20 Best Hotels in Downtown, Portland

This artsy Downtown Portland outpost of the Kimpton-operated Monaco boutique-hotel brand offers eclectic textiles and patterns, bright spaces and bold colors, interesting amenities like in-room yoga mats, extensive pet-welcoming items, and an evening social hour with local wines, spirits, and beers, and the overall sense that staying here is a lot of fun. In these roomy accommodations (the majority of them suites), birds in flight paper the ivory-colored guest-room walls, auburn hexagons carpet the floor, and multicolored tartan decorates the headboard.

With textured wall coverings, pillows made of Pendleton wool, and a color palette of slate blue, mustard yellow, and a variety of browns, this Kimpton boutique hotel on the banks of the Willamette River captures the look and feel of the Pacific Northwest. More than a quarter of the guest rooms overlook the water, and bathrobes, coffee and tea, and yoga mats are provided; you can also buy organic and unusual snacks and beverages from the in-room minibar. Off the airy lobby, King Tide Fish & Shell restaurant serves outstanding seafood.

On the top nine floors of a former landmark department store, this swanky Marriott Luxury Collection has the city's poshest accommodations, with luxe decor and two notable restaurants. Rooms are chic and modern, with a soothing cream-and-blue color scheme, fine bedding, BeeKind bath products, iPod docks, and stunning views of Downtown, the West Hills, and even Mt. Hood from east-facing rooms. The expansive lobby, in a central, skylit atrium, has inviting sitting areas with interesting local art and framed photos, a dark and inviting library and billiards lounge, and the excellent steak house, Urban Farmer.

The discerning common areas in this landmark, early-20th-century building capture Portland's maker aesthetic, with locally sourced textiles, furnishings, and goods. The design scheme extends to the guest rooms, where you will find rich, hunter-green walls, Pendleton wool blankets, cool light fixtures, framed Oregon botanicals, and a minibar stocked with Oregon goodies, and some rooms have whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, and balconies. The venerable steak-and-seafood-driven Jake's Grill is on the ground floor along with Fortune bar and Domaine Serene Wine Lounge.

The quintessential Portland hipster lodging, this flagship location of the buzzy Ace Hotels brand contains a Stumptown Coffee café, is a block from Powell's Books and the Pearl District, and is right in the heart of Downtown's ever-trendy West End neighborhood. The minimalist-chic rooms are outfitted with comfortable, futon-style mattresses, locally made furniture, flat-screen TVs, and original wall murals—some have vintage accessories like turntables and vintage vinyl collections; others have iPod docks. Some rooms have private bath/showers, the less expensive rooms share. The cool common areas have large comfy couches and well-stocked bookshelves.

Portland's venerable grande dame may now be overshadowed by several other upscale properties in town in terms of chic design, but the Benson has hosted countless presidents and celebrities since it opened in 1913, and its guest rooms both capture the hotel's storied legacy while offering plenty of modern comforts, like fluffy organic bathrooms and slippers and super-plush modern beds. The hand-carved Circassian walnut paneling from Russia and the Italian white-marble staircase are among the noteworthy design touches in the gracious lobby, which is home to the swanky Palm Court lounge. The old-school restaurant, El Gaucho steak house, is a favorite of local power brokers.

The grand lobby of the former Multnomah Hotel, built in 1912, offers an extravagant welcome to this all-suites hotel that's close to both the riverfront and Old Town and is home to beloved Mother's Bistro. The spacious accommodations have large windows, sitting rooms, sofa beds, microwaves, refrigerators, and wet bars. Amenities include a good-sized indoor pool and fitness center.

The choice of countless celebs and dignitaries since it opened in 1927, this wonderfully atmospheric, art-filled hotel has undergone a stylish and contemporary redesign but is still filled with regal touches, including the high-ceilinged library with more than 2,700 signed volumes (many of which come from past Heathman guests). Although the restaurant was closed as of this writing, there are plenty of excellent dining options nearby.

Encompassing two buildings—a main building and a newer, more upscale tower—this gargantuan complex offers predictably furnished, upscale guest rooms and a convenient location. There's also a variety of meeting rooms, two restaurants, an athletic center and gym, and two indoor saline swimming pools. Centrally located, the property is within walking distance of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Portland Art Museum, and MAX light rail. Pets are welcome with a deposit.

This retro-glam 1912 boutique hotel with its original chandeliers, gilded ceilings, black-and-white photography (arranged by movie themes), heavy drapes, and hip cocktail lounge evokes Hollywood's Golden Era, from the elegant rooms to the cozy 1950s-style Driftwood Room bar and swanky Gracie's restaurant. Rooms are appropriately luxe for a hotel named "deLuxe," with sumptuous beds, an extensive pillow menu, and bluetooth speakers. For the epitome of luxe, try the Marlene Dietrich Suite, with its 8-foot circular bed, crystal lamps, and gorgeous views.

