Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown/RiverPlace — Hotel in Portland

We recently came to Portland for mom's surgery at OHSU. It was important for us to find a nice, comfortable hotel room that was also quiet for mom's recovery. We stayed on the 9th floor. Our room had a bed in a separate bedroom as well as a pull-out couch in the living area. We also had a small kitchen with a refrigerator. The beds were very comfortable and the bedding was very crisp and clean. The bathroom had a separate vanity area, which was great because you can get ready while someone else is showering. Our room was so clean it looked like a brand new room. We had a view of the water and could see the freeway (the hotel is very close to the freeway); however, our room was very quiet. The location is great. The hotel is right by the waterfront and a short walking distance from some really great waterfront restaurants, such as McCormick & Schmick's. You don't have to deal with the crazy hustle and bustle of Portland traffic because this hotel is not right downtown where it's super busy, but it is very close to all that action! You can take a walk along the waterfront and cut over a couple of blocks to get to the "hub bub" of downtown, or you can take the streetcar (there is a stop right outside the hotel). The hotel is also very close to OHSU, we were there in 10 minutes. Our room was super clean and housekeeping kept it that way the 3 nights we stayed there. Check-in was super easy, there are spots where you can park out front while you check in. Parking is expensive, $37.00 a night, but it's self-parking (which we preferred) and it's a secure lot. We parked on the upper floor and came directly into the hotel (card key access) without having to go all the way to the lobby level to catch the elevator to our floor. There is limited street parking out front, but there are restrictions on when you can park there. We knew that parking in Portland was expensive so we were prepared for the added cost. This is a great hotel and all of the staff that we encountered were wonderful. We would highly recommend it, and we will...

We arrived and got our room key. I went to park the car in the parking garage, however, my key did not work for that. I had to immediately get new keys.

The hallway to our room was very smelly. The carpet is extremely worn and did not look clean.

The breakfast is very scaled down. No hot food. There is fruit, some granola bars, yogurt, and hot coffee. Nothing else worth mentioning.

The studio space was nice enough and the couch was comfortable.

The television was hardly worth watching. Only very bare services. The channel guide was only static. We watched all of one show, but 5 minutes before the end it lost signal and that was that.

Two of us stayed, and truly, they only give you enough for 2 to eat at one time Two forks, 2 spoons, 2 knives, 2 bowls, 2 plates. No bowls to make a salad for two or put any type of dinner on before serving. No spatula. You have to wash everything after every meal, otherwise, you will have nothing to eat with. With the drought, it feel wrong to run a dishwasher with hardly anything in it, so we washed a lot by hand.

We had to figure the internet out on our own. Nothing in the room to tell you how to get it. My computer wouldn't even connect to it at first. (I used to work in technology, so I do know a thing or two.) I had to call the front desk to get the number to call support. They did fix it so I could stay logged in for the duration of our stay.

There is no washer or dryer in your room, so you must use the facilities on the 2nd floor. It only takes quarters, so I needed to get a roll of quarters from the front desk. It cost $7 for one load of laundry. One wash, and twice through the dryer. The $1 put in the laundry soap coin dispenser took $1 and dispensed nothing, so I needed to go to the front desk and ask for soap. The dryer took a full 1 1/2 hours to dry my clothes. And, really? Quarters? In 2021?

The bottom line is, when you ask for help or have any needs, the staff was there to provide it. However, what they give you without asking, is...

Having had a great experience here a couple of other times, I booked it with the hope that it would be perfect and memorable with two of my best friends for a "girl's getaway."

On a positive note . . . the staff was professional and nice. However, when I mentioned the discrepancies with our room, the desk clerk did not offer anything other than noting my comments.

Apparently the housekeeping staff never looked under the bed in one of our bedrooms to notice the flip flops that had been left. Housekeeping knocked at our door on the second day of our stay at about 6:30 p.m. to ask if we needed service. Thankfully we are able to understand broken English and declined being interrupted.

While we're happy that personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, and body was are offered in a dispenser in the shower, it was disappointing not to have hand cream available.

We wanted to order room service, but the wait to do so was much too long, especially considering it was a Monday. So, we went to the bar/restaurant. The lone bartender/server was overwhelmed to handle the crowd by himself. He was very nice and we appreciated his calm presence. Yet, it took an hour for us to receive our simple order of hummus with veggies and pita, and a couple of orders of sliders.

The breakfast buffet staff was very nice, though the offerings aren't what they used to be.

Considering the price per night, and the exorbitant parking fee, it isn't as great as it used to be. I've achieved Platinum Elite Status level by spending a LOT of money on Marriott. I'm sorry this hotel didn't entirely meet the standard I've come to expect.

The parking garage spaces are designed for compact cars. So, just a heads up in case you have a full size car!

Considering the fact that dependencies were brought to the attention of the desk clerk, who did nothing other than saying he would note them when we checked out, I'm sharing this review...