The Nines, Portland

Disclaimer: I didn’t stay at the hotel myself. My in-​laws just spent a few days and raved about the experience. I was in their room for awhile, which was beautiful and very nicely appointed. They got a room upgrade, but the room was still on the small side. Standard rooms can be quite small. They said service was what they expected.
I think they do a good job with standard hotel service, but I’m not confident in their ability to handle special requests. I had delivered a gift on the morning of my in-​laws’ arrival, asking for it to be delivered to them upon check-​in (I didn’t care whether it was in their room or handed to them when they got there). It was a small bag with some local wine & chocolate. When I asked the parents about it, they said they didn’t get anything. I figured it was due to the room upgrade causing confusion, so I called the concierge. She assured me they had just realized that my folks had checked in and were taking the gift bag up to them (she made it sound like it was in progress). I wasn’t upset about it; things happen. However, it was still over an hour before they got it. It’s not a big deal, but wasn’t the impact I intended and was certainly not the attention to detail I expect from this caliber of hotel.
The location is great, and accommodations very elegant. The Nines is a very good choice if you don’t mind the high price tag and if you want the most hip/​modern/​posh hotel. Having Urban Farmer and Departure in the hotel is certainly a bonus. I just can’t quite give them 5 stars, and for my money, there are perfectly acceptable alternatives in Portland that have equally convenient locations and will give you more space for less money. I guess it comes down to just how hip you need to be.

My wife and I recently stayed at the nines on the evening of January 23^rd for a friends 40^th birthday. While they had some troubles with check-​in (the lakers were staying there and checkin was a hot mess) they were well compensated with room credits for the wait. My wife and I had zero problems checking in. Our room was very nice, nothing cheap about it. While it was supposed to have a view, it was only a sliver of pioneer courthouse square way off to the left –hardly a view. No sweat-​we weren’t there for that reason. Departure was great as expected. Service was definitely top notch and our waitress was perfect. The food, although small portions and expectedly over-​priced, was delicious as were their cocktails. Our night there was great and the staff of the nines were as exemplary as the hotel itself. Would definitely recommend.

My husband and I stayed at your hotel this weekend as we were attending an on-​site business event that was attended by almost 400 people… no small event. From start to finish we had a bad experience.
1. We checked in at a little after 3 and were told our room was not quite ready. We did not get our room until 5:30 — which was the time our event started. This caused us to be over a half our late and not decked out like we would have liked to have been.
2. A coworker arrived at 4 and was placed in a room immediately… while we sat right around the corner having already waited almost an hour.
3. We were given a $ 30 Urban Farmer credit… which seemed nice until we found others were given $ 40.
4. We found out later that other people who had to wait were told they could get ready for our event in the fitness center. Even though I checked back with the front desk twice to try to get an estimate of when our room would be ready… I was not told about this option that would have allowed us to get ready on time.
5. Others went back to their room and found turn down service and chocolate had been provided, we found nothing in our room.
6. Insult to injury — we were told standard checkout was noon so imagine our frustration to have housekeeping knock on our door at 9:30 asking when we would be checking out.
Through all of this we were polite and cordial. Upon check out we weren’t even asked about our stay and that was the final straw that spurred this email and will spur social media reviews.
I will add the décor was pleasing and elegant and the room was clean and comfortable. It is too bad the service was so very poor.
Date of stay January 23^rd, 2016

Bad service, smelly rooms, overpriced, unsafe. We hosted an event there and everything we ordered showed up late. Several people had to switch rooms because of bad smells. Stuff people left around seemed to disappear with no trace and certainly no concern from management. Air quality in the hotel left many feeling uncomfortable. I can’t imagine ever staying here again and I would certainly not bring children here unless you are OK with bad air quality that is only occasionally masked by the heavily perfumed sex workers that are constantly flowing in and out of the place.

The Nines is in a great location right across of Pioneer Square and surrounded by all the retail shops. The lobby is on the 8^th floor which was interesting but a bit confusing. The decorations were interesting especially the giant heels thing. Service was great and very helpful. Our room was very nicely decorated and I especially love the tiffany blue color victorian sofa. The bed and sheets were very comfortable. Overall loved the room but did not love the bathroom too much. I feel like the bathroom was a level down in that it feels a bit cheap for the room. The curtains are a bit too sheer so the room is a bit bright.
It was awesome that we happened to be there during the Rose Parade weekend and was able to see a ton of people in Pioneer Square and watch a bit of the parade from our window. We did come downstairs to join in with the celebration but it was nice to see from our window.

