There was only one elevator functioning when we stayed.... That made checking out on time a little difficult because it would fill up before reaching our floor. Rooms were modernized, cozy and bright, bed was firm and comfy memory foam. City views were good. There wasn't much bathroom counter space, so that was a little awkward. Our shower didn't get "hot" just luke warm. Bar was great and staff was friendly.
Reception staff were friendly. That's about all this place has going for it (okay, and a good looking lobby as referenced below). When I arrived in my room, it had clearly been serviced (bed made, bathroom tidy with fresh towels), but throughout my one night stay, I continued to discover more surprises. Cashew bit (I think?!) on the carpet near the bed, random crust discovered while flipping through an informational booklet, and old food left in the mini fridge. One of these things I understand could be missed (except the food? Gross!), but all of it made the place feel poorly looked after and cheap. The lobby is quite pretty but I'm underwhelmed by prettiness when basic cleanliness is lacking. I called the front desk to inform them about the food in the fridge. No one answered for a good five minutes. All in all, I felt like I was staying at a low budget establishment - for what I paid, I expect much more. Highly disappointed I didn't choose one of the many other hotels I considered in the area.
Ian in the valet was super kind. Love the interior and the fact is so close to one of my favorite restaurants when I go to downtown portland with clients.
Amazing Hotel, definitly I would go back, the beds are amazing, and the bathrooms remodeled.
Very good hotel at down and most of the happening places were at walkable distance
Room was nice. Strange bathroom layout. Very European. Front desk staff was iffy.
The staff were amazing, the room and bed were comfortable and the ambiance was classy and comfortable. I'd stay there again, no question!
The Benson, reasonably priced, great city views and did I forget to say, beautiful.
Fun event in one of their event rooms. The lobby was decked out for holiday and the signature cocktail (peppermint martini) was delicious
The staff at the desk are friendly and efficient. The room is clean and comfortable. Everything in the room is reasonably new.
Entered the lobby to say goodbye to an old friend. It smelled real nice and felt real comfy.
The water is awful, but the service is great. Conference food was wanting.
You get what you pay for and they did not disappoint. The beds are so ridiculously comfortable, I almost cried when I had to leave it. The fur throw is a great touch, nice deep pile carpets,(not the usual industrial scratchy stuff others use)and a great shower. The elevators are under refurbishment at the moment but it was of no serious concern. Staff is bright and friendly and were extremely accommodating about a late check out. That bed...it's all the beds fault! Very centrally located, valet parking is great and right on the same price point you would expect at any downtown hotel. There is parking across the street in a lot for cheaper if you prefer. I will be back! Oh, don't forget to check out the Palm Court. To die for cocktails!
Great place. I've never stayed there but the people I drive there are really fancy.
Nice hotel in a good location. Staff was friendly and helpful. Great little local coffee stand just outside and close to food truck pods. The elevators suck and you may wait a long time. No pool.
The good:
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Summary:
Highly disappointed for a $250+ per night stay.
This place is WAY over priced for the old rooms needing updated, the stinky and dirty halls were gross, the clogged sink was gross and luke warm shower left a lot to be desired. Will spend a little less and stay at the Heathman next time.
Seemed nice. I visited a friend who was staying there.
Old world charm meets modern Portland! LOVED every aspect of this hotel. From the stiff drinks at the bar, to the live, piano or jazz (check in on the time/dates). The food was really good! Location, location, location! I felt like Humphrey Boggart or Audrey Hepburn was about to walk in the door... this place has such rich history!
PS: did you know that the Mr. Benson also commissioned the brass drinking fountains around PDX!? He preferred his loggers would drink water versus beer!
For two hundred dollars a night, the bathrooms were out of date with no counter space, the bed was extremely comfortable!!! Smelled clean, the hotel was quiet.
Very clean and comfortable, big beds and large rooms in a classic style.
