The Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront has some big flaws, but how low does the price need to go for you to overlook them?

Disclaimer: This hotel stay was necessary as part of volunteering work I do related to the health care industry. While I did not pay for the room charges, the opinions contained in this post remain my own.

Booking the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront

Official link to hotel: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/pdxor-portland-marriott-downtown-waterfront/overview/

One of the nice things about the volunteering I do is that it deploys me to different locations across North America. Next up for me was Portland, Oregon. I’ve been to this destination several times before, having been to the Hilton Downtown Portland a couple of years ago.

This time, the block room rate at the hotel for our stay was a low $165/night. Because this was a group rate, there was no resort fee to pay at the hotel–but we also didn’t get the resort fee benefits. I certainly didn’t mind as the “benefits” don’t really seem all that interesting to me. However, the group rate didn’t seem abnormally low for the hotel; many nights appear to be in the $150-$200/night range.

If you’d rather use Marriott Bonvoy points to stay here, expect to pay between 40,000 and 50,000 points/night. Unless you have some expiring free night certificates to use up, it feels like a waste of points given the cash rate. In fact, at around $0.0035/point, this is one of the consistently worst redemption rates we’ve seen from any Marriott hotel.

Destination fee

The Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront unfortunately has a $30 daily destination fee. It includes:

• $15 food and beverage credit daily
• A 1-hour bike rental for two guests per stay
• Portland Chinese Garden tickets for two guests per stay
• Wi-Fi
• Bonvoy Gold members and above get a daily specialty 16oz coffee in Press Release

At first glance, it might seem odd that Marriott Gold members get something extra, but it’s written into the terms that elite members get a replacement benefit in place of Wi-Fi if it’s included in the resort fee. So, by that extension, it’s nice that they state what the replacement benefit is.

That said, I’m used to seeing the full amount of the destination fee returned as a daily food & beverage credit. Because who can spend exactly the free amount and nothing more? But here, you pay $30 up front and you only get $15 back. In exchange for the $15 you’re losing, you get a 1-hour bike rental and tickets to the Chinese Garden ($18/adult). Maybe that works on a one-night stay but stay here for two nights and suddenly you lose money.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points & a 50k free night award for spending $3,000 in the first three months ($95 annual fee).

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

First impressions of the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront

My flight arrived into Portland the afternoon. It had been a couple of years since arriving at PDX airport and I recalled quite a bit of construction at the time. With the construction done, it was quite impressive to see how beautiful the space has become. Arguably, it has become one of the most beautiful airports within the United States–or at least one of the best-looking that I’ve been to.

While I could have taken the MAX light rail, it’s a 12-minute walk from the nearest station (about a 48-minute journey in total). Instead, I decided to take a Lyft over to the hotel, which was about half the time.

From there, I met an energetic employee who was eager to check me in. He was enthusiastically asking what plans I had in town, telling me the features of the hotel, and to spend some time outdoors if I could. He also asked if I wanted 1,000 points or breakfast thanks to my Lifetime Platinum status with Marriott Bonvoy. Of course, since this property has a club lounge, I went with the points. That’s the one thing that Marriott still gets right–despite having (lounge) breakfast, I still get a welcome gift. That said, not like 1,000 points pays for much these days.

The room

My room for this stay was 1546, up on the–you guessed it–15th floor. I can’t exactly describe it well, but the hallway felt distinctly like I was in a Marriott.

The bedroom

As what feels like the case more and more these days, the room I booked with one queen bed was what I got, but just on a higher floor. As for the bed itself, it felt like it needed replacement. It sank in and didn’t provide much support at all. The pillows were also a bit thinner than I prefer, but since I wasn’t sharing the room with anyone, I could stack multiple pillows to make it work.

Across from the bed were the TV and a very small cabinet with drawers. Given the size of the room, both of these felt abnormally small compared to what I would otherwise expect.

Next to the bed is a chaise and a small table. I guess this counts as the desk since there was no other surface in the room serving that purpose. This fascination some hotels have with removing actual desks might be cost-saving but it’s not exactly efficient for those staying in the room.

And then in the other corner is the AC unit. Can I just say that this thing is incredibly loud? It gives off a little bit of a motel feel to the entire room with how much noise the unit produces. It doesn’t help when it seems to stop and restart through the night. Maybe now it makes more sense as to why the hotel is priced the way it is.

Near the door is the closet, which houses a Keurig machine, a couple of bottles of water, the mini-fridge, and one additional drawer for clothes. At least the water is free? There is no sign of the water only being for Marriott Bonvoy elite members.

The view I had from the room was of the city. Would have been nicer if I got a view of the river! Also, I should mention that those in my group who were on the lower floors could hear people yelling from the street. No such problem up here (aside from the noisy AC).

Bathroom

The bathroom is one of those sliding doors with an opaque glass. Perhaps relevant, but I didn’t see a way to lock the bathroom. If you are sharing a room with someone you don’t trust, you might not like the restroom here.

The bathroom vanity and mirror was pretty standard. Having lighting built into the mirror is less harsh on the eyes, so I’m good with that. But otherwise, it’s not very noteworthy.

As for the shower itself, it’s not great. First, it’s the dreaded shower/tub combo. Second, shower pressure was fairly weak. It’s one of those showerheads where you have to sacrifice either spray coverage or pressure and it’s a lose-lose either way you chose it.

