University Place Hotel and Conference Center

Old roadside motel feeling

Prós: Seems relatively safe - it appears that nobody will mug you while inside the compound. Staff seemed friendly.

Contras: However, nothing works (card key, hair dryer, old cathode tube TV, etc..). Coffee pack not replaced the 2nd day. Window-type air heater making noise - when heating off the room cooled down immediately. All things considered - a poor choice for a leisure trip. Probably ok for prospective students, the campus might look more appealing (by contrast) after spending the night here. It is NOT close to downtown - yes you can walk it but it takes 15 min through non-inspiring neighborhood. Also - remember the extra $15 for parking - there is no street parking outside unless you're ok with walking 10 minutes, hence the gauging. My bottom line: I would advise against booking this one for any non-university function.

A decent night's stay, but probably woudn't return

Prós: Location: Near downtown, highway, and max rail/bus station. Rental cars available Staff: Helpful, told us everything we needed to know Room size

Contras: Uncomfortable beds and blanket AC/Heating not very effective Confusing hotel layout

Just the basics...

Prós: The staff was friendly and attentive. Rooms were cleaned promptly during the day. The breakfast buffet was standard fare and did not vary in my four day stay. The hotel is located right next to a light rail stop which makes it convenient to get around town. I found using the rail to see Portland easier than renting a car, however if you plan on going outside the city a car is a good idea. The bed was pretty comfortable and the room was clean. I would likely stay here again but in what the hotel calls a "Comfort King" that has a few more amenities such as fridge (if you are like me and like to keep a few snacks around). There is a courtyard and pool area that was well maintained. Several softballs teams attending a tournament monopolized the area in the late afternoon/evening making it essentially unusable for other guests.

Contras: The room I stayed in, Standard King, was very dated. The carpet had holes worn in some spots. The electrical switch in the bathroom and an outlet in the room were not mounted correctly in their sockets. This type of room is quite basic. No fridge, no microwave, lamps were mismatched (the desk lamp had a burnt out bulb that maintenance never replaced). The furniture and wallpaper were most likely from the 80's. I found the rooms cooling/heating unit never shut off. It seemed to never get to a pre-set temperature, it just ran and ran. If you are sensitive to background noise this will be an issue. The breakfast buffet was alright. It did not offer much in the way of selections. Even fresh fruit was kept to just bananas, oranges or apples. I had a veggie burger at the Lincoln Street Grill in the hotel for dinner one night. The salad that came with it was just iceberg lettuce, diced tomato and cucumber. No frills. The burger was alright and the price was affordable.

Contras: Other guests were noisy and construction going on down the hall.

Prós: Staff was nice

Contras: Dirty tub,sketchy bed linens,dirty carpet,tv remote broken,no do not disturb door sign,elevator dirty,mattress badly stained,room keys wouldn't work correctly.

Good location, climbing up a learning curve?

Prós: The hotel is right in front of a MAX station and a short walk to a streetcar stop on Harrison St.

Contras: The bathroom is really dated and the handle for toilet flush had a brown goo.... not sure why a cleaning person could miss that. The internet connection is free but extremely unreliable. I was bumped off many times while on line. Would not recommend to business travelers. Free breakfast is included but the food is substandard --- with eggs, bacon, and potatoes, not many choices for health conscious eaters.