Nice hotel in good location,walking distance to lots of restraunts and bars.bed was comfortable but room was a little small compared to some others stayed.
Nice, old, sentimental character with a touch of tacky, I guess. Not the greatest service either but fun to enjoy the occasional drink here.
Stayed here on my wedding night. The room was fantastic and the service was excellent. It was an excellent space to wind down after an exhausting day.
Beautiful hotel. Everyone here is very friendly and helpful!
Good location near restaurants, bars and shopping. Staff was professional and friendly. A good value.
Decent boutique hotel in a central location, but had some issues with check in (check in was officially at 4pm, we arrived at 2pm and were told that we had to wait until they texted us when our room was ready, came back at 4pm and were asked did you receive a text yet? And that our room was still not ready, then waited another 30 minutes, and at 4:30 asked again and they said oh your room has been ready, but never received a text). Also, we brought our dog and paid the dog fee but were never told about or received any dog amenities which we saw advertised after our stay.
The lobby was decorated beautifully for Christmas. Perfect for getting in the Christmas mood. Friendly staff, easy check in and comfortable room.
Came for the Thanksgiving dinner buffet. Great selection and nice food. Only drawback would be the fact that we are sitting in a big meeting room converted to dinning place. Not really fine-dinning environment per see, but overall experience is pretty good.
Really comfortable beds. The concierge service was really helpful and also let us store our bags before check in so we could get around easier. Really clean also.
We spent most of new years Eve here. They have out hats and paraphernalia, which was nice. Cocktails and dessert were expensive, but were only okay. Their Moscow mule seemed more ginger-ale than ginger beer. All-in-all, a 4 out of 5. Service was friendly.
Front desk check-in lady was rude. Was checking in with my partner, and she didn't even remotely acknowledge me whatsoever. When she asked my partner to fill out some paperwork, she just didn't even care that I was there and to "just list the gentleman's first and last name." Hello? Am I invisible? I'm right here! Rude. Didn't feel welcomed. Bathroom was nice. Backboard of bed creaked a lot. Wouldn't stay here again if my life depended on it.
Beautiful lobby, the room was nice but not worth the price.
One of the landmarks of downtown Portland. After a period of decline, the Benson has been restored to its former glory. A very comfortable and gracious hotel that still believes in service. Undoubtedly the best place to stay in Portland. AND, affordable!
We ate in the Palm Court bar and as usual it was excellent.
UPDATED BELOW
I'll say first, I've never stayed here. My review is based on the lie I was told by the staff when I called and canceled my reservation. Granted I called to cancel my reservation the morning of and fully expected to be charged the full rate as the reservation stated 24 hr advanced notice, but the nice lady helping me cancel my reservation promised a discounted cancellation fee of $50 rather than the full $200. I was quite surprised to see a charge come through on Tuesday of the full rate of $227.
I know I cancelled late but was promised a fee of $50, but was then charged $227.
I didn't get the confirmation number of the cancellation because I made the mistake of trusting the person I was talking to.
UPDATE:
I was contacted by the hotel management and they clarified the issue and corrected the credit card charges.
Beautiful old school hotel in the heart of downtown.
Beautiful hotel, perfect location, and lovely service.
I went in to schedule a Wedding Venue at The Benson with Janet. She was super helpful, I highly recommend talking to her! The Benson is a beautiful venue in the heart of Downtown. If you're looking for a nice place to stay or have an event, look into The Benson.
The lobby bar has great ambiance, good food and pleasant staff.
The hotel is beautiful and the rooms are a great size with great beds but we had a terrible experience with the staff. If you want to be treated with respect and that your concerns matter while staying at a hotel, then this place is not for you. The worst experience I have ever had at a hotel. I would rather stay at a motel 6 than the treatment I recieved st this hotel. Which is disappointing because this hotel is gorgeous but the treatment was horrible
The lobby is charmingly decorated and the staff is very attentive.
