Kimpton Riverplace Portland, OR
May 1, 2013, 3:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: WAS
Programs: AA Ex Plt
Posts: 1,630
Kimpton Riverplace Portland, OR
Back for another trip to PDX and another Kimpton. Again, Kimpton pulls through with a great stay.
Location: Sort of a pain to get to via TriMet. There are two changes and a bit of waiting for the next train. A better idea is to get off the PDX train at the Saturday market and walk along the waterfront for 10 or so minutes and arrive by foot. Dragging luggage through a section near the hotel might be a pain but going back to the airport that way seemed a lot faster. The hotel is right on the water and has some neat views. The dragon boat folks can be watched warming up outside the breakfast area. There is also a waterfront with a few stores. They looked pricey (?) and weren't open Sunday morning. All of this being said, the hotel seemed a bit isolated on a Saturday night. Not a bad thing, but not much right at/around the hotel. Albeit, it's only a short walk back to "town."
Check in: As usual, a professional and courteous agent. Nothing new here - the Kimpton desk agents all seem to either be much nicer than the typical hotel staff or Kimpton has a much better training program.
Room: A nice suite. Small-ish comfortable bedroom with a big bed, and a big bathroom. The living room area was much larger which I liked since I spend most of my time when at the hotel in the living room. Table, couch, TV - check, check, and check. There was no outside noise and this is probably due to the location.
Amenities: Everything was there again. That makes it 2 for 2 in PDX. I am hoping this isn't a PDX thing since I am not heading back until October and I would like to see a Cornas show up at my next Kimpton stays.
Restaurant/bar: Had a good IPA at the bar. The bartender was ok - I didn't spend much time at the bar so this is really a N/A type of comment. Breakfast on the other I did sit and enjoy. Pancakes with some sort of maple/ginger syrup. That was really good! There is also coffee/tea in the lobby. I noticed this at check out so I guess it might be up for a while in the morning. To-go cups too so that made the walk to the Saturday market better
Check out: See Check in. The usual professional Kimpton service.
Another Kimpton to add to return to hotel list.
Side note: I'm new to Kimpton and I have really liked my stays so far. Only one of them even dropped into the just OK stay - still good but ok relative to my other Kimpton stays. I am a 1) Hilton Diamond, 2) Hyatt Diamond and 3) SPG Platinum but outside of a few hit and miss hotels (and I do return to these hotels because of the service, e.g, Hilton Munich City) and the entire Park Hyatt group, Kimpton service is just better than at these chains. I know it is a boutique and that it typically costs more, but I am willing to pay a premium - and it isn't really a huge premium - for the better service. It's not just a little better, it's magnitudes better. Did I drink the Kimpton Kool Aid - you betcha. The difference is that Kimpton served it at breakfast for free with a box of voodoo donuts and a smile. Plus, at check out, the desk agent asked if I liked the flavor and made note of my request for Purplesaurus Rex on my next stay.
/off soapbox
Cheers -
Location: Sort of a pain to get to via TriMet. There are two changes and a bit of waiting for the next train. A better idea is to get off the PDX train at the Saturday market and walk along the waterfront for 10 or so minutes and arrive by foot. Dragging luggage through a section near the hotel might be a pain but going back to the airport that way seemed a lot faster. The hotel is right on the water and has some neat views. The dragon boat folks can be watched warming up outside the breakfast area. There is also a waterfront with a few stores. They looked pricey (?) and weren't open Sunday morning. All of this being said, the hotel seemed a bit isolated on a Saturday night. Not a bad thing, but not much right at/around the hotel. Albeit, it's only a short walk back to "town."
Check in: As usual, a professional and courteous agent. Nothing new here - the Kimpton desk agents all seem to either be much nicer than the typical hotel staff or Kimpton has a much better training program.
Room: A nice suite. Small-ish comfortable bedroom with a big bed, and a big bathroom. The living room area was much larger which I liked since I spend most of my time when at the hotel in the living room. Table, couch, TV - check, check, and check. There was no outside noise and this is probably due to the location.
