Driftwood Room — Restaurant in Portland

I am absolutely appalled by the way I was treated at this hotel bar named Driftwood Room. As a paying guest, I walked into the dimly lit, beautifully designed space and simply took a five-second video panning around the room while standing at the bar, appreciating the ambiance. The video was wide, dark, and completely impersonal, not focused on anyone whatsoever. Yet, within moments, a heavyset gentleman in his mid-30s with short hair, dark scruff, and an attitude problem barked at me, “Sorry you cant film people that’s a violation of their privacy and against the law. You need two-party consent. You need to put your phone away.” His tone was rude, condescending, and completely out of line, as if I were committing a crime instead of just appreciating the space.

When I went to the front desk to clarify, I was equally shocked to hear them double down on this nonsense, incorrectly telling me that it’s “illegal” in Oregon to take a simple video in a public space. News flash: that’s not the law. Oregon’s two-party consent rule applies to audio recordings of private conversations, not a silent, wide-angle video in a hotel bar. The sheer ignorance and arrogance displayed by both the staff at the bar and the front desk is staggering.

This experience left me feeling completely disrespected as a guest. Instead of welcoming someone who was simply admiring the space, they chose to lecture me with false legal claims and treat me like some kind of offender. It’s absurd that a hotel of this caliber employs staff who don’t even understand basic laws but feel emboldened to police their own guests with misinformation and attitude. If management actually cares about hospitality, they need to retrain their employees—or at the very least, teach them how to speak to guests with basic human decency.

Avoid this place unless you enjoy being talked down to, falsely accused, and treated like a problem for appreciating your surroundings.

I am attaching the video that I took to this review so those reading this review can judge the circumstances for themselves. I had walked into the bar maybe 30 seconds earlier, and simply took this video as I was waiting for...

We were very excited about this place because of the great outside seating and great menu. We ordered the salmon with beef barley soup. The soup came out and half way through we noticed there was a maggot in our soup. We even took a picture. We signaled the manager and he was not apologetic at all. We were completely dismissed and not reassured about the food we were about to eat. We decided to stay and enjoy the night hoping the rest of the meal would be nice. Our food was late and we did not finish the food because of the maggot. We assumed the meal would be taken care of or at least a few items taken off. Only the coffee was taken off the tab (a whole $8) and absolutely no apology from the manager still. We decided to pay and still leave a 30% tip...(We work in the service industry so we understand things happen). But what should not have happened was that manager made us feel horrible. The food was great so this review is NOT on the food. The service was great as well. Our server was very personable. This review is because of the poor management. We decided to pull the manager aside and just simply explain that the situation wasn't handled in the way it should have been handled. He was once again not apologetic. He brushed it off and said it must have fallen into our soup from the trees outside. We told him we worked in the industry and to please handle the situation better in the future for the restaurants sake. We left completely shocked that we spent $100 for food we did not finish and no apology from...

This place was an unexpected surprise. I went in looking for a nightcap and a nosh after a nearby show.

Access to the building seemed like so many of Portland's ADA "compliance afterthoughts": inordinately cumbersome and discouraging.

Once my partner and I were able to get a staff member's attention, we were escorted to the basement, guided to an elevator that opened one floor up into the lobby and directed to the Driftwood Room.

The menu was no surprise for a hotel bar. The diminutive panini was delicious, the warm and savory side salad was equally satisfying. With a cocktail and a glass of wine, the tab came to $40.

Even on my modest income, I managed to leave a modest tip. There is never a good reason to stiff a server because I think what I ordered costs more than I'd like to pay.

Our server was helpful, prompt and kind. And kindness matters. Our particular table was about the size of the a folding chair seat. We were there to celebrate a small; significant victory.

With a walker in tow, what was obviously cramped became quaint, cozy. Dim lighting and an R&B play list helped to make the evening special.

It's doubtful the Driftwood will ever become a welcoming space for anyone who relies upon the ADA to navigate the world.

It's highly unlikely we'll ever return. The place is designed for the able bodied. And it's not a sin to live a life that's unfettered by physical limitations.

Just don't continue to take something as simple as freedom of movement for granted. Enjoy the Driftwood. I...