Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Tigard

The amenities

Everything was great

Booking.com

I stayed at this hotel for 4 nights while attending a hobby convention there. It's a level above the places I usually stay (Hampton Inn or the equivalent -- I'm a free agent where brands are concerned), so my perception of value is probably a little off. The room rate is a little higher than I'm used to paying but seems to be in line with similar hotels in the area and does include a real breakfast. Dinner in the restaurant was totally in line, but items in the convenience shop seemed high, even for a hotel ($6 for a 20 oz bottle of soda, $5 for a large candy bar).

Staff were outstanding! Everyone with whom I came in contact was smiling and helpful (and the omelet cooks know how to do it!). I had one seeming problem that I reported to the desk, and the clerk was calling Engineering before I was 6 feet away. (The problem persisted, though, so I don't know if they never responded or if they decided it was something that could wait until I checked out.)

Biggest problem with the room -- outside the bathroom, which I'll talk about separately -- was the temperature control. The thermostat was digital and easy to figure out, but the numbers being displayed definitely were NOT the actual temperature in the room. I usually like a room on the cooler side but I had to turn the thermostat up to 72° to keep the room from feeling like an icebox. Even still, the living area was noticeably cooler than the sleeping area.

The only other problems with the room itself were finding somewhere to plug in my computer and finding a comfortable place to work. There are plugs in all the lamps, but they were rated for 3.5a maximum and my 4a power brick shut them down. The only exception was the lamp on the table, in which the plugs were rated for 4a and worked fine. There were two outlets at the desk in the bedroom, one with a red light and one with a green light -- no idea what the lights meant. No comfortable way to sit there, though, so I didn't try them. Most of the double wall outlets already had two items plugged in (one lamp plus something else) or were difficult to reach.

The sofa in the living room was not comfortable -- at least for me. Way to hard and way too low; the seat was lower than my knees (I'm tall but my legs are actually shorter than average) and with no arm rest it was hard to get up. The desk chair at the table also was hard and the back sat at an angle that didn't match my back (I didn't find a way to adjust it, but to be honest I didn't look hard, either). Sitting on the bed worked best, but here is where the lack of outlets came into play.

The bathroom was a different story. It was kept spotless by Housekeeping, had a jet flush toilet so there was no fear of stopping it up, and hot water was almost instantaneous in both the sink and the shower. About halfway through my stay the toilet started making a noise like an overworked motor when the tank was filling (the problem mentioned above), but nothing exploded or burned out so it probably bothered the neighbors more than me. Also, this was the rare hotel that has a shower curtain (a) hung the right way and (b) long enough to keep all the water at either end in the tub. Kudos!

On the other hand, there is no exhaust fan, which would be very useful for humidity and odor control.

There is a safety issue, though. The tub is deep with high sides and stepping in and out can be hazardous. There is one safety bar inside the enclosure, toward the plumbing end (as it is in most establishments) where it provides no help getting in and out. There is no bar inside or outside the enclosure at the far end. For those of us with weak muscles or other leg issues, this is an accident waiting to happen. I'll acknowledge that this seems to be common, that designers don't recognize there's a point between being fully abled and needing an accessible room. I don't want to take the latter away from someone such as a wheelchair user who truly needs it, but I do want to feel safe getting in and out of the tub for my shower! On the plus side, the tub bottom was fully non-skid and I had no fear of slipping.

By and large the hotel was very quiet. At least, it was very quiet until the last night when it was overrun by a lot of kids in town for a lacrosse tournament. To be fair, I don't hold this against the hotel; the parents are the ones who need to teach their little darlings proper indoor behavior (no running, no shouting, no loud knocking on doors, be considerate of others). Normal noise from the atrium, though, was a non-factor in the room, even when it was full to the gills.

I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone not worried about the accessibility issues in the bathroom!

Excellant breakfast

Easy access to all amenities. Great room size.

Closeness to venue we attended for an event

Location: walking distance to the Washington mall, target and other places.

Breakfast and location

Convenient location. Nice room

The breakfast was good room was clean

Comfortable bed. Great location. Loved the room service, and convenient store in lobby fully stocked with lots of options for food/beverages. Quiet. Full length mirror available which is often overlooked in a lot of hotels.

Love the morning omelets!

I liked that it was close to everything.