My wife and I read the glowing reviews on TA about this hotel so we booked it for a recent 4 day getaway to Portland.
It's a lovely old hotel with friendly, helpful staff. The public salons are impressive and the restaurant serves good food. But for the price, we wouldn't stay here again.
Poor Location:
The location is further away from the immediate center of Portland where the other, more modern (and comparably priced) hotels are located. Portland has fantastic transit but the hotel is outside that free zone. So every time you want to go somewhere, you have to walk 5-10 mins just to get to where you would have started had you stayed closer to the action.
Noisy:
Unfortunately, being further from the center didn't mean less noisy. Old hotels have old windows and so sound from outside (like rooftop fans, HVAC systems, highway noise, car alarms, etc) transmits readily into the room. Bring your earplugs.
- We had to change rooms after the first night because we were awoken first thing by the loud, thumping sound of housekeeping staff who were loading a laundry chute. One of the reasons for our getaway was to get a restful sleep, so that was a drag.
Cramped Bathrooms:
- The bathrooms are small compared to more modern hotels. There is very little floor space to maneuver in the bathroom and so it is only practical for one person to use at a time. There is no vanity and therefore no counter-top at which two people can get ready at the same time. We tried showering while the other person was using the mirror, but the bathrooms don't have fans so the mirror fogged up quickly. The tub is small so you can't shower together. That means that it takes much longer to get going in the morning because you have to take turns. The result is that you're not in sync with your partner and lose time getting going in the morning.
Little Things:
- The website says that the rooms have WIFI. But when we checked in, the front desk staff tried to charge us $10/day at check-in for that. That felt wrong.
- Unlike every hotel I have ever stayed in my life, there is no free TV listing guide on the room TVs. There is no channel which displays the guide of upcoming shows. You have to scroll up and down through each channel to see what's on right now. The only way to find out what's coming up later is to: First, download and register an app for your iPhone and THEN, you have to pay $1 to get the TV guide. Seriously?
In summary, if you are going to Portland to experience the fabulous downtown, be close to transit, and catch up on your sleep, I'd recommend you stay at one of the more modern hotels. It will cost the same and you'll have a better experience.
Room Tip: Don't get room 830, it's right next to the laundry chute.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
October 29, 2012
Thank you very much for commenting on your recent stay at the deLuxe. I sincerely apologize that your visit did not meet your expectations. We should have addressed most your concerns satisfactorily, which would have improved your experience. I invite you to call me directly to discuss your stay. I hope to convince you to give us another try when you are in Portland. We appreciate your comments and I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Block, General Manager, 503-219-8623
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.