Econo Lodge at Port of Portland

I would like to write this review to say and the next time I come to Portland I definitely will go to Econo Lodge it’ was a very nice stay what a great job Mandy did at Econo Lodge in Portland to take care of me with my situation I have no credit card I payed with cash no other motel in Portland would do it. I was very appreciative of what service she gave me.

I arrived in Portland on a red eye with a lodging plan that failed at the last minute. After calling half a dozen hotels and hostels searching for an affordable vacancy, I called this EL and spoke to Mike. He was very reasonable and offered a slightly lowered rate since I planned to arrive at 3 am.
When I arrived Mike took the time to explain the facilities in a patient manner — seemingly simple but not always a certainty at hotels.
I got the impression during our conversations that Mike was making an effort to build comfort, a nice touch often overlooked.

Front desk attendant was REALLY HELPFUL (said very sarcastically) «Kim» could not be distracted from whatever it is she was doing… with no one in the lobby!!! I cant comprehend the attitude she was throwin at me for asking her questions about the room!!! If she cannot handle servicing customers while in a customer servise position… maybe she should FIND ANOTHER JOB… oh wait… that might have to make her actually work… instead of sitting at a desk in an empty lobby… only to be bothered and irritated by a guest staying in the motel!!! I guess the cliché of «you get what you pay for» is so very true… especially in the customer service department. Sheeeesh!!! **eyes rolling**
Customer service — 1star
Motel — ?? star (we shall rate in the morning)

This hotel was clean, quiet, and the staff was very friendly. The jacuzzi suite was reasonably priced and very relaxing. I would definitely recommend it.

To clarify that amazing 5 STAR rating, it’s not for the condition of the room, or for the complimentary breakfast that we never ate! It’s for Mandy, and mostly Mandy alone.
Her customer service is amazing, she continued to show us how much she appreciated our business and wanted our services!
There are signs displaying UPDATED rooms, we were in two different rooms (108 and 103) and maybe the head board was newer?! Idk… But 108 looks dingy compared to 103 either way they were both just okay rooms.
We’ve been here since March 26^th, and we’re checking out April 10^th so during our stay we’ve been quiet, don’t go to the office unless we’re paying and they don’t have to clean our room.
The manager here is BEYOND irritating!!! Checkout is at 11am and at 11:01am she’s blowing up the phone… SERIOUSLY? I was so irritated (on more than a few occasions with her that I took my sweet time going to the office. How do you call someone for 20 – 30 minutes straight and then when they come to the office you can’t find their paperwork?
In my opinion this is just a okay motel, the bed is a bit uncomfortable, the location is very convenient and it’s generally quiet. Hopefully we never have to stay in a motel again! But, I thank Mandy for making the days that she worked go smoothly for us… She’s the real MVP!
Happy Unilocaling…

Excellent hotel! I have stayed here at this hotel off and on for the last 6 years! Cindy the manager goes out of her way to make your stay great! The house keepers always keep the hotel looking top notch! The beds are big and comfortable! Very convenient to the airport and the max station. This hoel is right off the 205! They just put new flat screen TVs in the rooms! I highly recommend this hotel! Come see for yourself!

1) The front desk attendant appeared to be distracted. (Older gentleman with a beard and glasses) When I checked in I presented the attendant with my check card. He then told me there would be a $ 20 hold on my card, unless I paid with a credit card. I then presented the attendant with my credit card, and shortly after he returned both cards, having charged my debit card for the room and the credit card for the deposit. I then complained and asked him, why exactly did he charge both cards separately, instead of just using the credit card I gave him (which would eliminate the need to collect a deposit) The attendant then apologized and said there was nothing he could do then about the transaction.
*** Note: there’s nothing worse than conducting a business transaction with someone who is ignorant, asleep at the wheel or improperly trained. ***
2) The outside appearance was scary. There was poor lighting all around and motor oil throughout the parking spaces.
3) The room, was the classic bait and switch with online photos that appear cheery and sunny, and the reality that it’s really just a roach motel next to the airport.
— The sheets were thin and smelled heavily of bleach
— While washing my face with a towel, my eyes began to burn (clearly the towels were soaked in bleach)
— My non-​smoking room smelled heavily of perfume and cigarette smoke (the worst!)
— AC unit on wall had a constant knocking noise when turned on
— Bed sheets were see through thin and old
— There was no bed frame, only a piece of reclaimed wooden furniture that was somehow sawed down into the shape of a box, poking out abt 6inches larger than the mattress.
On checkout I explained why I chose to early checkout of a two day reservation, and the manager gave a full throated defense of the front desk attendant. I was never offered a refund.

