Portland vicinity hotels
 

I will be taking my daughter to see Reed College and Lewis & Clark College. We are looking for a hotel outside of downtown Portland that is safe and clean. We will visit downtown but trying to save money by staying closer to the colleges. Any recommendations?
thank you!

Check out this thread from last summer:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1

There really aren't many hotels close to the colleges. The hotels away from downtown where you'd stay probably won't be much closer than staying downtown. But if you want to stay away from downtown, you might stay at the western edge of Lake Oswego right off I-5 at 217/Kruse Way. There's a Crowne Plaza, a Residence Inn, a Hilton Garden Inn right at that interchange; hop on I-5 to get easily into downtown (except watch out for rush hour traffic) and not too far to the colleges. A very suburban-type atmosphere right around there.

If you really want to save money (even with the hotels mentioned above), use Priceline.com's "Name Your Own Price" service for hotels. You don't know the hotel name or location until your offer price is accepted and your credit card charged (and after that, no changes or refunds), but I've used it many times even in Portland and saved a ton of money for decent hotels.

If you do some research on sites like BiddingForTravel.com and BetterBidding.com, you can learn what kind of hotels you'd get in each zone if you bid. Start by finding the best available rates for your desired areas, then bidding a LOT less (maybe 1/2 price or even less) for that zone on Priceline. The sites mentioned above give you good feedback about past bids and successes so you aren't bidding blind.

There's also Hotwire.com which is like Priceline but they tell you the price (without identifying the hotel) and you say yes or no. Usually you can save more money with Priceline, but many people find Hotwire much easier to use.

I think the Silver Cloud Inn in NW Portland is fairly affordable and in a great location near many restaurants and shops.

Google for it and give them a call.

It should be cheaper than many of the downtown hotels.

Another one that I forgot to mention is the Days Inn on 6th and Clay. It is not fancy but it is clean and comfortable. A friend of mine stayed there so I saw the room.

In the same Kruse Way area that Andrew mentions, is also a Pheonix Inn. Several chain type restaurants nearby, as well as a Trader Joe's all within walking distance.

I live within a few minutes of this area, so have never stayed in these hotels so don't know the going rate. We have stayed in downtown several times though for events and always manage to get some good rates. Check the POVA website and call hotels directly. We have always gotten better rates by calling, but you never know. If you can stay downtown, it is much more interesting than the outskirts.

One place up in the NW section of town that tends to be less than other hotels is the Inn at Northrup Station.

I had a niece at Reed and a daughter at L&C, so have spent many nights in Portland hotels.

I used to only go for downtown hotels, as the neighborhood is so nice for walking/shopping/dining, and Kruse Way was so isolated.

NOw that Bridgeport Village is built though, I think that the Kruse hotels are okay for a Reed/L&C visit. You won't get a real feeling of being "in Portland", but at least there are lots of places to eat and shop when you aren't at the campuses.

Good point, Lucy. Bridgeport has some excellent shopping and there are a variety of restaurants.

I know the downtown Portland area is wonderful, that is the prime place to stay, so thank you for the suggestions there. I want to check out the other areas around, so I like the idea of the Bridgeport Village. Any or all hotels good around there?

Nothing really around Bridgeport within walking distance, so your best bet is probably one of the places just off I-5, with a Kruse Way, SW Meadows, or Bangy Rd address. Besides those already mentioned, there's also a Fairfield Inn. Anyone know/remember the name of the place on the NW corner at the Carmen Drive exit? It's across the road from the Chevron, Burgerville, and the Sherwood Inn & Suites, the one place you'd definitely want to avoid.

beachbum, you'll be happy to learn that the Sweetbriar Inn, the hotel to which you refer, has been torn down, and the land is being re-developed for another set of box stores. So far a Best Buy and a Petsmart are slated to go in.

I have never stayed at any of the other hotels on/near Kruse Way. My friend once stated at the Crowne Plaza. It's nice in that business hotel sort of way. I don't know how it compares to the neighboring properties, but they are chains. Check TripAdvisor for specific reviews.

No, that's not where I'm talking about, Andrew. The Nyberg Meadows (I think that's what it's called) development is south of the Carmen exit a couple miles. The hotel I'm thinking of is across the road - Upper Boones Ferry(?) - from the Burgerville; Hilton or Marriott, or something similar. I drive by every day, but don't pay attention to names. (:|

larosy, If you find prices at these places to be similar to downtown hotels, go downtown. Really! Most of the restaurants around here (my office is just off Kruse Way) are chain places, the likes of which can be found almost anywhere. And aside from Bridgeport, there really isn't much to do or see.

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Portland at Riverplace in August. The hotel is new. The location was ideal for sightseeing, but not the greatest for having many restaurants. A free shuttle to downtown is only steps away. We would stay here again.

The only issue we had with Portland was the homeless population.

They were everywhere and at times, it frightened our 11 year old son. The homeless population includes a great many teenagers and young adults. We ran into more than a few with obviously serious addictions.

http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/pd...wn-riverplace/