Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Astoria

There are a couple of bright spots for the Cannery Pier Hotel, and the biggest one is location. It is very hard to beat the views of the Columbia River that the Canner Pier offers, they are breathtaking and gorgeous. Outside of that I would say we would have been just as happy enjoying the views at the neighboring hotel. The rooms are big and spacious and recently updated to more modern taste, decor is subjective, but I found the old setup to be more timeless and this current design to be trendy--although already somewhat outdated. The sink is a big slab of granite that is almost impossible to wash your hands in it was so shallow. To accommodate new fancy showerhead that can do wand, showerhead, and pillar style showering you lost 3-4 inches of shower real estate making the shower a little cramped. The entire hotel was infested with spiders, everywhere we went we saw spiders and woke up each morning with a new spider bite. I do understand that it's September and spiders are trying to get indoors but there is clearly no mitigation steps being taken to prevent or reduce. Each door is equipped with a door closer, but maintenance apparently doesn't know how to adjust sway or lock settings on them as each and every door in the hotel slammed closed. Very disturbing at early mornings or late nights. We were both very sad to find out that the hotel had employed a new classic car driver, the newer individual was fine but not a replacement for the old gentleman that used to drive and provide a historical lesson on the city. The new driver, unprompted, made a couple of political statements that we found to be inappropriate as well as unwarranted. Regardless of political stance, this was not the time or the place. He also repeatedly was late I would call and request a pickup and the first time he stated he was 8 minutes away. So we wrapped up dinner and went and stood on the curb, after 30 minutes I called him again and he said he was 5 minutes away, 10 minutes after that he showed up. We stood on the curb for 40 minutes waiting for our ride. The next night I called and requested a ride back to the hotel and he stated he was 2 minutes away. We frantically wrapped up dinner and hurried our waitress with the bill to not delay the driver. We stood on the curb for 20 minutes waiting. Very disappointing not an apology or even an acknowledgment that he was delayed. I do understand that the driver should add a buffer to ensure the car is not idle, but this was egregious. However, the biggest let down for us was the hospitality, it seems to be not existent in training or enate ability to provide hospitality. The front desk didn't greet us when we walked in any of the time. One of the bartenders didn't know how to make the drinks on the menu and were frantically reading the recipe, even though we ordered the same drink each night. The bartender also didn't have a knowledge of what was stocked in the cabinet or the fridge. That being said, Natalie at the bar was fantastic and had great customer service but her partners did not. They asked me if I wanted spiced rum or white and I asked for spiced, 2 minutes later they let me know they did not have any spiced rum. I was fine with it, but would have preferred to never have been offered a choice. A similar instance happened with a bottle of white wine. The bar tenders never introduced themselves to us and the name tags are to small to read. We did enjoy the morning breakfast offering but the chef making the omelettes seemed very disinterested in the activity they were tasked with doing. She asked that we write our request on a paper with our room number. What's the point in cooking in-front of your guests if there is no interaction. One morning I went to get a coffee and the carafe was empty, I found the taller guy that seemingly was walking around and clearing tables and doing general pickup and re-fill. I let him know that the coffee was empty, their only response was "'kay". After this most recent experience I cannot see us booking at the...

We have stayed at the Cannery twice now and love it. Of course, the views are spectacular, but there's so much more to love.

THE LOCATION Located right on the famous river walk, the Cannery is a great place to stay if you want to get your steps in and enjoy waterfront strolls. The hotel has its own parking lot on the pier, parking is included in the room rate. EV drivers will be pleased to know there is also a ChargePoint station. The site is located on the western end of downtown Astoria, with a good restaurant (bridgewater bistro) just beyond the property. There is a large grassy area for pets to do their business and a pet waste station complete with bags & a trash bin as well.

THE ROOMS Each of the Cannery's rooms have the coziest touches, like the window nook complete with binoculars to watch the big ships go by (I love that they print out a schedule to include with the ships names, lengths, and destinations), the electric fireplace, the warm Pendleton wool throw blanket, the gigantic bathtub and the included bath salts, the in-room coffee & tea, and the extra amenities if you're bringing your furry child with you, too (Pendleton dog bed, stainless steel dog bowls, bandannas, and waste bags).

THE FOOD & DRINK They recently added an omelette station to their complimentary breakfast offering, as well as a charcuterie board with their nightly wine happy hour. Don't miss the 7pm cookies, either! The self-service coffee bar is open all hours with tea (locally sourced as a collab with Pat's Pantry), drip coffee/decaf, and an automated espresso machine. There is a water bottle filling station on the first floor next to the ice machine. So happy with all the sustainable touches!

THE SPA During our first stay, I booked a massage at the spa on the first floor. My experience was average -- definitely not the best massage I've ever had but far from the worst. I did the CBD add-on. They also sell Aveda beauty products and swimsuits on site if you're in need of either of those. There is also a hot tub and sauna that are both complimentary for hotel guest usage -- we haven't used either yet. There is a fitness center tucked away on the second(?) floor somewhere that we didn't use.

THE TRANSPORTATION Perhaps the most extra of complimentary services offered at this hotel is the fancy vintage car service that will take guests into downtown Astoria to shop and dine in the evenings. We used this on our first trip and enjoyed a comfortable classic ride to dinner at Fort George. Bring cash to tip your driver!! In the daytime, you can get around for free using the Cannery's single speed cruiser-style bicycles. We haven't taken advantage of these yet, but there's a lovely trail called the river walk that would be perfect for taking them out for a spin into town (I recommend filling up the bike basket with goodies from Short Wave and Shift + Wheeler).

Make sure you bring cash to handsomely tip the staff that are providing all of these lovely extras that make a stay at the Cannery truly memorable. We can't wait to...

There probably are not too many hotels like the Cannery Pier, as it literally is located on a pier jutting out into the Columbia River. The rooms have large windows from which you can see the ships pass by and hear the sea birds and water lapping. It is tempting to abandon your plans for the day and just relax on the couch in the room, fireplace lit, and read a book and let the day pass. It is that relaxing. If available, I would recommend upgrading to one of their suites, as they are located at the end of the hotel with somewhat better views from a separate living room. And don’t overlook the binoculars in each room if you want a better look at something passing by.

The beds are comfortable, the rooms are quiet and the hotel was renovated recently enough to have a contemporary feel inside. In the lobby they have a full service bar with a modest but satisfying selection of food choices. The room includes a $25 daily credit for the bar in lieu of the wine social that used to be on offer—I prefer this as it gives more flexibility to use it around your other plans. The bar is open till 9pm.

The staff is very friendly and seem to remember everyone’s name and details. We had a flight problem so we’re going to arrive too late for our first night’s reservation, and they simply cancelled that night via text at the last minute without any fuss (and even greeted us the next day with apparent relief that we’d made it okay, remembering we’d flown across the country). It is exactly what you’d want in a smaller boutique hotel, personalized service without having to forego hotel amenities.

As for the extras, there is a small spa on-site, but I can’t review it as we didn’t use it. They offer complimentary rides around town into dinner in the evening in a classic Rolls Royce, which is pretty great. The included breakfast is nothing extraordinary, but does include omelettes made to order which were tasty.

Of course all these benefits come at a cost—it’s not cheap, and one could gripe that it’s located outside the heart of town farther up the waterfront from most of the shopping and restaurants (but an easy walk or ride on the waterfront tram, less than a mile). But all in all, Cannery Pier is a destination hotel for a reason. If you are visiting Astoria and have the means, I don’t think there’s a better hotel in town and there probably isn’t another hotel anywhere that offers the views and...