Aloft Portland Airport at Cascade Station — Hotel in Portland

Aloft Cascade Station is in a good location and is very close to the airport and shopping with easy access to I-205, SR14, and I-5. Parking is a little tight for larger vehicles and is reasonably priced at $12/day, though across the bridge parking is free in Vancouver, WA.||Stepping into the lobby you are greeted with a modern vibe. The lounge looks very comfy, the bar is well stocked, there are lots of snacks you can purchase (though $4 for a smaller water is a bit much). There are flight schedules posted near the elevators. I will say that the lobby has a bit of a stale smell to it. Check in was quick and we went up to our room.||The hallways are really narrow, my husband and I aren't able to walk side by side without touching one another or the walls. This isnt an issue but is very noticable. Furthermore, we noticed that our hallways had a very large cobweb on the ceiling that has clearly been there for some time so we were concerned about cleanliness.||The room itself has a pretty heavy/stiff door that takes significant effort to open. Right behind the door we saw that the wallpaper was bubbled up as if there was water damage behind it. The room smelled like a box of crayons which I didn't love but was fine. The first thing I do is always check the mattress for pests. There were none to be found but I also found that the mattress was missing the casing for the pillow top. The sheets were clean without any stains or other issues. I personally think the bed is far too hard, however, I have a purple premier hybrid plush mattress at home so I'm very spoiled. There is a build up of dust between the mattress and the bedside table which is a shame because it is very easy to clean.||In the room there are no drawers of any sort, everything is open. I'm not sure if the room we had was an accessible room or what but the bathroom counter and toilet were quite low but there is no way for someone to get into the shower if they have mobility issues. The sinks are bowl style sinks and the faucets are a little too high and powerful so you can easily splash yourself. The water also gets boiling hot very quickly. I burned my hands washing them and my husband burned himself in the shower. There is a barn door for the bathroom which I hate with a passion. They are heavy and have pocket door handles so they are very hard to close. When you do close them they don't seal anything in so anyone in the room can hear and scent anything going on in the bathroom. There is also a single, dim light in the shower. Overall it is just poorly designed.||The rooms ac unit is a beast. I had the option to turn it down I to the 50s! I did not do that but I was impressed it was even an option.||The TV interface is laggy and irritating but that is a small issue. The blackout shades work but there are gaps along the sides that let the light in.||We didn't try the gym or the pool and cannot comment on those.||Overall, Aloft is serviceable. I think they try to hard to be trendy rather than comfortable. I would stay again if I couldn't find...

Traveling for the first time in awhile since COVID hit to take the family on a short vacation. Choose this Aloft as I regularly stayed at Marriott properties before things shut down and had very good prior experiences, and this one was close to some friends of ours. This stay, however, was mixed.

First, pros: The reason I ended up choosing this particular property was that their pool was open, something my kids enjoy. Had to pay about 50 more a night compared to similar hotels in the area for that luxury but figured it would be worth it. That it was even open was a pro, but the pool itself was very warm and the kids had fun in it.

In addition, the lobby was very nice and had a number of amenities... but the one that looked the most intriguing, the bar, was out of the question as I was on Dad Duty.

The room itself was mostly spacious (more on that in a sec) and very clean and comfortable.

In addition, there are numerous shops and restaurants in walking distance which made for some nice outings.

Cons: Staff was hit or miss when it came to friendliness. But everyone is stressed with COVID so tried to give folks the benefit of the doubt. But was really concerned to see some hotel cleaning staff not wearing masks, even while in the elevator with guests. Regardless of your take on masks, if guests have to wear them, staff should have to as well.

Next was just some basic in-room amenities like a clothes line in the bathroom or laundry bags. Normally not a huge deal, but with kids those things become a bit more missed.

The bathroom was very large and open except for the toilet area and shower, which were exceptionally tiny. The shower was small enough that it actually felt a bit claustrophobic.

Another real disappointment was the house cleaning schedule, which only occurred every three days (or so I was informed). Again, for a business traveler, maybe not the biggest deal, but definitely something you want to happen more frequently when staying with a family.

The in-room AC was also problematic. No in-room thermostat; rather, an ac/heater wall unit with the thermostat on it. The device would let the room get very warm, then kick in until the place was freezing, then would shut off again until hot... rinse and repeat.

Finally, the airplanes were LOUD. I am no stranger to staying at hotels near airports, including many in the vicinity of this property. But while they normally don't bother me, the sound proofing was very poor so I woke up multiple times to planes landing.

Ultimately, having stayed at other nearby properties that were less expensive than this, I would likely not come back...

Stayed here for two nights while escaping real estate showings of our home. the room and facilities were excellent. housekeeping was friendly.

the trouble was that the service in the bar/restaurant was terrible. the first night we were not greeted for over 10 minutes and had to go looking for our own menu. the guitarist prompted us to move to a better table at which point we got better service from the waiter - but he never asked us if we wanted anything else and we had to go looking for our bill when we were ready to leave. while we were there the entertainer made comments at a female guest to the audience on the microphone that he would ask her out if she wasn't married - which was totally offensive.

the next night we had a $5 coupon for the bar as an incentive from the hotel. there are a gizzilion better restaurants in portland where we could have eaten. the waiter took our drinks but when he brought them he didn't bother to ask if we were ready to order food.

many minutes later I resorted to I making eye contact and waved at one waiter only to have him turn away and go into the kitchen. I had to go order at the bar and when the food finally arrived the order did not arrive as I requested. I couldn't remedy my order because no one bothered to ask how things were...

by the time the food arrived our drinks were low but the waiter just plopped down the food, walked away and did not ask if we wanted more to drink... not even water. about a 1/2 hour later when I finally caught the eye of the bartender and waved at the bartender he called out at me from the bar 20 feet away instead of coming over. by the time I got my second beer my food was cold. also, the pizza was terrible. cost $10 for what could be a $2 frozen pie.

I noticed that even a large party of 15+ people was left to order drinks at the bar while the staff chatted aimlessly behind the counter. before long this large party dwindled away. I even saw staff try sips of liqueur as my drink sat empty! many tables had empty drinks. It really seemed like the goal of the staff was to never leave the bar - yet this is a place that has table service.

This place could sell a lot of food/drinks if only someone would ask! In my experience this is a problem not necessary with staff but with poor management and training. It is unfortunate that the hotel is so nice, yet has such bad service that makes it feel like a two-bit place by the airport. It could be a great party spot for locals and travelers alike, if only the bar/restaurant staff acted like they wanted the guests...