Fireside Inn & Suites Portland — Hotel in Portland

I bet it was a sight to see, my friends and I struggling to not fall over and not tumble down the stairs, we were 100 % clean and SOBER but we were laughing so incredibly hard we at times could barely stand up. I havent had such intense numerous belly laughs in years. Laughter is a life saver! I hadn't been sure if I should stay overnight since I live within driving distance but I am so glad I stayed I had such an amazing FUN night. I do wish the pool/Jacuzzi's were opened all night or at least till midnight because by the time the convention came to a close for the night the pool was closed and Jacuzzi closing in minutes. I didn't get to go swimming and that was bummer but I did have the best night I have had in years. I havent laughed so hard all day and night either. The company I was surrounded by had mostly to do with all this but the hotel staff was wonderful and put up with all of us deactivating our room swipe keys because you can't have them near a cell phone, we were warned to keep room swipe key in a safe place with you but becareful get it too close to a cell phone and it can deactivate the room key. I found this to be more difficult then I ever expected. The woman working was fabulous and never scolded us for being ding-dongs, she always smiled and made our keys work again! I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the courtyard is, too bad it is the middle of February in Maine but it was really nice almost 50 degrees that day and even middle of the night it was pleasantly warm outside compared to rest of the week. Its not the hotels fault but I did wish the outdoor pool was opened and could be one of those heated outdoor pools like the North Conway Hotel has, that would have made this place the bomb! I don't know how many did stay at the hotel but I know Saturday eve there was over 100 people at the event and we were all CLEAN AND SOBER no intoxicated people but to see this many people have this much fun without using substances is pretty freaking cool! People seeing us would have no idea we were sober my friends and I had many moments where we were falling over unable to stand up because we were laughing so hard. Its just awesome that we can have that much fun and not even need alcohol or drugs! THANK YOU SO much to all the hotel workers who put up with our laughter and silliness and for being so welcoming to a large group of recovering people! Bet most of us had been kicked out of many hotels/motels back in our using days! Today I am proud to say I am in recovery and I am a contributing member of society who is welcome to stay over night at places again! Thanks again for having us this...

Sadly more cons than pros.

Starting with the pros - very pet friendly and accommodating staff. Decent breakfast. Very friendly staff. Lots of amenities, but that is also a double edged sword. Each room has a microwave, coffee pot and fridge. Across the street - Dunkin’ Donuts, Kohls, Shaws and The Animal House (pet supplies). And more food options right near by. So many food options!

Cons - rooms so NOT clean. Very dirty, musty, damp, with bugs / spiders / mosquitoes/ gnats. Bathroom has zero ventilation, the vent was broken. So the whole 5 days we were there it smelled like a camp site and it was always sort of “damp and musty”. We rented 2 adjoining rooms for my young teens and us. Woke up the next morning to find a wrapped un-used condom on the floor by their pillow. Makes me wonder if the beds were ever changed. The tile floors were very sticky. Seems like they were not using clean water to actually clean the rooms. Complained the front desk and they sent cleaning staff over to clean the room again, made no difference. The floors reminded me of the tables at IHOP. You wonder if they clean off the tables with syrup? Same for the floors. Sticky and constantly damp. We were sliding all over the place. I had the kids keep their shoes on when walking around. Carpet was also musty smelling and I don’t dare wonder how clean. We had to get fresh towels daily because they were not able to dry out and were constantly wet and smelly. They have a pool / saunas / gym / hot tub. The pool / hot tub was very over chemically treated and all 4 of us had an intense reaction to it within minutes. Coughing, wheezing, eyes burning, nose and throat burning. And we didn’t even get a toe inside the hot tub. Filters in the pool didn’t seem to work as there were clumps of people’s hair and debris floating about. We didn’t use it after that. The sauna in theory is nice, if you can overlook the engraved etchings all over the cedar wood make it look and feel very ratty benches from high school and far from luxurious.

We let the staff know about these only to be told “we will have someone take a look at it”. We were trying to keep others safe.

Room keys kept deactivating constantly during our stay resulting in our 12 year old son and puppy being locked out of the hotel side entrance for 20 mins on a 90 degree day. We had to get the keys reactivated 4 days out of our 5 day stay.

Truly the only plus here was the pet and human friendliness of the place and they gave food bowls for the animals for our stay.

Next time we are back, we won’t be staying here again. Very...

Let me start off by saying what I wish I had seen in a review before booking: this is NOT the Ritz Carlton… and you shouldn’t expect that. BUT- I just wrapped up a two night stay and wholeheartedly recommend this quirky, but sweet hotel.

When we arrived, we were a little unsure. This was our first trip to Maine and we booked online. The outside is a little dated, and the lobby decor is as well. Our pause at the cosmetics of the place was quickly forgotten when we spoke with the desk clerks. We arrived super early, but they allowed us to hang out at the pool while waiting and brought our keys out as soon as our room was ready. Throughout our stay, they were kind, helpful, and gave us great recommendations and directions when we asked.

Speaking of the pool, we were so impressed by the spacious courtyard, large (clean) outdoor pool, and beautiful landscaping. It’s been a while since we’ve stayed at an older hotel and this one area of the Fireside Inn inspired feelings of nostalgia. While the hotel also has an indoor pool (like all of the big name brand hotels do), why would you even want to sit in a stuffy glass room when you could enjoy beautiful Maine summer afternoons in such a peaceful setting?

Our two rooms were clean and very spacious. When booking, I’d recommend requesting a room with a courtyard view. We had one courtyard room and one lot-facing room and there were definitely two distinct vibes. (You want the former.) I’d recommend bringing your own bath soaps & shampoos.

Breakfast was available, but nothing to write home about. We appreciated the variety of granola and oat bars; the muffins and biscuits were not the best but honestly- have you ever really had a great hotel breakfast? The coffee was good, and that’s probably the most important part. There are plenty of great places to eat in Portland, so I’d recommend getting a snack at the hotel then hitting the town.

The only thing really off-putting about the place was the price, BUT the weekend we stayed, this was one of the cheapest options around. We all agreed we are glad we paid in the $300 range for the Fireside Inn rather than in the $400-500 range for the chain hotels. We loved how spread out the property was, we were grateful for the staff, and we loved the old school charm...