I guess this hotel has problems with guests flooding the bathroom, so they have this reminder on the shower wall above the soap.

The shower amenities are by thisworks, which is the standard Marriott soap brand. At least it works?

The M Club Lounge

On the third floor is the M Club Lounge, which is available for Marriott Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members (plus 1 guest) or if you booked a club room. The hours of the lounge are:

• Breakfast
  • 6:30AM – 9:30AM weekdays
  • 7AM – 10AM weekends
• Evening appetizers
  • 5:30PM – 7:30PM weekdays
• Desserts
  • 7:30PM – 10PM weekdays

Outside of these hours, the lounge is open 24 hours a day for both hot and cold beverages.

As you might tell from the offerings, this lounge emphasizes business travelers over leisure customers since the evening spread and desserts are not available Saturday or Sunday.

Seating in the M Club Lounge

This lounge is actually quite large, taking up a good amount of real estate on the third floor. With the lounge as large as it is, I didn’t see it that crowded during the entire time I was here.

Games in the M Club Lounge

If you just need to kill some time, this lounge also has a collection of board games. For those wondering why there are party games in here (like Apples to Apples) in a lounge where the elite member can only officially bring in one guest, I’ll just say there was no one there policing who came in. You just scan your room key and that’s it.

Breakfast service

The entire breakfast spread is found against one wall, around the corner from the entrance. Here’s what it looks like before the food comes out.

The food itself is the pretty standard US lounge offering. It’s there to help provide fuel without much enjoyment in doing so. That doesn’t sound too appealing, but honestly, that’s what I feel about it. For what it’s worth, I had breakfast in the conference rooms, which seemed pretty consistent with what you get here.

Dessert service

I didn’t make it here for dinner service given my stay mostly fell over the weekend and I was out at dinner with friends during dinner hours. That said, I did make it in for the dessert offering. When you first enter the lounge, you’ll immediately see this area of the lounge where the drinks are.

Speaking of drinks, there is this coffee machine, which is available 24/7 if you need a pick-me-up.

Or there are the cold drink options like this fridge that housed milk and juice.

Or a collection of soda (Marriott has since moved over to Coca-Cola products).

So, you might wonder what the dessert spread looks like? I came here an hour after dessert service started (8:30PM) and this is all I could find. There is a small selection of packaged cookies and nuts near the drinks. I certainly hope there was something else and they ran out of food, but I saw no employees to confirm. If this is all there is, this has to rank among the most disappointing spreads for a dessert course I’ve seen.

Dining options at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront

Proof Reader

Hours:

• Breakfast
  • 6:30AM – 10:30AM weekdays
  • 7AM – 11AM weekends
• Happy hour
  • 4PM – 5PM daily
• Dinner
  • 4PM – 10PM or 11PM daily

When you enter the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Proof Reader is immediately on your left. I can’t speak to the quality of the food here since I didn’t dine here. But I did stop by for drinks one evening. When I was here, the bar closed at 10PM, which felt rather early at the time. Their website now says it closes at 11PM, which is better. It’s not immediately clear to me if the time it closes is seasonal or if the time permanently updated.

In terms of drinks, it’s fine enough but I think there are better places in town if you want more options.

Press Release

Hours: 6:30AM – 4PM daily

If you’re just looking for coffee or a quick bite to eat, Press Reader is around the corner from the front desk. Think of this as a Starbucks wannabe, but there did seem to be more food options than at a typical Starbucks. Since I’m not a coffee drinker, I’m not equipped to determine if this is better or worse than your average coffee joint. But it’s there if you need it.

Fitness Center

Next to the M Club Lounge on the third floor is the rather large Fitness Center. This is open 24/7, which is good for whenever you need a workout.

The main problem with this gym is the lack of natural lighting. There are no windows to the outside since the M Club Lounge robs this gym of that possibility. When you’re on the treadmill, you’ll be facing people walking by in the hallway.

But at least the gym had plenty of equipment. There are some kettlebells and yoga mats in one corner.

And the other corner has the free weights and strength equipment.

Don’t miss the river outside

Just across the street from the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront is the Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Willamette River. The park is plenty green when I was here in the spring, perfect for exercise or just getting some fresh air.

When I was here, I didn’t see any playground equipment, but I did see a nice place to just rest in the shade and let time flow by just like the adjacent river.

The Willamette is the river that snakes around Portland before heading down to Salem and Eugene. It’s not a roaring river and hosts dinner cruises and the like. On the other side is the river is where the Moda Center, the Convention Center, and Veterans Memorial Coliseum are.

Recommendation: Stay only for the price

The hotel has a definitely generic “Marriott” vibe to it. It’s most certainly not an aspirational property by any means. If you’re in town and you want something better from Marriott, go check out The Nines Hotel, which is far superior in almost every regard. The Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront had issues, ranging from the rough night of sleep to the lack of a quality breakfast in the lounge.

We’d say there are really only two great things about this hotel:

• The price, which seems low even for the summer months
• The proximity to the river and fresh air

What this boils down to is something that might work well for the cost-conscious traveler. Sure, there are some flaws, but if you get a great price, you could probably overlook them.

Where do you prefer to stay in Portland, Oregon?

Suggested reading:

• Destination Spotlight: Portland, Oregon
• The Nines Hotel: An Excellent Hotel in Portland
• Simple and a Bit Dated: Hilton Downtown Portland