Amenities: Everything was there again. That makes it 2 for 2 in PDX. I am hoping this isn't a PDX thing since I am not heading back until October and I would like to see a Cornas show up at my next Kimpton stays.
Restaurant/bar: Had a good IPA at the bar. The bartender was ok - I didn't spend much time at the bar so this is really a N/A type of comment. Breakfast on the other I did sit and enjoy. Pancakes with some sort of maple/ginger syrup. That was really good! There is also coffee/tea in the lobby. I noticed this at check out so I guess it might be up for a while in the morning. To-go cups too so that made the walk to the Saturday market better
Check out: See Check in. The usual professional Kimpton service.
Another Kimpton to add to return to hotel list.
Side note: I'm new to Kimpton and I have really liked my stays so far. Only one of them even dropped into the just OK stay - still good but ok relative to my other Kimpton stays. I am a 1) Hilton Diamond, 2) Hyatt Diamond and 3) SPG Platinum but outside of a few hit and miss hotels (and I do return to these hotels because of the service, e.g, Hilton Munich City) and the entire Park Hyatt group, Kimpton service is just better than at these chains. I know it is a boutique and that it typically costs more, but I am willing to pay a premium - and it isn't really a huge premium - for the better service. It's not just a little better, it's magnitudes better. Did I drink the Kimpton Kool Aid - you betcha. The difference is that Kimpton served it at breakfast for free with a box of voodoo donuts and a smile. Plus, at check out, the desk agent asked if I liked the flavor and made note of my request for Purplesaurus Rex on my next stay.
/off soapbox
Cheers -
Last edited by thegrailer; Oct 22, 2013 at 7:44 am
Sep 9, 2014, 9:06 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: Kimpton Inner Circle, HHonors Silver, Delta Gold Medallion
Posts: 155
I had a great stay here over the weekend. It was my third visit to this property and they have all been excellent.
Booked the room during the Summer Fling double stay offer.
Upgraded from king to king executive suite.
Every one of the 9 or 10 employees I encountered was pleasant and helpful.
I had my dog along, and the dog bed that was waiting in the room (along with treats, bowls and waste bags) was the nicest that I've seen at a Kimpton. Huge and fluffy. Merle fell in love with it.
Asked for and received a 2 p.m. checkout.
Front desk also loaned me a phone charger.
After logging into the hotel's Wi-Fi, welcome screen offered a free side of bacon if I ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Sure, why not?
And the location on the waterfront is tailor-made for the loaner bikes.
Booked the room during the Summer Fling double stay offer.
Upgraded from king to king executive suite.
Every one of the 9 or 10 employees I encountered was pleasant and helpful.
I had my dog along, and the dog bed that was waiting in the room (along with treats, bowls and waste bags) was the nicest that I've seen at a Kimpton. Huge and fluffy. Merle fell in love with it.
Asked for and received a 2 p.m. checkout.
Front desk also loaned me a phone charger.
After logging into the hotel's Wi-Fi, welcome screen offered a free side of bacon if I ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Sure, why not?
And the location on the waterfront is tailor-made for the loaner bikes.
Sep 9, 2014, 11:11 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: EUG
Programs: UA Gold; IHG Spire Elite
Posts: 443
I love the RiverPlace (it's listed as my favorite hotel in my profile...). Just such a unique property.
Also, I'm wondering if the offer upon Wi-Fi login is a new thing? At the Vintage Plaza in Seattle when I logged on, they offered a free glass of sparkling wine in the restaurant if I mentioned the offer. Totally worked on me in a "sure, why not" way.
Also, I'm wondering if the offer upon Wi-Fi login is a new thing? At the Vintage Plaza in Seattle when I logged on, they offered a free glass of sparkling wine in the restaurant if I mentioned the offer. Totally worked on me in a "sure, why not" way.