Super swanky and excellent service. Definitely holds up to it's reputation. My only complaint was the shower kinda sucked. But everything else was fantastic.
I went to the Benson for a catered brunch. The staff was very welcoming, professional and the food was delicious. I would definitely recommend hosting an event here.
Staff is very friendly, the restaurant inside is delicious, and the rooms are clean and updated.
Stayed a single night with no issues. Very nice hotel.
Centrally located, room was clean and well furnished. Wifi is complimentary, the water was not ($3 a bottle). Overall, its a good hotel for the price.
Such a beautiful and historical place to stay. I loved the beautiful chandeliers and old architecture. The rooms are very cozy and I was more than happy with my stay! Prices were also VERY reasonable give the amazing location along with how nice this hotel is.
This landmark hotel is located in downtown Portland The Benson Hotelis popular year around but really shines during the holidays as the lobby is decorated with a beautiful big Christmas tree and hundreds of poinsettias. Beautiful!
I love the old architecture, design, and furniture here.
Good rooms, great location. Concierge was friendly and helpful.
The Benson is where I stay when in Portland. it's a classy old hotel with very comfortable rooms. The downstairs lounge and restaurant is welcoming with a nice wine list and tasty snacks.
The staff were great, the room was clean and we'll appointed, and our stay was excellent
Check in was quick and easy without problems. Rooms were clean and tidy when we entered. Wish I was able to explore the hotel a bit more, but I was only there overnight
Spooky and full of character. Love this hotel wish I'd stayed longer!
Wow! Absolutely blown away. The room was amazing and the service was even better. Every person that helped us during our stay was outstanding. What a wonderful group of people. George, their amazing manager, truly knows what he is doing. We can t thank this place enough. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great place to stay. We will definitely be going back!
This hotel knows what's up. At first, you may feel out of place. Walking in with jeans and a t, I felt like I had found the wrong hotel. But the staff is super welcoming and very nice.
The rooms are spectacular and very clean. The robes are soft. The showers are FANTASTIC. And these rooms make you feel very comfy.
The Benson does a fabulous job at taking out the impersonality some chains have. It felt less like a transaction and more like I was invited to someone's place.
Granted I don't think the point system works anywhere else, but even with that drawback, I will be staying here everytime I'm in the area.
(They also have Blanton's Whisky. One of the few places in the WORLD that have it left. So maybe I'm a little biased? :D)
Excellent service, friendly and professional staff, and clean accommodations!
Fantastic historic hotel. We attend a networking meeting here almost each week and the food is fantastic and service is impeccable.
This is a beautiful place to visit, we had a great stay
Loved the hotel. It was very clean, very roomy and the staff was very sociable and helpful.
Great location, walk to great restaurants, bars, and Powell's. The lobby is beautiful and the rooms are clean and very functional, recently remodeled, nice for an older hotel. You get the best of both worlds, character and comfort. The staff are very helpful, and friendly.
I did not stay at The Benson, I was delivering to El Gaucho, the restaurant inside.
Lovely old hotel with great service, nicely redone bathrooms, and a really helpful staff. Food in the restaurant and lounge is good. Only critique would be slow elevators and room service that only goes until 11 p.m. Although there are lots of nice places to eat in the area.
Located in Downtown Portland, The Benson is well-maintained hotel with a lobby that retains it's old-school charm and modern, updated rooms. The staff are warm, friendly, and helpful, while the bedding is cozy and comfortable. The bathroom falls victim to questionable design decisions, like a sink that's either too small or too far from the faucet and a bathtub whose side glass only shields 4/5th of the exposed side.
Very clean and great service, located in the downtown area.
Clean, comfortable and relaxing. Great location for walking.
Beautiful hotel and great service. Only 4 stars because parking was $40!
Exquisite Hotel! Very beautiful elegant old hotel with all the modern updates. Great location right downtown! Truly one of Portland's premier Grand Hotels!
bensonhotel.com
