Portland, Oregon, hotel: downtown or waterfront?
 

I'll be in Portland for a day and a half at the end of a Pacific Northwest trip in September, arriving Monday afternoon via Amtrak and flying out Wednesday morning.

I'm thinking about staying at the Marriott Waterfront because I'm a rewards member and it seems like a nice hotel and I would like to see the waterfront while I'm there.

But the things I want to see are all more toward downtown - Powell's Books, Voodoo Doughnuts, a show at Portland Center Stage Tuesday evening.

I'm the type of person who likes to be in the middle of things when I walk out of the hotel, near attractions, shops and restaurants. I'm likely to leave the hotel in the morning and not return until late evening.

I want a place where it's easy to return at night by public transportation and also take public transportation to the airport.

I'm willing to spend about $300 a night. I just want someplace that's nice and convenient since I'll be there for such a short time. I usually stay at chains but I don't mind a nice boutique hotel.

Should I stick with the Marriott Waterfront and just take public transportation or is there someplace more centrally located where I'd be happier?

Thanks.

You'd be better off downtown. I like those in the vicinity of Hilton, Paramount, Westin, Marriott City Center, Lucia, and Vintage. I believe they are all in your price range.

From these hotels you can walk to the waterfront, the places you name, the Pearl District, the museums, the Northwest District (centered at 23rd Ave and NW Lovejoy St), and more.

HTtY

Thanks so much! I'll look up those hotels.

Nice hotel, an easy walk downtown (12-15min?) and there is a trolley if you don't want to walk. Plenty to see and do right there at Waterfront Park, too.
From the airport you could take the Downtown Express ($14) directly to the hotel, or the Blue line from the airport to downtown, then a short connection to the hotel. The Express probably saves you 10 mins tops.

I would stay right in downtown vs the waterfront since you say you want to be in the thick of things. Even though we live here, we stay overnight on occasion and our go to hotel is the Monaco, which is a Kimpton property. Great location, great hotel, etc. There are so many great hotels right in this area though, so check them all out and see what fits your style.

I second the Monaco. They have bikes for borrow. I also like the Benson Hotel and the Crystal Hotel. Crystal is quirky, closest to Powells and has a soaking pool. Benson is higher end, like the Monaco, and has a great bar. All three are great locations for just walking around.

I've stayed at the Westin and liked it a lot. It's a smaller more intimate property than Westin's in major cities like LA, San Francisco, Seattle, etc. It was a short walk to Powell's and there was a huge selection of food trucks just a block away. We had great coffee around the corner at Public Domain as well.

I've been reading the Fodor's forums for years but never registered to ask a question before. I really appreciate the help. You've all given me lots of great options!

I also like the Westin - we spent 4 nights at there this past spring. We arrived at PDX late at night and easily took the MAX into downtown, arriving at the hotel at about 12:30 am. It's a short easy walk from the stop at Pioneer Square (about a block away) to the hotel.

Besides Voodoo, if you like donuts, try Blue Star. From the Westin there is a location a few blocks away on SW Washington. Really good donuts - we had to make a repeat trip after trying them the first time.

I ended up staying at the Westin and it was a perfect location for Powell's Voodoo Doughnuts, food trucks, Portland Center Stage. Thanks everyone for your help!

I also wrote up a trip report. I had a terrific time in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. It's such a beautiful part of North America.

Thanks for the update.

HTtY