pm
#12
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Port Angeles, WA, USA Unwanted by AS, Hilton-Diamond, Starwood Platnum
Posts: 758
Be careful about filing insurance claims on your homeowners insurance. The industry is currently black balling individuals and/or homes that have had several claims making them almost uninsurable at any kind of reasonable rate.
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"A day without Points/Miles is like a day without SUNSHINE"
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"A day without Points/Miles is like a day without SUNSHINE"
Oct 11, 2003, 1:34 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: An Island Paradise Near Seattle
Posts: 599
Disclaimers: I'm not a lawyer (thank god), and I have only a hotelier's experience with the Innkeepers Statute in Oregon. That said, I think I have some ideas.
The relevant section of the ORS is 699 - it deals with hotel liability, and an excerpt from this (usually 699.010) is generally conspicuously posted in every room of the property. It contains the various fine print disclaimers of liability, including a notice that a safe is available for valuables. Baggage is covered separately in 699.020. These statutes receive astonishingly little legislative attention.
The limit is, as stated, $150/bag. That said, that limit hasn't been raised in at least 30 years, so far as I can tell. Furthermore, there is a specific phrase taken from 699.010 that may be of use:
"Every innkeeper or hotelkeeper is liable for the loss of any property of a guest in the inn or hotel, whether or not the property has been accepted for safekeeping as provided in this section, if the loss is due to the theft or negligence of the innkeeper, hotelkeeper or any of the servants of the innkeeper or hotelkeeper.
Thus, there may be some wiggle room in the ridiculously low limits at play here.
I think the suggestion to file with homeowner's insurance is ill-advised; insurers are looking for excuses to cancel, or, more politely "non-renew" policies, and a claim of this nature would be a perfectly fine reason to do so. This blows.
Here's what I would do:
1) I'd write a strongly-worded letter to the hotel describing the circumstances of the loss as you see them, with an itemized list of the contents of each suitcase and an estimate of replacement value attached as an appendix. Address it to the general manager, and send a copy to the actual owner of the property (Realvest Corp. of Vancouver, WA) and one to an appropriate VP at Hilton with responsibility for the Embassy Suites brand. Explain that you wish to be fully compensated for the loss as it was solely negligent behavior on the part of the property and its employees that caused the loss. Walk through the sequence of events that preceeded the loss, and explain that none of the steps the guest took were unreasonable - it's expected that if you hand over your bags to a hotel employee that they will reach your room, and that the hotel will take reasonable precautions to prevent a loss, thus it is relatively safe to trust them with the bags. Explain that this is not the same situation as having bags freighted ahead of time via the rails, as was often the case when the statutes were drafted, and one assumed a certain risk of loss. Set a two-week deadline for a response. This is both timely, and reasonable.
2) If they respond, mazel tov. Move on. (Although, a couple of complimentary nights on top of the monetary recovery would be nice). If not, I would resubmit the complaint to the same addresses, and with very little looking, one can determine the home address and telephone number of the President of Realvest. I'd also copy the travel editor at the Portland Oregonian, the Attorney General's office and the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, along with one of the national publication travel ombudsmen. Set another two-week deadline, and include your intention of filing a small claim court case for the value. The threat of a little adverse publicity from a rational, informed person can go a long, long way in shaping management opinon of the strength of their position.
3) If they don't respond, file, and don't forget to include any allowed expenses that have been incurred as a result of this claim.
I'm sorry this happened; I'm a native Oregonian, a former Portland resident, a frequent Portland hotel guest and a former OR hotelier.
Regards,
Eric
The relevant section of the ORS is 699 - it deals with hotel liability, and an excerpt from this (usually 699.010) is generally conspicuously posted in every room of the property. It contains the various fine print disclaimers of liability, including a notice that a safe is available for valuables. Baggage is covered separately in 699.020. These statutes receive astonishingly little legislative attention.
The limit is, as stated, $150/bag. That said, that limit hasn't been raised in at least 30 years, so far as I can tell. Furthermore, there is a specific phrase taken from 699.010 that may be of use:
"Every innkeeper or hotelkeeper is liable for the loss of any property of a guest in the inn or hotel, whether or not the property has been accepted for safekeeping as provided in this section, if the loss is due to the theft or negligence of the innkeeper, hotelkeeper or any of the servants of the innkeeper or hotelkeeper.
Thus, there may be some wiggle room in the ridiculously low limits at play here.
I think the suggestion to file with homeowner's insurance is ill-advised; insurers are looking for excuses to cancel, or, more politely "non-renew" policies, and a claim of this nature would be a perfectly fine reason to do so. This blows.
Here's what I would do:
1) I'd write a strongly-worded letter to the hotel describing the circumstances of the loss as you see them, with an itemized list of the contents of each suitcase and an estimate of replacement value attached as an appendix. Address it to the general manager, and send a copy to the actual owner of the property (Realvest Corp. of Vancouver, WA) and one to an appropriate VP at Hilton with responsibility for the Embassy Suites brand. Explain that you wish to be fully compensated for the loss as it was solely negligent behavior on the part of the property and its employees that caused the loss. Walk through the sequence of events that preceeded the loss, and explain that none of the steps the guest took were unreasonable - it's expected that if you hand over your bags to a hotel employee that they will reach your room, and that the hotel will take reasonable precautions to prevent a loss, thus it is relatively safe to trust them with the bags. Explain that this is not the same situation as having bags freighted ahead of time via the rails, as was often the case when the statutes were drafted, and one assumed a certain risk of loss. Set a two-week deadline for a response. This is both timely, and reasonable.
2) If they respond, mazel tov. Move on. (Although, a couple of complimentary nights on top of the monetary recovery would be nice). If not, I would resubmit the complaint to the same addresses, and with very little looking, one can determine the home address and telephone number of the President of Realvest. I'd also copy the travel editor at the Portland Oregonian, the Attorney General's office and the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, along with one of the national publication travel ombudsmen. Set another two-week deadline, and include your intention of filing a small claim court case for the value. The threat of a little adverse publicity from a rational, informed person can go a long, long way in shaping management opinon of the strength of their position.
3) If they don't respond, file, and don't forget to include any allowed expenses that have been incurred as a result of this claim.
I'm sorry this happened; I'm a native Oregonian, a former Portland resident, a frequent Portland hotel guest and a former OR hotelier.
Regards,
Eric