Fodor's Expert Review McMenamins Crystal Hotel

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.