Oh the nines, where do I even begin? My boyfriend and I stayed here during our visit to Portland. This place definitely did not disappoint. Service was fantastic as well as the room. I loved how every night someone comes around and does a turn down service with water and chocolates. We loved the surprise of that! The best part of the stay was obviously the bed. Definitely one of the most comfortable beds we have slept on in a hotel. It wasn’t too soft not was it too hard. The pillows were great as well. I also liked how it was centrally located right next to pioneer place mall so shopping was a breeze especially if we had too many bags walk back to the hotel, drop it off and go back to shopping! We also utilized the gym, it was a bit small but they had the essentials. You had treadmills, steppers and ellipticals, they also had a few weight machines and free weights.
So many things were good about this stay that I can’t think of a reason to not like this place or not to stay here again. I will definitely stay here again in the future!

I can’t say enough good thing about the nines. This is the place to stay when you wanted to be treated well, considered, and spoiled. Whitney checked us in after a 10 hour drive from San Francisco. With a tired a weary crew she was helpful and quick to put us in a room. She explained all the details well and reminded us the club lounge hours.
I use to travel a lot for business and stayed at a range of SPG properties. This is one that I come back even when I’m paying out of my own pocket.

I would definitely stay here again when I return to Portland. The location is great (RIGHT next to all the shopping, tax free!!) the staff is very friendly (someone is always there to open doors for you at the entrance (or exit) and the rooms are nice (loved the bathrobes). We hung out for a few minutes in the lobby area cuz it was so cute (wish we had more time). Also ate at Urban Farmer as well as Departure which weren’t bad at all and very convenient. I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Portland. I guess the rooms are a bit pricey usually but we went in the off season and room rates were VERY reasonable. I really enjoyed my stay.

I’ve stayed at this property a number of times over the last couple years and it was my go to option in PDX.
Sadly the last couple business trips which I’ve chosen to stay here vs. other properties, the customer service, especially for SPG Platinum members has taken a HUGE nose dive. For context I’m in a starwood hotel 90+ nights a year and had to change my schedule which resulted in 1 night cancellation at this location. Unfortunately my admin did not book a refundable rate and when she contacted the hotel, she was rudely told nothing could be done and my status was irrelevant. I then personally reached out to the hotel and then was explained their policy but then was offered a credit for the amount of the cancelled room for a future stay. (great solution I thought).
Then I replied to the hotel contact to let him know I was planning a trip in January and I just wanted to know how to use this credit. No response for a week, then reached out again, no response, and now 2 months later (after reaching out 5x, nothing from the hotel). Net net, this is extremely disappointing behavior that now if forcing me to have to book at another property. A huge fall here if the property can’t even communicate properly back to loyal guests and even worse, stand behind their word. Come on guys… business 101 here.

Great location, great value and lovely furnishings.
They are also very dog friendly and offer a peaceful, quiet, luxury experience right in the middle of Portland, across from a park with a Starbucks in it and all the best shopping, dining and walking that this lovely city affords you.
What a nice hotel.

This was my second stay at The Nines and it is one of my favorite hotels. I love the décor — it’s fun and colorful. I find the vibe neither hipster or stuffy — it’s not a «scene» nor is it pretentious. The interior atrium lobby is beautiful and a lovely place to relax. Our room was beautiful, nicely appointed and clean. It was on a high floor and very quiet. The beds were comfortable, the robes cozy.
We had room service one night from Urban Farmer and it was delicious. It arrived quickly. We also lunched there one day and the food and service was good. It’s true that there are so many wonderful places to eat near the hotel — so come hungry!
The location downtown is terrific. You can take the light rail from the airport right to a half block from the hotel. Public transportation and Über make a car unneeded. For day trips you can rent a car downtown quite easily.
The service was great. Whitney at the front desk took care of us, finding a room that suited my requests (and I always have requests!) and continued to be sweet and helpful during our stay.
The website photos are true to what you will see at the hotel. The upkeep is outstanding, and did not seem dated or in need of a spruce up.
Some reviewers write about small rooms, ours held two queen beds, had chairs and a nice size table and felt spacious. I think our room faced east and we had a lovely view. There were black out curtains and the room was tomb quiet! I always request a room far from the elevators to minimize hallway noise from other guests. I never heard traffic noise — downtown Portland is not like Manhattan.
We also had the concierge floor, which is a private lounge that serves a continental breakfast, afternoon hors d’oeuvres and even an after dinner array of sweets. The staff there was very helpful. We were on a girls weekend and it was nice to have a place to gather and have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.
I will be sure to go back.

