6/10 Rating
Does not live up to a boutique hotel
I’ll start out by saying I’ve loved my experiences staying at other ACE hotels in New Orleans and Palm Springs. Huge pluses for me have been the unique experience of a reliable quality boutique hotel located conveniently within trendy areas when traveling for pleasure, with decent pricing an added plus when booked with a special in advance. For context, the ACE in New Orleans had multiple bars with happy hour reduced price craft cocktails and live entertainment on weekends in addition to a pool, record player in the rooms, etc. Really unique.
I wanted to embrace the more quirky, off beat vibe of this Portland hotel conveniently located within walking distance to all downtown attractions. I loved that my favorite coffee shop, Stumptown, was attached to the hotel. The lobby was laid back and cosy, and the loft perfect for playing board games. That being said, the room itself was so small the 2nd person couldn’t walk around to get into bed. It had an awful musty smell and was pretty run down, apparent this had been a boarding house previously. The view from the window was a cinder block wall and very dismal. Very little ambience in the room itself, though we did enjoy the supremely comfy bed, down comforter, and Portland-esque wool blanket. The straw style rug had stains on it and was in need of replacing. However, the Rudy’s soaps and toiletries were bomb, as was the old fashioned tub/shower combo. Towels were nice and fresh.
The included light breakfast in a somewhat depressing looking upstairs room was interesting- tasty pastry, but empty coffee with no one to refill it around. But I won’t complain about anything that’s labeled as “free”.
On checkout, I was disappointed to see that in addition to a ton of taxes and fees I was charged a $25/day “resort fee”. For what? When I inquired about beer/wine I was able to purchase a $12 canned cocktail from the front desk, and when I asked for a glass, was told I could go retrieve one from the 2nd floor breakfast room. We also were told that we could “request room services if desired. Certainly not what I expect from the level of service that comes along with paying to stay at a boutique hotel. The staff over the phone pleasantly agreed to refund the “resort fee” for my stay given the above, which is adequate.
Bottom line: not a boutique hotel. It’s quirky and fun, and moderately priced. Amenities are absent. Enjoyed our stay but likely wouldn’t go back.