The Royal Sonesta Portland Downtown

“Our stay”

Nadyah works in valet and security, she is the best and friendliest person to sit and chat with. She’s great with recommendations and is genuinely so helpful and so nice. We absolutely adored her. The staff here is also friendly, the room and hotel is very beautiful and unique.

“Comfortable and well-located”

My stay here was quite decent. I usually prefer more hotels with more modern decor, but my stay was very comfortable. The location was very central to everything I wanted to do in Portland. I didn't love the $35 resort fee, but it does seem to be common practice in Portland for many hotels

“Style over Substance”

I stayed here for 2 nights this week on my first visit to Portland. The location is excellent. Very handy for all the downtown attractions, bars and with great public transport links. I read some reviews raising concerns about safety, but I felt perfectly safe on the street outside the hotel. The… more

I stayed here for 2 nights this week on my first visit to Portland. The location is excellent. Very handy for all the downtown attractions, bars and with great public transport links. I read some reviews raising concerns about safety, but I felt perfectly safe on the street outside the hotel. The staff were all fantastic. Everyone I met was extremely friendly and chatty. The decor is amazing. If you want modern and bright it won't be for you, but I loved the dark tones and classic designs. My 9th floor suite was clean and spacious, though more a large room than a true suite. It was spotlessly clean and the bed and seating areas were comfortable. However, there were a number of negatives too. The en suite, whilst well designed, had seen better days. The shower pressure wasn't great and the temperature fluctuated. Also, the cold tap at the sink often chucked out hot water. There was no daily housekeeping service provided which when you're paying full-service hotel prices is just cheap and frankly unreasonable. There's no real facilities other than a fitness centre (which was well equipped) and a restaurant which is, more often than not, only open for breakfast. It does open for dinner and a bar service 3 days a week but not on the days I was there. I know there are lots of places to go out nearby, but I can't be the only person who likes to catch up on emails over a beer in the hotel bar, surely? Also, I had breakfast one morning and the service was lacklustre and the food tasted OK but it was as if someone had emptied a whole salt cellar on top of it. There's also a hefty "destination fee" of $35 per day from which the only obvious benefit is a daily $15 room credit on top of things like free WiFi which should already be included in the room rate. I'd be far more inclined to spend more in the hotel if I didn't feel I was being ripped off already, so I'll never understand these resort/destination fees. I know they're becoming more commonplace in the U.S. but why not just whack the room rate up to cover it? That way no one will be annoyed at the extra charge which doesn't really give you anything extra. Anyway, all in all, it's a very nice hotel which needs to work on what they offer guests.

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“Not the same as when it was managed by Kimpton”

Not the same as when it was managed by Kimpton. I’ve been a guest of this hotel for many years. I have to say, it’s gone downhill and I won’t be staying again with so many options I Portland. First, there were no valets at the front door when pulling up. Okay, I can overlook that. Maybe there’s s… more

Not the same as when it was managed by Kimpton. I’ve been a guest of this hotel for many years. I have to say, it’s gone downhill and I won’t be staying again with so many options I Portland. First, there were no valets at the front door when pulling up. Okay, I can overlook that. Maybe there’s someone who can help me with my luggage. Nope. So I grab by own cart and struggle to bring it up to my room myself. They say they have their pet amenities (that you pay $75 for, btw): “your cuddly companions and provide special amenities like comfy pet beds, bowls, waterproof mats, and treats at check-in. We’ll greet your pet with an arrival letter outlining our local recommendations for a "pawsome" stay. “ I didn’t receive any pet amenities so I called down to the front desk. They delivered a sad old dog bed. No treats, no bowls. The next morning when I went down for coffee in the lobby, all of the canisters were empty. They have a big container of specialty water in the lobby. Drained at 8pm and not refilled. I asked today if I could get a late checkout. Nope, it will cost you extra past noon. But I should be sure to let them know the details of my plans tomorrow. Uh, I already did? It seems like they are cutting corners and have less employees than they used to. Hotel doesn’t look well maintained, and services are lacking. The one shining star here is the young woman who works the valet on Saturdays. She is a gem and provided excellent customer service.

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