I was in town for a conference and with the hotel sold out, I came upon The Nines and am very glad I did.
The check-​in is located on the 8^th floor. A bit odd, but the lobby area around the corner is great. Lots of couches and chairs to lounge about. The steakhouse Urban Farmer is also there and you can order drinks and food during happy hour from anywhere in the lobby area. $ 5 drafts specials during happy hour!
I was placed on a room on the 14^th, with a blocked view to the city. It was probably a good thing to be higher up because of the noise since you are in downtown, but DT is actually pretty quiet the Monday night I was there. Room is spacious and nicely decorated, as you’d expect from a luxury collection hotel from SPG. More boutique-​ish. Bed is comfy, and the bathroom was surprisingly big.
I didn’t dine at the two restaurants on-​site, except for the happy hour at Urban Farmer, since the hotel is so close to many great restaurants. Some of the most popular restaurants and pods are within 5 – 15 minutes walking, which was great. The Nines is also right on top of the Macy’s, and next to a mall & Niketown. The TriMet Red line stops right at the hotel so it was an easy commute from the airport.
The fitness center was surprising. There’s actually quite a large collection of cardio machines and weight training machines. Definitely took advantage of it.
The only two issues I had with The Nines were the wi-​fi connectivity and the brown water from the bath. I had an extremely hard time connecting to wi-​fi at The Nines and of course, after I explained to the front desk, I was transferred to a 3^rd party, I think somewhere in India (accent made it really hard to understand). Took about an hour to get the issue fixed. As for the brown water, I wanted to take a shower after checking in and right when I turned the water, the water was brown. I guess it was from the rusty pipes, but still, it was somewhat disturbing. Had to let it run for about 3 – 4 minutes before it was okay.
Overall, it was a very nice stay with very courteous staff, and for my first Luxury Collection, it left a good impression.

Things to keep in mind: the standard room is anywhere between 188 square feet and 400 square feet. Look at the picture of our chair to see how they squeezed it into the room. I’m not sure how anyone could sit in the chair — might as well not have it in the room. Apparently we got the 188 square foot room, but paid $ 500/​night — the same as someone who got the 400 square foot room.
The Benson Hotel has a suite for the same price right now — or Hotel Lucia’s Junior Suite for the same price also — We’ll stay at one of those places the next time were in town. Heck — we could stay at the Crystal hotel and have a nice soaking pool with cocktails (the nines does not have a spa or anything).
We got the breakfast package. When our breakfast was delivered 30 minutes late, it came without a table to eat it on. We had to eat it on the bed… a little pathetic. The Benedict came on rock hard, nearly burnt «english» muffins.
I’m sitting in the room writing this… I would be satisfied if this room had cost us $ 250.
Btw– I haven’t complained to management because I really don’t care what they think. We simply won’t be back here and I think you shouldn’t come here either. There are lots of better options within a couple blocks.

I think The Nines is really overrated — kind of a glorified W and pretending to be more luxurious than it really is.
Décor is a bit over the top but already feels dated. Service is average at best. Valet is a rip off at $ 43/​night. The hotel dining is only okay — again pretending to be super hip but not really that great. Rooms are really small.
Service at Urban Farmer — their lobby restaurant — was downright rude.
I got a nice mail prior to arrival asking for info on my guests, etc., yet they only provided 1 water, 1 robe, etc. in the room upon check in so clearly had not followed up from the concierge mail.
The crowd staying at the hotel was also sketchy, especially those heading up to the bar on the 15^th floor. Felt a little Vegas which was strange for Portland.
Next time, I’ll go back to staying at the Hotel Monaco which has better service, rooms, and pricing.

Good location, decent front desk but more of a 4-​star experience than 5-​star.
Stayed in a club ‘corner’ room, which was supposed to be the bigger layout. The room was tiny. Like could have been NYC tiny. I can only imagine how small the non-​corner rooms. It was adequately appointed but lacked many of the modern touches like touch-​button windows/​cleaning request etc.
Club wasn’t worth it because we had free breakfast perk anyway. Can get a drink or two at the club in the evening but not sure the extra money really.
Service was OK — the front desk had a welcome note and some snacks which was a nice touch. Cleaning people were slow, we’d be gone for an hour and a half in the morning and come back to a dirty room. Also if you miss the one time they pass for turn-​down service, you’re out of luck apparently.
Odd Lexus sponsoring all over the hotel as well, its like there was a Lexus convention there.
Had to use the business center for something, it was bad — they charge for internet by the minute. Hardly 5-​star.
Not a bad place but would probably try something else if I ever go back to PDX.

