Heathman Hotel

convenient. I went for business and my employer paid for it. I asked them to rebook this Hotel in future visits.

a great experience with some small caveats. These are our pros and cons. PROS: 1) beautiful old building with a gorgeous library / lobby with a fire place, ample table and couch seating and several work stations with outlets and desk lamps - we spent a lot of time reading in the library and I did some work one morning - lots of artwork everywhere, also in the room 2) free coffee (only regular, no decaf) is served here from 6 - 9 am every morning 3) rooms are tastefully decorated and we had a split bath (shower / toilet / sink on one side - 2nd sink on the other side) 4) real ceramic mugs and glass in the room and a French press to make coffee - nice idea but terribly unpractical 5) location is central and safe, we walked to many places like Powell's Books, several restaurants, the water front, and there is also a Safeway in walking distance CONS 1) We were charged a $29 / day "activity fee" which frankly just included very basic "normal" hotel services like internet (very slow / didn't work in our room), fitness center (very small but nicely facing a tree lined side street), coffee (nothing special) 2) No smart TV => no access from room TV to Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. 3) Front desk staff was mixed in terms of welcoming vibes

amount to a 50 - 60% surcharge on your room)

a great experience with some small caveats. These are our pros and cons. PROS: 1) beautiful old building with a gorgeous library / lobby with a fire place, ample table and couch seating and several work stations with outlets and desk lamps - we spent a lot of time reading in the library and I did some work one morning - lots of artwork everywhere, also in the room 2) free coffee (only regular, no decaf) is served here from 6 - 9 am every morning 3) rooms are tastefully decorated and we had a split bath (shower / toilet / sink on one side - 2nd sink on the other side) 4) real ceramic mugs and glass in the room and a French press to make coffee - nice idea but terribly unpractical 5) location is central and safe, we walked to many places like Powell's Books, several restaurants, the water front, and there is also a Safeway in walking distance CONS 1) We were charged a $29 / day "activity fee" which frankly just included very basic "normal" hotel services like internet (very slow / didn't work in our room), fitness center (very small but nicely facing a tree lined side street), coffee (nothing special) 2) No smart TV => no access from room TV to Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. 3) Front desk staff was mixed in terms of welcoming vibes

lying across the country, literally from the east coast, and getting in at 3am EST, I really wanted to sleep in. I wasn’t able to though because the sun blasted me right in the face at the crack of dawn. The curtains have a huge gap between the end of the rod and the wall, so it’s not possible to close them all the way. Additionally, the televisions are old. It’s 2024 and this hotel is marketed as a “luxury” hotel. I at least expected a smart tv. They’re cheap these days, so it was surprising that the technology was so outdated. The shower had a nice clean shower head, but the water pressure was poor. The most frustrating thing was the “amenity fee” … we paid $67 for amenities that we didn’t even use. Amenities like the fitness center which I didn’t use, coffee that I didn’t drink (I hate coffee), bike rentals that I didn’t use, in room pet treats that I didn’t need because I didn’t have a pet with me, access to the library that I didn’t use, 10% off the Tavern Restaurant that I didn’t eat at and wifi which I also didn’t use. Seemed odd to be “nickeled and dimed” for a list of things that I didn’t need. Was honestly disappointing. Some of these amenities were listed as “complementary” despite the fact that guests are forced to pay for them. It’s not complementary if I have to purchase it. The staff honestly was extremely nice. If I could have actually slept and wasn’t charged for a bunch of stuff I didn’t use, I’d probably return. Everything else was fine.

