We chose to stay at the Monaco for 5 days after Christmas 2011 for the simple reason that it was downtown & would give us a central base to explore from. Being that it was rated #1 in Portland helped, but sometimes even a #1 for some people won't necessarily be a #1 experience for you. I'm happy to report that for us, the Monaco is deserving of the top spot.
Even before we arrived, I received an email from the hotel asking if there was anything we needed done for us before we arrived: dinner reservations? Suggestions on what to do or where to go? Something special in the room? Nice touch.
We booked 2 rooms: 1 with 2 queens and a pull out sofa, the other with 1 king and a pull out sofa for 6 of us. One room was ready so we dumped our luggage and went for lunch. An hour later the front desk called me to say the other room was ready.
These particular rooms are large (much appreciated with 4 teenagers in tow) and nicely appointed with a total of 4 flat panel large screen TVs in total. They don't cheap out on bath products or linens either - this is definitely a luxury boutique hotel.
The front desk staff was extremely helpful in finding us restaurants to dine at. We even approached them at 8 pm on New Years Eve asking them...We chose to stay at the Monaco for 5 days after Christmas 2011 for the simple reason that it was downtown & would give us a central base to explore from. Being that it was rated #1 in Portland helped, but sometimes even a #1 for some people won't necessarily be a #1 experience for you. I'm happy to report that for us, the Monaco is deserving of the top spot.
Even before we arrived, I received an email from the hotel asking if there was anything we needed done for us before we arrived: dinner reservations? Suggestions on what to do or where to go? Something special in the room? Nice touch.
We booked 2 rooms: 1 with 2 queens and a pull out sofa, the other with 1 king and a pull out sofa for 6 of us. One room was ready so we dumped our luggage and went for lunch. An hour later the front desk called me to say the other room was ready.
These particular rooms are large (much appreciated with 4 teenagers in tow) and nicely appointed with a total of 4 flat panel large screen TVs in total. They don't cheap out on bath products or linens either - this is definitely a luxury boutique hotel.
The front desk staff was extremely helpful in finding us restaurants to dine at. We even approached them at 8 pm on New Years Eve asking them to find somewhere for us for supper - not an easy task on one of the busiest nights of the year, but they came through in less than 10 minutes. Also, when we needed extra pillows, champagne glasses, etc., the items were brought to our rooms in under 10 minutes.
The wine hour held every day in the lobby is very popular. A good portion of the hotel guests congregate here to sip local wines and mingle with other guests. You can even dig into some art supplies and paint a picture. One night, the hotel provided guests with legendary Voodoo Doughnuts to sample along with the wine.
Probably the gems of the staff though, are found underground. That's right - the fellows who park the cars are absolute fonts of information who gave us endless tips and suggestions on where to eat, where to hike, where to shop, and day trips off the beaten path. So here's a tip: if the front desk is too busy, go downstairs to the garage and talk to the boys.
This hotel is situated close to shopping (Macy's, Nordstroms, Pioneer Place), many restaurants, and the light rail transit system. We would, without hesitation, stay at the Monaco again -- and looking forward to it as Portland is a beautiful city with tons of good restaurants, cool boutiques and districts to explore.More
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