Beware night owls– there are no blackout curtains!!! I called the manager to see if I could check out early and he was being rude. «I’ll send an engineer to see if the curtains are hung correctly” — first of all WHY do I need an ENGINEER to discuss whether a curtain blacks things out.
Bathroom– no bathtub just a shower. Asian style with no barrier between the shower floor and the regular floor.
Valet– Horrible. Prepare to wait 30+ minutes for your car and pay $ 43
STAY AT THE HEATHMAN. The Heathman knows what they are doing. The valet is cheaper, quicker, and the service is ten times better. The curtains are actual rated blackout curtains.

Met a friend here for drinks who used to live in SF that id not seen in a while. On a really hot day we caught up on the balcony bar that over looks a good amount of town. Is this really Portland? It felt kind of Las Vegas to tell you the truth. For a Wednesday night, people were really dressed up to see and be seen. My friend had already scored a lounge sofa near the edge in the corner and gave us a view of both the crowd and the city. There was an old crusty dude that seemed to be there to check out the women and skeezin it. There definitely were some super short skirts making the rounds. Some champagne before dinner, checking out the eclectic crowd, and trying to stay cool at sunset

My work put me up here during a business trip to our Portland office. I got a corner room with a «city» view rather than a view of the lobby/​atrium. The room was clean and very comfortable. My only gripe in terms of cleanliness was the film of dust on the bar (including the glasses). Nothing that I couldn’t wash off but it would’ve been nice not to deal with it.
What I love about The Nines is how modern it feels despite the fact that it is a swankier hotel. I often associate stuffiness with high end hotels. That was not the case here at all. It had welcome pops of color and trendy art pieces on the walls.
What should be a 5 star review is bumped down to a 4 on account of horrendously slow internet. At this price point, the WiFi should absolutely be free. However, while it was free, it was loading everything at such a glacial pace that I turned it off and opted to use my data instead.
Overall, I would highly recommend this for travelers who are in town to explore the city. For business travelers who expect to get some work done in the hotel via WiFi, you might want to go somewhere else.

A very nice hotel, centrally located in downtown Portland. Walking distance to Pearl District and the Waterfront. A quick 15 minute cab ride to Hawthorne.
The center courtyard on the 8^th floor is an absolutely stunning example of great design and genius use of space. The varied seating and changing décor creates a sense of intimacy by breaking the space into smaller segments. There’s a library tucked away by the restrooms. The restaurant Urban Farmer resides here as well.
The rooms themselves are well appointed. Décor features a fun shade of blue. Bathrooms are marble with chrome fixtures. There are rainforest showers, but no tubs. We were upgraded to a corner room, but the view was of another building, so it wasn’t that great.
The top floor has another restaurant, Departure, which features modern Asian Cuisine in a hip setting. We chose not to dine here, but it seemed very popular on a Saturday night. The rooftop patio and bar has good views, and is worth checking out, despite the poorly made drinks.
The service, while nice, wasn’t as polished as other 5-​star luxury hotels. Overall though, The Nines is a solid luxury option to stay at in Portland.
Other notes:
–Valet parking is $ 43 overnight
–There is a gym. No pool.
–Club level rooms have access to the Club Lounge which comes with complimentary breakfast, snacks, and open bar.

When my girls were planning our trip to Portland Oregon, for once I took a… Okay more like 100 steps back and let them do all the Unilocaling/​planning. That’s very unlike my nature but they knew me well enough to account for my taste.
My bestie, love her to death, she always pulls out all the stops for me. She booked the 7 of us three separate rooms at this highly acclaimed boutique type hotel.
It sits perfectly in downtown, a mini hop, skip and a jump away from food and more importantly, booze!
The staff is friendly and abundant so there’s always someone available to answer inquiries, call cabs and even take the same group photo with 10 different cellphones.
The lobby area, set on the 8^th floor is just beautiful. It’s set to resemble a open-​air outdoor feel with the most beautiful décor, fixtures and layout. This lobby area also houses the library bar and urban farmer. I felt like I had to take photos of this particular area in every which angle my phone would allow.
Our rooms, on the upper floors were just as swanky. It reminded me of Hollywood glamour, crystals, velvets and leathers– in my favorite color no less. I marveled at how pretty everything was that I disregarded the lack of intuitive placements of charging docks etc (this is just be being picky now).
Upstairs as well is a bar/​lounge for those wanting that late night libation. And we sure had lots of those.
The hotel provided us a fabulous place to rest our heads, changw into our heels and mend our hangovers. Cheers!