Black-and-white celebrity photos from Pulitzer Prize–winner and native Oregonian David Hume Kennerly, comfy leather chairs, and stylish low-slung furniture adorn the rooms of this nine-story, 1909 European-style boutique hotel in the heart of Downtown. This service-oriented hotel has a number of much-appreciated perks, including morning coffee and tea, and evening craft-beer hour. The inviting, warmly furnished lobby is a great spot to relax with a book or get work done. 

This funky boutique property overlooking the Willamette River affords stellar views of the water, easy access to the waterfront park and the events that take place there (Rose Festival, Blues Festival, Gay Pride, and so on), and—as part of the Pineapple Hospitality chain—complimentary pineapple cupcakes during the daily afternoon reception. The hotel has a clean and modern interior style, and the guest rooms—decorated with bold color schemes—contain wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, ample work space, top-of-the-line memory-foam beds, iHomes, mini-refrigerators, Keurig coffeemakers, and oversized walk-in showers.

Decorated with local artwork, contemporary furnishings, and wood-and-marble accents, this boutique property is both upscale and accessible, and offers a location convenient to the Southwest Park Blocks and Portland State University. Each well-appointed room is equipped with a flat-screen HDTV, smart-phone docks, eco-friendly bath products, spa robes, and Italian Carrara marble counters. The light-filled lobby leads to a pretty outdoor courtyard—equipped with several fire pits and bounded by a garden wall—and a casually inviting restaurant and bar.

This historic landmark hotel with a stylish two-story lobby takes its theme from Oregon vineyards, with rooms named after local wineries, complimentary wine served every evening, and an extensive collection of Oregon vintages served in the superb Bacchus wine bar and Il Solito restaurant. Specialty rooms offer such features as balcony hot tubs, huge two-story town-house-style layouts, and, on the top floor, large, angled, conservatory-style windows that enable guests to fall asleep counting stars. 

This family-owned hotel, with a prime location in the hip West End near Powell's Books and the Pearl District, is one of the better values in town, with most of its warmly decorated and spacious rooms containing well-equipped kitchenettes. A major supporter of local arts, the hotel offers special packages that include tickets to local theaters, museums, and other attractions.

Travelers who appreciate good music and good beer—especially together—love this West End branch of the McMenamin brothers' unorthodox empire, which is home to three bars and a restaurant and is affiliated with the Crystal Ballroom concert venue a block away. Built in 1911, the old and creaky building is full of character, having housed everything from a glove factory to an old-time speakeasy to a gay bathhouse, and these days original art and song lyrics are hand-painted on walls, and the rock-star vibe extends to rooms, which are each decorated in honor of a musician who has played at the Crystal, including James Brown, Patti Smith, and Portland's very own Decemberists. Reserving a room, in fact, affords ticket availability to sold-out shows at the Crystal Ballroom.

A 20-story stone-and-brick property, this hotel is centrally positioned near plenty of great restaurants and key attractions, and it's just a 10-minute walk from the Pearl District. The "plus" rooms have everything you'd expect of a Marriott property geared toward business travelers, including large work desks, voice mail, inroom coffeemakers, and onsite fitness and business centers. The MAX light rail is two blocks away.

The large rooms at this 16-floor, business traveler–focused Marriott are decorated in off-whites and tans; the best ones are on the upper floors face east, taking in sweeping views of the Willamette River, Hawthorne Bridge, and—on clear days—Mt. Hood. Rooms have well-designed work spaces, local artwork, and updated bathrooms. Truss Lounge & Bistro in the lobby serves breakfast in the morning and drinks and light food later.

This contemporary all-suites hotel in the modern, mixed-use RiverPlace neighborhood is one of the few Portland lodgings right on the Willamette River. Set in the southern edge of downtown, this midrise hotel is in a refreshingly uncrowded area but a little far on foot from downtown's prime cultural and dining neighborhoods. It's a favorite of extended-stay visitors, as all rooms have full kitchens and many have more than one bedroom. There's a well-equipped fitness center and an indoor pool, and rates include a full breakfast along with evening socials with free appetizers and drinks.

This pale-stone, upscale hotel combines luxury with convenience, with Pioneer Square and the MAX just two blocks away, and West End and Pearl District dining within a 10-minute walk. The stylish rooms, decorated in warm earth tones, include entertainment-center armoires, work desks, plush beds covered with layers of down, and granite bathrooms with separate showers and tubs; in-room spa treatments can be arranged. The curated art collection in the common areas includes a signed etching by Picasso (look by the elevators).