The Nines Hotel Portland, a Luxury hotel review

Posted By Jon Nickel-D'Andrea on Jun 24, 2017 | 0 comments

If you’re looking for a luxury hotel in Portland, you’ve got a few options. The downtown is dotted with gorgeous old buildings, some of which are now occupied by high end hotels. But if you ask anyone in Portland where to go, that has the best rooftop bar, the swankiest rooms, the best service, and a great restaurant to boot? The Nines wins out overtime. Here’s our review of the Nines Hotel in Portland, OR

I had the pleasure of heading to Portland on a business trip in May and that gave me the perfect excuse to check out an icon in downtown Portland, the Nines Hotel. Everyone of my friends in the area and clients knew about the Nines, and when I told them I was staying there the response was unanimous “wow, really good choice. You’re going to love it.” It was like the perfect Hip Hop Hype Man, setting me up for what was going to be, what I hoped, an amazing stay.

As you approach the Nines hotel you can first see the exterior of the building. They’ve done a great job in making sure the outside looks as amazing as the interior. The building was originally the Meier and Frank building of the long gone department store chain. It was built in 1909, taken over by Macy’s in 2006, and remained a department store until Macy’s left in April of 2017. The Nines hotel occupies the top few levels of the building.

Gorgeous Exterior

Lobby/Check In

The main floor is nothing more than a set of electors which takes you to the 8th floor for the hotel check in. The lobby is gorgeous. It’s a huge space, all open in a courtyard style, housing the bar, restaurant, and lobby areas. There is plenty of seating area for guests and restaurant patrons alike, so it doesn’t feel crowded at all.

Nines Hotel Portland Lobby

After a quick check in I was given the keys to my room. If the rooms were half as cool as the outside and the lobby, I was in for a treat.

The Rooms

As you can guess, the details in the rooms were just as impressive as the other attention placed in the hotel’s public areas. I was given a room on the 10th floor facing the outside of the building. The rooms facing the inside courtyard are slight smaller and overlook the main public areas. The hallways are decked out in a teal/black color combination and the carpet is gorgeous. I’m a big fan of a hotel hallway that has the rooms recessed slightly so you can’t quite see the door from the hallway as you walk down.

Once I entered, you could see just how big the rooms really was.

Double Suite

I was given a room with two double beds (no big deal) so the room felt even that much larger. Just check out the headboards and the wallpaper!

Double Beds

On the wall near the windows was an extremely comfortable sofa which was perfect for relaxing and watching TV…

Sofa in Suite

And a small table, chair and lamp for entertaining guests or just getting some work done.

Table and Chairs

There was a proper desk to do work as well, right next to the television. Aren’t the rooms gorgeous?!

TV and Desk

If you were feeling a bit peckish there was a small minibar at the entrance. Prices were not that bad, with a gatorade (for example) costing $3. I’ve seen a lot worse in other hotels.

Mini bar

The bathroom was very large, with a double flush toilet, marble bathroom, and marble sink area. No detail was left unattended.

Double Flush!

Shower

Bathroom

The Rooftop Bar, Departure

After a long day, we wanted to head up to the rooftop to see if we could have a drink, relax, and enjoy the view. Apparently everyone in Portland had the same idea. This was THE place to be. Anyone can access the bar as it’s public access, and it was full that night. 

Rooftop Bar

If was definitely a place to come, see, and be seen. At night it got even more packed. The business people left and the younger crowd moved in. Apparently when the temperature goes down, the dress code gets dialed up. If you’re looking for a place to have a drink with a view and some of Portland’s most gorgeous people, here’s the place to be.

View from the roof

Club Lounge

Tired from a long day, I went back to the room to get some sleep. As a platinum member I was afforded access to the Club Lounge. While the lounge was open for light snacks, drinks, and relaxing at night, I opted to wait until morning to try it for breakfast.

Club Lounge Entrance

If there was one area the hotel could use improvement, this was it. Don’t get me wrong, the lounge was well decorated and designed as you can see in the pictures below, but the breakfast selection was…… well….. a bit lacking for a Luxury Collection hotel.

Club Lounge

There were some pastries, some chia yogurt mix thing (why do people eat this)

Club Lounge Breakfast

Coffee, Tea, and old scrambled eggs.

Club Lounge Breakfast

And thats it! There’s your breakfast. Kinda lame, right? I remember when we stayed at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London, a hotel that I’d consider to also be the epitome of luxury, the breakfast offering was ridiculous. So was the Westin in Melbourne. Breakfast doesn’t HAVE to be an afterthought. I went back to my room, packed my things, and called it a day. If you’re curious, this was the view from the room. Not all too bad!

View of Downtown

Luxury Review

The hotel lives up to its moniker of a Luxury Collection hotel. The attention to detail is everywhere (except breakfast) and the service from the staff was truly top notch. I loved the spacious rooms, the comfortable bedding and amenities, and just the overall look to the hotel. Since it was right in the middle of downtown, if I wanted to go anywhere to eat, drink, or party, all I needed was to walk 15 minutes or to hail an Uber for about a 5 minute ride. We went out to eat in the Pearl District and the Uber ride was 4 minutes and $5. Couldn’t ask for anything else.

If you’re looking for an upscale hotel with a great rooftop bar with awesome amenities, this is your place.

Have you stayed here before? Or have you stayed at any other luxury Portland hotels? Let us know below!