hort, I would recommend staying at the Governor (now the Sentinel) or the Benson over the Heathman. 1. The bed was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on. I don't really like hard mattresses but I can usually deal. This was the flattest, hardest mattress in the world. I've slept in Holiday Inn Express beds that were more comfortable. 2. The room really wasn't that nice for the price. It was small, the chaise was cute but not really practical to sit on. There were chunks in the wall where they hadn't bothered to fill in holes after they moved the toilet roll. The furniture had bent legs in some places. So my luggage slipped right off, that was fun. 3. The mini bar wasn't fully stocked. Which was kind of fine until I found out that the way they charge for the mini bar was housekeeping counting the items after check out. The person at checkout didn't really seem to understand why I was so annoyed. (I barely slept in an overpriced shabby room to start.) I mean sure, it's not going to break the bank but I'd rather not get charged for things we didn't eat or drink after someone didn't stock completely. It's worth noting, we didn't even check in early or on time. We were like 40 minutes late. 4. How THE HELL are you supposed to order room service? Instead of a useful little book of things you can do, like how to order in room service from the hotel restaurant/bar, there was a book on plants and and a Portland magazine. The Portland magazine may have been useful but um, literally where was anything relevant to the hotel services and its 4 stars? Oh and a list of food carts that were probably closed. I scanned the QR code by the TV and it popped up with the menu from the restaurant and a pop up that asked me to "book now" for either the hotel or restaurant. The menu wasn't formatted for mobile. It wasn't easy to make restaurant reservations. 5. The TV was old so if you wanted something in the background you were stuck with basic, basic cable or an HDMI cable to use the TV as a monitor. You couldn't sign into Hulu, you couldn't cast to it with other Samsung devices or Windows... The pros: 1. Ok pillows 2. Location 3. Nice check in staff 4. Very good soundproofing All of this was highly disappointing for what's supposedly one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels in Portland. I had to travel to Eagle, Idaho last year for work and I stayed in a Hilton Garden Inn and it was better in every single way. Actually in comparison to every single room I've stayed in over the last couple years for work travel or leisure trips - this was the worst of them. I'm staying at the Atomic hotel in Astoria next month - I'll bet it's better. Overall I was just really disappointed. It seems like it's coasting off its reputation and location. Any attention to detail in the rooms and service has been totally lost. If you want some old Portland charm - definitely choose the Sentinel or the Benson.

he stay) so I should have gotten about $480 back, and I've seen none of it. In fact, I'm almost positive I got charged ON TOP of what was taken out for the room. I called and they said they would get back to me so now I have to chase them and make them believe me that they never refunded me. One of the guys at the front desk was unnecessarily snarky and rude. Idgaf that the author of the bad 50 Shades book signed a copy. No one seemed to care about the library at all although I spent a lot of time in it. So if you stay here, please proceed with caution because I am still chasing them about my money back. This was my honeymoon btw (October 2023). Edit (January 2024): I'm editing this because the General Manager responded. I have called multiple times and been transferred to the fiance department just to be taken straight to voicemail (almost always during business hours). They will either say they'll get back to you or you will be sent straight to voicemail after being transferred. Because Laura responded to this review, despite me already not hesitating to reach out several times, I figured I would ask if I could be transferred to her. The poor guy who answered the phone informed me that she doesn't have a phone in her office, so I would have to instead email her. Who knows when she'll eventually get back to me, but I made sure to get all of my receipts that I was not given back my money and also charged on top of that along with my original booking confirmation email.

was charged for my room twice plus a $100 security deposit + resort fee. I had a ticket to see a show at Newmark, and I was coming back to PDX from a trip. I booked a last minute room so I could quickly check in and go to the show. I paid for the room through Expedia. When I got to the hotel, I was in such a rush. I gave the front desk gal my credit card I used to book the room. There was enough on the card to cover the resort fee and incidentals. She told me my card was declined. I was so embarrassed but I was in a huge hurry so I gave her my debit card and then ran to the show. Later I realized she charged me the cost of the room, security and resort fee. I brought this up two separate times to the front desk and they never apologized or explained why this happened. They just said I would EVENTUALLY be refunded. It was a debit card. That is cash that is being held pending for something I already paid for and they can't tell me for how long. When I got back from the show my key card didn't work in the elevator and another guest told me she wouldn't get in iif my card didn't work. Again, super embarrassing. The room was ok. I didn't stay but 10 hours tops in it so I can't really give it a good review. The shampoo in the shower was weird and I thought it was pretty silly to charge for coffee to use in your room. Again, I am from Portland and I have stayed here several times over the years. I travel a lot and I have never been treated so bizarrely. I won't be recommending The Heathman to friend and family again. Let's see how long it will take to get my money back.