Downtown Value Inn — Hotel in Portland

First of all, the WORST customer service ever. The lady at the front desk, I believe her name was Molly, was extremely unprofessional and rude. I never saw her smile or say please/thank you a single time we encountered her presence. When we asked where to park, obviously because we have never been there before, she replied with disgust on her face and said "the parking garage". When we went to park in the parking garage we were very uninformed that there were only about 10-12 parking spaces available and if you have a truck you can forget about even renting a room here. The parking spaces barely fit our little Honda CRV. Sure, the room was cheap, although we ended up having to pay extra for more people to stay, but I would have definitely preferred paying extra for a place that is happy and inviting, not rude and unprofessional! The manager should really consider who he is hiring as his staff. When we went next door to the amazing restaurant (that isn't actually connected to the motel, they just share the same building) and talked to people over there, others said they have heard many complaints about the rude staff at this motel also. Seems to me that Molly doesn't belong in the customer service business.

Second, their WiFi is horrendous. Not a single time was I able to get onto the WiFi...so if you are dependent on needing or having WiFi, I do not recommend this place.

Lastly, the manager was even rude to us when we checked out of our room. He confronted us with a complaint letter stating that we were being loud and coming in and out of our hotel room non-stop all night, when not a single person confronted us at the time, and we only came back to our room once before heading out again...I understand if we were being loud, but there is a much more professional way to handle it then accusing us and not even politely asking us about it as we are checking out of the motel. The rooms are small, the bathrooms are too. Very cold, along with the rest of the building but ironically the lobby is very warm. There is only one entrance to the place, so maybe the manager should add a second entrance if being noisy is going to be an issue.

On a positive note, the location is good, being close to the MAX and buses but your whole room rumbles when the MAX goes by. In all honestly I would have preferred a worse location if it meant a better stay...

The best thing about the Downtown Value Inn (DVI) is its location in the heart of downtown Portland. It is a convenient distance from Tom McCall Waterfront Park, where I attend the Waterfront Blues Festival each July, It is next to Portland State University and within walking distance of the Portland State and the Old Town Saturday markets and numerous eateries. Second, the price is very reasonable in the context of Portland during vacation season. The elite hotels like the Marriott charge outrageous prices and even the mid range hostelries charge well over $100 per night (my rate through Hotels.com was slightly under $100, not including tax). The DVI is no frills and it has its flaws. In room amenities include a refrigerator and microwave but no coffee maker. My room (#33) had no place to hang clothes. Apparently, there used be a rack, but it was removed to accommodate a large flat screen TV (as an aside, there was a good mix of channels available). There is plenty of wall space available to install another rack. I had trouble connecting to the Internet; however, the desk clerk was very helpful in getting me connected and it functioned well thereafter. The bed was comfortable. While it took a long while for hot water to reach the shower, it did finally arrive. Parking is free and 1st come, 1st served, as there are not enough spaces for all the rooms. Most of the other hotels and motels either don't have parking or they charge for it. The only negative about the subterranean parking is that the spaces are very narrow and are bounded by wide concrete pillars, and it is very tricky maneuvering a vehicle into place. I was barely able to squeeze my mid size car into place without scraping against concrete. However, it was free and I walked everywhere during my 5 night stay (i.e., didn't have to go in and out and worry about not having a space).. So bottom line, DVI met my needs and I have already reserved a room...

Called an hour prior to arrival to confirm a room was available, being sure to confirm the price for a room with 2 seperate beds, as i did not wish to sleep next to my sister...||||Arrive and am given a key to a King bed room (very nice I might add). However, dissapointed I return to reception and refer to our prior phone conversation confirming the price and room that was agreed to on the phone. They try to deny that this was said (after telling me earlier that they can't remember my call?) to which my sister aids my case confirming what she heard on our phone call. ||||They then tell me that another room will cost $20 more, which i politely decline and refer again to our phone call. She then tells me that this room is not available - which makes no sense whatsoever, as she just offered me the exact room we agreed upon (2 queen beds) for an additional price? I raise this point to which a counter offer of $10 is made - which i find very unprofessional (haggling with customers about a previously agreed upon price?)||||Reluctant to argue further or search for another room I begrudgingly accept the additional fee, being sure to let them know that this will be published online. ||||Besides this - the room was OK (Aircon nice and cold) however the bathroom towel rack fell on the floor upon removing a towel? definitely needed fixing and was potentially dangerous, especially for a smaller child - Fix room 41 if you read this guys!||||All in all, I got a nice sleep in a decent bed, a good location, nice aircon, poor customer service and OK room. No wifi provided? not sure what happened there.||||||||TLDR: price provided via phone (1 hr prior) is changed upon checkin, haggled with for an extra $20 and told I should have booked in advance? Dodgy Bathroom Towel rack but nice cold aircon & bed...