Hotel Watch 2017

Suite Year? Checking In on Portland's New Hotel Boom

Here's a refresher course on hospitality industry groundbreakings, from downtown's Hi-Lo to the Pearl District's new Hilton to a Hood River cousin of the Jupiter Hotel.

By Lauren Kershner and Ramona DeNies January 13, 2017

Hi-Lo Hotel, 320 SW Stark St

Previously scheduled opening: summer 2016. Now: spring 2017. Part of the Marriott's boutique "Autograph Collection," 120 upscale rooms will soon spiff up the floors above old, old Portland restaurant Huber's.

Illustrations by Courtesy of the Marriott Group

Hi-Lo Hotel, 320 SW Stark St

Marriott says the rooms will feature organic furnishings and handcrafted bathroom amenities by local company, Maak Lab (which also designed a custom scent for Hi-Lo). The martinis will flow at the hotel's Lo Bar, with modern Mexican food dished up at restaurant Alto-Bajo. (Get it?) There will even be special treats—sourced from a local dog bakery—for canine companions. Originally slated for completion in summer 2016, the renovation of the historic Oregon Pioneer Building has encountered “unforeseen delays.” With construction back on track, Marriott says prospective guests can now expect the hotel to open by April of this year.

Photography by William James Photography

Harlow Hotel, 738 NW Glisan St

Previously scheduled opening: fall 2016. Now: unclear. Built in 1882 for Troutdale founder Captain John Harlow, the Harlow Block has remained vacant for decades and is increasingly an eyesore in this slowly gentrifying stretch of Pearl District art galleries and restaurants. Purchased by the local Param Hotel Group—known for budget inns across town—the Harlow will ultimately offer 25 rooms at mid-range prices along with street-level restaurant and retail spaces. No word from Param, however, on when that might be.

Illustrations by Courtesy Urban Works Real Estate

Harlow Block, now

The Harlow building, which sits on the North Park Blocks across the street from PNCA's shiny new digs, is in a hot zone of anticipated major development around the downtown post office's sprawling asphalt campus.

Photography by Sam Teney

Canopy by Hilton, NW Glisan St and 9th Ave

Previously scheduled opening: fall 2016. Now: January 2018. This brand-new 10-story hotel will offer 153 rooms. The ground-level lobby will include a cafe/bar, featuring outdoor seating along a much-trafficked stretch of NW Glisan. Meeting rooms will be available at the basement level, and a fitness center will claim the roof. In a nod to the Pearl's thriving art community, the hotel will add its own gallery to First Thursday art walks. Construction began in the summer of 2016 with the demolition of the property's former single-story 1938 warehouse. Don't get too excited—there's still a bit of a wait. The hotel's first guests can (hopefully) check in after New Year 2018.

Illustrations by Courtesy ZGF Architects

Woodlark, 111 SW 5th Ave

Previously scheduled opening: 2017. Now: spring 2018. The Provenance hotel group is currently renovating two historic downtown buildings—the former Cornelius Hotel, built in 1908, and the adjacent 1912 Woodlark building—to create the new Woodlark Hotel. With around 150 rooms, the hotel will join a hospitality family that currently includes the Hotel Lucia, Hotel deLuxe, and the Sentinel. The hotel will house a 2,500-square-foot meeting space, as well as a bar and new Park Avenue-facing restaurant, Bullard. With hopes to open in 2017 delayed by construction details, Woodlark will now likely open its doors in spring 2018.

Illustrations by Courtesy MCA Architects

Woodlark and Cornelius Buildings, now

RIP, Johnny Sole and seedy bathhouse. Hello, Texas-style fried chicken from Top Chef alum Doug Adams.

