Historic Hotels in Portland, Oregon

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Downtown & the West End

Downtown is Portland’s walking core, on short 200-foot blocks that date to the city’s original platting, with the MAX Red Line running direct from the airport; 12 of the 15 stays are here. The Benson, Hotel Lucia and Kimpton Hotel Vintage line SW Broadway, the Heathman sits in the cultural district on the same block as the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, The Nines fills the upper floors of the Meier & Frank Building steps from Pioneer Courthouse Square, The Royal Sonesta is on SW Washington Street and the Embassy Suites fills the Multnomah Hotel on SW Pine Street. The West End, as the Sentinel, The Clyde and the Crystal Hotel call their corner of downtown, holds those three and the Woodlark, on the edge of the Pearl District and a short walk from Powell’s City of Books; Hotel deLuxe is just west in Goose Hollow, home of Providence Park.

Old Town Chinatown

Travel Portland calls Old Town Chinatown the city’s oldest neighborhood and Portland’s original downtown, now an entertainment district on the west bank of the Willamette, next to the Pearl District and downtown. The Society Hotel is a contributing building in the New Chinatown/Japantown-Skidmore/Old Town historic district: the hotel says the Seaman’s Friend Society built it in 1881 as the Mariners Building, a safe haven for sailors, and it now has private rooms, bunk rooms and a lobby cafe. Lan Su Chinese Garden is about 400 feet away in a straight line, and Union Station, where Amtrak stops, about a third of a mile.

Northeast & Irvington

Across the Willamette, Northeast is Portland’s largest quadrant, with residential neighborhoods, the Alberta Arts District and the Moda Center in the Lloyd district, served by the Blue, Green and Red MAX lines and the Streetcar’s A and B Loops. Portland’s White House, a 1911 Greek Revival mansion with eight rooms, is in the Irvington Historic District, a streetcar suburb platted in 1887 and known for its Queen Anne, Craftsman and Prairie School houses. McMenamins Kennedy School, in the Concordia neighborhood, is a 1915 elementary school turned 57-room hotel with a movie theater, a soaking pool and bars. Both park free, though Travel Portland notes the east side is more spread out than the compact west-side core.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

TriMet’s MAX Red Line leaves from a station by baggage claim on PDX’s lower level and reaches downtown in about 40 minutes for the $2.80 adult fare, good for 2½ hours on buses, MAX and the streetcar (tap-to-pay caps at $5.60 a day); the last train leaves the airport at 10:57 p.m. on weekdays and 11:27 p.m. on weekends. Downtown’s 200-foot blocks make it easy on foot, and the Portland Streetcar’s NS Line runs from Portland State University through downtown and the Pearl District to Nob Hill, while the A and B Loops cross the river to Lloyd and OMSI; a streetcar-only ticket is $2 for 2½ hours. Amtrak’s Cascades, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder use Union Station in Old Town, a block from the MAX Orange and Yellow lines.

Parking

Downtown meters cost $3.20 an hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, paid by plate through the Parking Kitty app or pay stations; around Providence Park they rise to $7 an hour on Timbers and Thorns game days. The City’s five SmartPark garages charge $2.35 an hour for up to four hours, $13 to $18 all day, a $5 overnight maximum (in after 5 p.m., out by 5 a.m.) and $7 a day on weekends. Published hotel valet runs from $55 a night at The Royal Sonesta to $65 at the Sentinel, with Hotel Lucia and the Woodlark at $60 and the Heathman at $58, where there’s no self-parking. Hotel deLuxe has a self-park garage but doesn’t publish the fee, the Crystal Hotel sells a $25-a-night pass for a guest lot a block away, The Clyde has no on-site parking, and the Kennedy School and Portland’s White House park free; the other downtown hotels don’t post a rate, so ask.

When to go

Summer is the dry season: the normals on Travel Portland’s weather page show 0.4 inch of rain in July and 0.5 in August, against 2.5 to 7.4 inches a month from October through May, and summer weather often lasts into early October. The Rose Festival is the early-summer draw; in 2026 it ran May 22 to June 28, and 2027 dates weren’t announced when we checked. For the 2026 holidays, the Pioneer Courthouse Square tree lighting is Friday, November 27, ZooLights runs November 20 to January 3, the Christmas Ships parade December 3 to 20, and Travel Portland says Peacock Lane glows December 15 to 31; the Portland Winter Light Festival returns February 5 to 13, 2027. The Trail Blazers play at the Moda Center through April 11, 2027, but the Timbers’ 2027 home dates weren’t published when we checked.

Accessibility

MAX trains deploy ramps for boarding and announce stops by audio and reader board, every Portland Streetcar has ramps in its low-floor section, and Travel Portland notes downtown sidewalks almost always have curb cuts and street parking is free with a wheelchair-user (‘W’) placard. The Heathman has a lift to registration, elevator access to guest rooms and accessible rooms with roll-in showers, the Woodlark has ADA rooms with ramp or elevator access from the lobby, and the Society Hotel has three ADA rooms and three ADA shared restrooms. The Kennedy School’s English Wing has no elevator, ADA rooms or ramp, Portland’s White House doesn’t state its physical access, and we didn’t check the other hotels, so ask before you book.

Before you book

Budget for nightly add-ons downtown: Hotel Lucia, the Sentinel and Hotel deLuxe charge a $29 daily amenities fee, the Heathman a $30 guest amenity fee and The Royal Sonesta a $30 destination fee, each plus tax, and the Woodlark charges a destination fee it doesn’t price on its amenities page; Hotel deLuxe also requires guests checking in to be 21. Check room types in the converted buildings: 42 of the Crystal Hotel’s 51 rooms use bathrooms down the hall, some rooms at The Clyde share dedicated baths, and the Society offers bunk rooms as well as private rooms. At Portland’s White House, ask for the main house, since three of the eight rooms are in a carriage house; it takes a 50% deposit, refundable up to 14 days out, and gives first-time direct bookers 20% off. For the Christmas Ships, Travel Portland advises booking river-view rooms early.