I am pleased with what this establishment has to offer. I am working here in Portland for a few weeks and was placed here by the agency involved with the contract. Lots of freebies, 24 hour free laundry (well maintained), 24 hour fitness center, free coffee, free shuttle, free internet and VERY friendly staff. The room is adequately sized (I am in a studio) and room is refreshed (immaculately) once a week. It is close to the airport, so expect jet noises and very brief outages of the satellite reception (5 to 10 seconds) It could have 2 elevators for it's size, but I am a patient fellow, so no worries. The rooms are quiet and the beds are quite comfy. I have been here 2 weeks and will remain for a few more weeks, but I feel that the staff goes out of their way to be accommodating and friendly. I would probably enjoy staying @ other Candlewoods, if they are similar to this one. I have stayed in other extended stay facilities elsewhere and they tend to not be as nice and nickel and dime for anything and everything. This is a refreshing change. It is not the Ritz, but I don't expect it to be. It is a fairly new facility and nicely appointed. It gave me a pleasant experience, for the first time being in Portland.

We picked Candlewood Suites based on the ratings, which were higher than Embassy Suites, and what appeared to be a competitive price, and we were well rewarded for our efforts. We were impressed by the size of the room, and the fact there was a real full-sized refrigerator in the suite. It was more like an apartment-sized kitchen, rather than the bare minimums you usually get. The staff was courteous and helpful, and the location in close proximity to PDX and Cascade Station is a real plus. Shari's restaurant is a 2-block walk away, or you've got the rest of Portland if you like. We would definitely try and stay here again next time we come through.

When in Portland, I usually stay at the Ramada on Stark St because it is near my brother's house but they didn't 't have room availability. I had never heard of Candlewood Suites but, based on the positive reviews and the fact that we like the extra room in suite hotels, we decided to give it a try. The hotel is fairly new - we were told it is about 2 1/2 years old. I guess this is considered a budget suites hotel. Housekeeping services are only provided once a week. We stayed there for 3 nights so this wasn't a problem for us. Guest do have the option to get clean towels (bedding, too, I guess) at the front desk. The front desk staff were efficient and very friendly. There are 2 computers in the lobby for guests to use.

Our suite with 2 queen beds was not real large but the kitchen was well equipped with a full size fridge, microwave, stove top, dishwasher, toaster, dishes, pans, etc. The air conditioner was fairly quiet and worked well. The bed was comfortable. The window opened a few inches. Wi-Fi was fine. The flat screen TV was small and the picture wasn't very good.

Bathroom: It was nice to have a cabinet with a drawer and space to store things under the sink. The showerhead was basic but good. The countertop was quite high, which was a plus for us but could be a problem for small children. The shampoo was a combination shampoo/conditioner which I don't usually like but this product worked ok on my hair. The bathroom fan was VERY loud but there were lights that were not connected to the fan so we didn't have listen to the fan every time we used the bathroom.

The beds have a "sign" on the pillows that says that you are given 3 standard pillows but that you can exchange them for a firmer pillow or a feather pillow. When I tried to get a firmer pillow, I was told that none were available. The desk clerk was very apologetic but, if they don't have a good supply of the optional pillows, I don't think they should offer the options.

There aren't many restaurants nearby. The last time we stayed near the airport, we had dinner at Shari's, which I did not like at all. If you don't want to cook in your suite because you just have a short stay or just don't feel like cooking, one option is to walk (or drive) to the nearby Courtyard by Marriott hotel. Their restaurant is really intended for people staying at that hotel but anyone can eat there. The food is a little pricey but fairly high quality with some healthy options. They have breakfast and dinner. Breakfast offerings (which you can get "to go") include oatmeal with berries & nuts and a healthy breakfast sandwich with egg whites, turkey Canadian bacon, cheese & spinach on an English muffin.

Following our first stay (which was reviewed above), we returned to the Candlewood Suites the following weekend and stayed 3 nights in a king suite. Considering that it was called a suite, it was quite small but it was ok. My biggest complaint about the king suite was that there were only 2 sets of dishes - 2 large plates, 2 small plates, 2 coffee mugs, etc. If 2 people stayed there for an extended stay & ate in frequently, they would be washing dishes a lot. I didn't realize when we stayed in the queen suite that there were more dishes because there could be 4 people staying in the suite.

Overall, we were happy with our 2 weekends at the Candlewood Suites and would definitely consider staying there again.

I'm staying here right now. The room is ok. Airplane noise, room not refreshed daily, night desk clerk has argued with me and others I've noticed. Waited over 30 minutes the other night for the shuttle at the airport, the night deskclerk kept telling me it was coming in 5 to 10 min....3 times. A highly rated hotel here, that is this way, makes me question the validity of tripadvisor.