Photography by Courtesy of Provenance Hotels

The Grove Hotel, NW 4th Ave and W Burnside

Previously scheduled opening: 2017. Now: (hopefully) 2017. For years, the dilapidated Grove Hotel flanked the entrance to the Old Town/Chinatown District, adjacent to the long-established—and much studied—homeless village Right 2 Dream Too. After several different transformation proposals for the historic building, a team of developers—including the prominent Portland Naito family's own firm—committed to a massive build-out of the original property into a nine-story, 112-room boutique hotel, featuring a rooftop restaurant and a basement-level “speakeasy” with street access. With a dearth of hotels in the immediate neighborhood, the Grove will grant guests easy access to such touristy offerings as Voodoo Doughnuts and the Paris Theatre. (As of this past summer, no longer a house of porn!) After addressing structural concerns—such as the height of the building—construction began in May 2016. Standing at Chinatown's open gate, there are no new updates on when the Grove itself will open.

Illustrations by Courtesy Surround Architecture

Porter by Hilton, 1355 SW 2nd Ave

Previously scheduled opening: late 2017. Now: (still) late 2017. Nestled between SW Jefferson and Columbia avenues, the Hilton's brand-new Porter hotel will offer convenient walking to such destinations as the Keller Auditorium, Portland State University, and Pioneer Courthouse Square—and add 300 luxury guest rooms to downtown's currently tight inventory. Rising sixteen stories—that's one higher than the nearby Nines—the new building will feature a top-floor restaurant, outdoor terraces, and penthouse views of both the city skyline and the Willamette River. Work on the the site began in January 2016. If things stay on track, guests can expect to sip Willamette Valley pinot noir in style later this fall.

Illustrations by Courtesy HC Architecture

Hotel Chamberlain, 509 SE Grand Ave

Previously scheduled opening: TBD. Now: SBD (still being decided!) Located smack in the central east side's historic Grand Avenue neighborhood, the original Hotel Chamberlain first opened in 1897. Since the 1970s, the top floors have remained vacant, with the bottom level operating as the Schleiffer furniture shop. Now a local development company plans to restore the historic building to its original use. So far, details on the restoration are scarce, with no word on, say, plans for an adjoining restaurant or bar. Regardless of the featured amenities, guests will have virtually next-door access to the area's rising culinary and nightlife scene, including popular haunts like Kachka, Loyal Legion, Trifecta Tavern, and Bit House Saloon.

Photography by Courtesy of Beam Development

Pearl Hampton Inn and Suites, NW 9th Ave and Everett St

Previously scheduled opening: TBD. Now: (still) TBD. Another Pearl District hospitality option is underway at the corner of NW Everett opposite the trendy World Foods market. The 243-room project will include a lounge, lobby, and meeting rooms at the ground level, with an interior courtyard rising from the fourth level. A rooftop terrace atop the eight-story structure will overlook the North Park Blocks. Construction began with the demolition of three buildings on the property (including the site where MTV's The Real World: Portland was filmed). No word yet on the project's expected completion.

Illustrations by Courtesy of Hannebery Eddy

Jupiter Hotel (expansion), 800 E Burnside

Previously scheduled opening: TBD. Now: early 2018. Since 2004, this quirky hotel (known for promoting weed and craft-beer-based room packages) has been a prominent part of the central east side's popular resurgence. Formerly the very shady Continental motor inn, the 81-room boutique hotel is expanding its campus across SE 8th Avenue to the spot formerly occupied by Boogie's Burgers and Brew. The detached expansion will add 67 rooms just feet from the hotel's Doug Fir Lounge and subterranean music venue (e.g, the most convenient hotel afterparties ever.) Construction on the expansion began in November 2016; completion is anticipated early next year.

Illustrations by Courtesy of Grady Britton

Hyatt Regency Oregon Convention Center Hotel, 777 NE MLK Jr Blvd

Previously scheduled opening: summer 2019. Now: mid-2019. In the heart of the Lloyd District—home to Portland's largest mall, towering office blocks, Memorial Coliseum, and the Moda Center—plans to build the Oregon Convention Center Hotel have been mired in the concept phase for years. Between design flaws and budgeting issues, some have doubted the project would ever break ground. The latest is that construction will begin early this year. The hotel is expected to be an economic powerhouse —projected to create nearly 3,000 jobs and boost Convention Center business. The 14-story, 600-room hotel will (hopefully) be complete by the middle of 2019.