I’m giving this 5 stars because, for the price, it exceeded our expectations.
My husband and I stayed in the jacuzzi suite and it was clean, comfortable, and frankly awesome to have a jacuzzi tub right there in the room. We would have paid twice as much as the upgraded suite just to have a regular room at another hotel, so we were very happy. The staff was considerate and friendly. There were definitely some sketchy people in the parking lot, but we didn’t hang out there — we really enjoyed our stay.

I’ve never had the worst experience with a hotel such as this one and I’ve stayed at some run down motels. Bed spreads smelled like B. O and fornication. It was a health hazard, when my four year old walked in, held his nose and said it stinks. I was horrified that my kid was in that room. After offering to change one bed spread I was kicked out and refused another room or my money for the room I paid 2 nights for or the security deposit back, if I wasn’t to leave in 3 mins the cops would be called. Never have I been in such a smelly nasty place with awful service or adequate staff.

I needed an inexpensive place to stay for six nights, and this place suited my needs. I loved that it was in close proximity (i.e. five minute walk) to the Parkrose/​Sumner red line MAX station (it made traveling all that much easier). The perks of that are that you’re only two stops away from Target and one stop from a shopping center with tons of places to eat. (It’s also a ten minute walk away from The Grotto.)
When I checked in, the person who helped me out (her name was Robin… I remember calling her several times while I was booking a room… she didn’t even sound annoyed that I called her three times over the course of ten minutes) was friendly and told me, «We like to fix problems right away. So if there’s anything wrong with your room, call us so we can do something about it.» I didn’t find anything wrong with my room except that the safe was closed. Apparently, they don’t have the means to digitally unlock all the safes if you forget the combo, so they don’t let patrons use the safes (because if the safe doesn’t open, they’ll have to destroy it and charge you for it).
I think I was placed in the room meant for people with disabilities (I was wondering why the peephole on the door was near the height of my hip… and it would explain why the light switches were also really low). I thought it was a little weird that the tub had no shower curtains (the floor was always wet after I showered).
I never woke up early enough (6am-​9am) for the breakfast, so I can’t really comment on the selection. From what I’ve read, it’s pretty standard breakfast food.
I left the «do not disturb» thing on my door forever, so the maids never came into my room (I’m not very high maintenance, so I didn’t need them to change my sheets and towels everyday). One day, as I was going out, one of the maids asked me if I was okay. I was surprised by this question, but I answered positively. She then informed me that they were worried about me, and I was also surprised by that. Apparently, since I left the «do not disturb» thing on my door all the time, they thought that I never left my room or anything. I appreciated her concern (I was traveling alone, so it was sort of nerve-​wracking for me) and she made me feel comfortable being there.
The rooms all come with a microwave and mini-​fridge, so you can take foods to-​go, store them, and re-​heat to eat the next day. You can pretty much just live in the motel all week if you have enough food stocked. But I suppose that defeats the purpose of traveling.
Even though the area around the motel is seedy, nothing too bad happened (I mean, a few people asked me for money, but that happens in the nicest areas, too). There was one night when the patrons in the room above mine were fighting and I could hear someone tell someone else to «get the fuck out.» Also, one morning, I heard this girl on my floor say, «Give me my fucking money.» Regardless of these negative aspects, I would definitely stay here again if I were to come back to Portland.

