Last year, my wife and I made a terrific weekend in Portland, Oregon, out of a concert and two Fine Hotels + Resorts® (FHR) credits that we received from our American Express Platinum® cards. We decided to try out the Kimpton RiverPlace, sitting attractively astride the banks of the Willamette River in downtown Portland. The location and concert were terrific.
The hotel? Less so.
Kimpton RiverPlace Bottom Line Review
This was one of the more disappointing stays we’ve had in a while, partly because I’d walked by the RiverPlace before and it looked like a cool property, so I was excited to stay there. It didn’t charm us, and felt more like a Holiday Inn-level property with a remodeled lobby than a Kimpton. The room was dark and dated, with no view; hallways had worn, torn carpet; the elevators were janky and required a special combination of hitting the button, placing the key just right, and doing a jig to make them work. There aren’t many amenities, and the restaurant, while offering excellent breakfast food and a killer patio, also suffered from mediocre service and a dining room setup that seemed designed to completely ignore the stellar location. I love the location and the outdoor areas, and the overall value of an FHR stay can be good. The rest leaves something to be desired. One thumb up, one thumb down
- Price: FHR cash prices were about $305/night during our stay, so we ended up paying about $10 out of pocket after receiving the $300 Amex credit per night.
- Value: As a Fine Hotels + Resorts credit redemption, it can be great. The FHR is often similar to the property’s close-in cash rate, and will usually be covered (or nearly so) by the $300 credit.
- Location: It’s right on South Waterfront Park, directly behind the RiverPlace Marina and at the Eastern edge of Market and Clay streets, just south of the Hawthorne Bridge. It’s about a 25-30 minute walk to Burnside Street and the Pearl District to the North, or you can take the riverfront path all the way there. I like that it’s just outside of downtown Portland, but within easy striking distance.
- Room: We booked a Standard King Room and were proactively upgraded to a one-bedroom suite. I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a room at an FHR property that seemed less like a “Fine Hotel.” If you had plopped me right in the middle of it, I would have assumed that I was at an older Holiday Inn. It was dark, the furniture was dilapidated and worn. It’s in need of an update
- Parking: Valet parking is an eye-watering $60/night + tax. There’s no need to pay for that, however. There is metered parking right out front that’s free overnight, as well as a garage a block away that always had space (see images for complete rates). Using a mixture of the two, we spent about $15 on parking during our two-night stay.
- Resort/Destination Fee: $35 + tax per night. It includes:
- Nightly wine reception
- 20% off dinner at King Tide (can be combined with f&b credit)
- Welcome Beverage (Local Beer, Cider, Non Alcoholic Beverage)
- Kids Scooter Rentals
- Color Printing and Photocopies
- Internet: Good throughout the hotel.
- Service: Weird. The gal who checked us in got extremely confused by the combination of my Diamond status and our FHR benefits. We eventually said, “Thanks,” and came back the next morning to make sure that we understood. Evidently, that confusion spread to others, as our folio wasn’t properly credited, and we had to spend another 10 minutes at the end of our stay with a manager to make it right. Restaurant service was fairly disinterested, and we had errors on our order all three times we ordered food (two breakfasts and one dinner/happy hour).
- Turndown service: None.
- Dining:
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King Tide: The hotel’s one restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfasts were excellent, but our servers had a terrible time taking our orders correctly. Dinner was good, if a bit overpriced. There’s a fireside loungy area that makes a great place for a nightcap, while the massive patio would be dynamite when open. While we were there, the restaurant’s tap system was completely offline, but I assume that’s been fixed by now. Open daily for “brunch” from 7 am to 1 pm (8 am on weekends), happy hours from 4 pm to 5 pm, and for dinner from 5 pm to 9 pm (10 pm on weekends). The menu is the same all day.
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- Spa: There is no spa or pool.
- Fitness Room: The fitness area is small, has very little equipment and is quite dated (like much of the hotel).
- Fine Hotel and Resorts Benefits:
- Room Upgrade: We booked a Standard Room and were upgraded to a one-bedroom suite.
- Free Breakfast: Served at King Tide. FHR benefits are $60 per day for two people, which is reasonable given the menu prices.
- Property Credit: $100 property. It can be used for valet parking, room service, restaurant charges, etc. We had two FHR stays back-to-back and, as expected, received one property credit to use over both nights.
- Early Check-in: We didn’t arrive until ~3 pm, so didn’t find out.
- Free WiFi
- Late Checkout: Proactively offered a 4 pm checkout.
- Welcome Amenity: A tote bag was left for us by the snacks. I think that was the welcome amenity.
- IHG Points: My IHG number was not automatically attached to the reservation by Amex, but we were able to add it at the front desk. We received points on the cash cost as expected.
- IHG Diamond Benefits:
- Room Upgrade: We upgraded to a one-bedroom suite before we arrived and provided my IHG number, but there was no further upgrade from there (understandably).
- Free Breakfast: Served at King Tide. Officially, I believe that it’s one entrée and one drink per person, but it overlapped with the FHR benefits, so it wasn’t easy to tell. In the end, we were only charged for the tip both mornings.
- Drink credits: Nightly $20 in drink credits that could be used in-room or at the bar.
- Late Checkout: Automatically received 4 pm due to our FHR benefits.
- Would I stay again? It won’t be a priority. If we were to stay in Portland again using Fine Hotels + Resorts, I’d most likely try another property.
Pros
- Pleasant location, right on the Willamette River and next to the Waterfront Park’s walking trails
- Can be a good value on Fine Hotels and Resorts stays
- Easy, affordable parking nearby that makes it a good place downtown to stay with a car
- Breakfast food quality was excellent
Cons
- Feels more like an old Holiday Inn than a Kimpton, let alone an FHR property
- Sparse amenities: tiny fitness area, no pool, and spa.
- Service across the board is mediocre, at best
- It’s a ~25-30 minute walk to the heart of Portland’s downtown
Image Gallery
Kimpton RiverPlace One Bedroom Suite
Kimpton RiverPlace common areas and gym
King Tide Restaurant
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The Nines is a very nice FHR redemption, next time you’re in Portland.
Looks like it needs a refresher