Illustrations by Courtesy of Oregon Metro

Hood River Hotel, 102 Oak St, Hood River

Projected opening date: early 2018. Owners of the aforementioned Jupiter Hotel recently bought the Hood River Hotel, a historic downtown building in the Gorge's epicenter of wind sports and craft brew. The new owners have announced plans to remodel the building while keeping it open—citing updates to the hotel's lighting fixtures, furnishings, artwork, and lobby bar. The beautiful downstairs ballroom—complete with a wood-paneled bar and large fireplace—is currently empty, but will be refurbished to accommodate events for up to 200 people. Additionally, the existing spa will be redeveloped into a more “progressive, current spa program.” (Already in place: Portland's beloved Nordic restaurant Broder, which opened in the hotel last June.) Construction hasn’t begun quite yet; the new owners say guests should be able to enjoy a drink by the downstairs fireplace, or unwind at the renovated spa, by this time next year.

Photography by Courtesy Hood River Hotel

McMenamins Kalama, Port of Kalama, WA

Projected opening date: fall 2017. With nearly 60 locations, McMenamins’ popular brewpubs, hotels, theaters, and music venues now sprawl across Oregon and Washington. Details on the chain's much-anticipated new outpost in Kalama, Washington, are still hush-hush. (And we've certainly been prodding.) What we do know is that the building—to be modeled after an early 1900s Hawaiian inn—will be three stories high, feature 40 guest rooms, a McMenamins craft brewery (natch), restaurant, and a rooftop bar overlooking the Columbia River.

Illustrations by Courtesy Maxwell PR

McMenamins Grand Lodge (expansion), 3505 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove

Projected opening date: February 2017. While patiently awaiting the Kalama opening, McMenamins enthusiasts can soon check out new developments at the chain's Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, Oregon. The stately 1922 estate is currently gearing up to unveil a renovation that adds 22 new guest rooms with private baths. Spokespersons say the McMenamin brothers hold a soft spot for the historic lodge, which features small bars named after their parents (Bob’s Bar and Pat’s Corner). The renovation also includes the opening of another, literary-themed small bar—the Billy Scott Bar—named after a local poet. The new rooms are scheduled to open February 10, just in time to book a romance package for a Valentine’s Day weekend getaway.

Photography by Courtesy McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg

Last year, we gave you a sneak peek at 10 sexy new Portland hotel projects in the works. Since then, all have yet to open, including three—the Hi-Lo, Harlow, and Canopy by Hilton—that were originally scheduled for a 2016 ribbon-cutting. In real estate development, delay is the name of the game. So we checked back in on our lineup, digging up revised open dates and new project details (one hotel has commissioned a custom scent from Maak Lab; another will boast a sixteenth-floor restaurant). We also added a few more recently announced projects.

From downtown's Woodlark (which will house former Imperial head chef Doug Adam's hotly-anticipated Bullard) to the recent groundbreaking for the Jupiter Hotel's 67-room expansion, here's a progress report on Portland's hotel boom. And, like a good concierge, we've thrown in a few coming attractions for visitors with a bit of Portland-plus wanderlust.

Hotels, Travel Deals, Real Estate News

Show Comments

Portland Monthly

Suite Year? Checking In on Portland's New Hotel Boom

Related Content

A Sneak Peek at Portland's Next Hotel Boom

Doug Adams to Open Hotel Restaurant, Celeb Chef Chris Cosentino Expands to Portland, Plus More PDX Food News

Price Point: $700,000 homes in PDX, Washougal, and Tigard

Price Point: $2.5 Million Homes in PDX, LO, and Oregon City