We stayed at this Econo Lodge for 3 nights, because it was close to the Parkrose/​Sumner red line Max station, and the price was good. The staff was nice and helpful, and the rooms were updated and pretty clean. The microwave & mini fridge were very convenient & worked well. We chose a non smoking room, but there were cigarette burns in the bathtub and bedsheets. When we arrived at the motel a fight was going on in the parking lot. Our main complaint about this motel was the amount of noise at night. People in the room next to us took showers at all hours of the night, which woke us up. From 5 – 7 am, a woman kept us awake pacing back and fourth in front of our room talking on a cell phone. It was obvious that she was intoxicated. The next night, a taxi arrived at 4:30 am & waited until 4:45 am while a man went to the room next door, pounded on the door, talked loudly for 15 minutes, and then got back in the taxi and drove away. The people in the room next to us appeared to be long term residents at the motel. We would not stay here again, but hope that improvements are made for future guests.

I thought i was going to die… literally. As we were walking up to our room there was a couple out front fighting… yelling, hitting, etc. My fiancé yelled that he was going to call the cops if he touched her… yes it was that bad. Then there were a couple of shady people in the parking lot who were just sitting in their cars. Now as far as the room goes. there was gum stuck on the wall by the bed, the toilet wasn’t flushing properly and the comforter was the thickness of a sheet so we were freezing. Don’t get me wrong there were some pluses. The size of the room was decent, the girl at the front desk was nice and they had a sweet jacuzzi. Would i ever book here again? Not if i want to live through the night. Was waiting for gunshots and ghetto birds to be flying overhead.

Inexpensive, newly remodeled (we stayed here June 2012), convenient to Portland, and nice amenities for an economy hotel –works for me!
We had the worst time picking a hotel in Portland that fit our budget and didn’t have terrible reviews, so when I was satisfied with our ultimate choice, I thought I should help out future travelers.
We’re just stopping through on a drive back to Seattle, but I take it this is close to the airport, and it’s an easy enough distance into downtown as well.
It’s got that new-​car smell of a just-​remodeled hotel. The style is a little over the top for me, but that’s only if I were living here. For staying for a night, the granite (ish?) counters and brushed nickel furniture are a nice, faux-​upscale touch for an Econo Lodge. It’s all very clean, and that’s really what matters. We had a non-​smoking room, and it smelled fresh. They haven’t updated everything (the toilet was still old, for instance), but the carpets, linens, and drapes were all new, and most everything refreshed.
Also: extras. There’s a decent size fridge, microwave, coffee maker, hairdryer, clock radio, TV with lots of channels, strong WIFI signal (even in our room, which is absolutely furthest away from the office), powerful A/​C and heater, elevator, toiletries, tissues (our last hotel didn’t have any, so I mention it!), enough outlets, big desk, dresser, snazzy electronic safe. Even a sturdy shelf to rest your suitcase on. I’m quite impressed.
Downstairs is a continental breakfast from 6 – 9. Nothing special, but bagels (no cream cheese, though) and muffins with coffee make for a good wake-​up meal. The coffee is Tully’s, though unfortunately there’s no half-​and-​half or milk, just artificial creamer. (Have you read the ingredients on that stuff? They even say on the package, «This is a non-​dairy product,» which makes me laugh.)
Computer + printer in lobby for guest use, if you need to print boarding passes.
There’s a spa and sauna room (with extra towels) that’s open to kids. If you don’t have kids, that might make your heart sink, but that’s only because you’re thinking you’re actually going to use it. You’re not. The only people who ever use hotel pools are kids. So I was glad our kids were invited to use the hot tub, even though we didn’t make it down there for this stay, having over-​pooled ourselves in our last two hotels. (Suits are still drying!)
I’m giving 4 stars because there are things that could be improved: the towel shelf in our bathroom is sagging; the toiletries are nothing to write home about (but I brought my own, duh), the blankets were really thin (thinner than normal for cheap hotels, it seems to me). The rooms are the kind that border on an outdoor metal balcony, and it was really narrow. That might be why there’s no luggage cart, which was kind of a bummer for schlepping stuff for four people to the third floor.
But: 4 stars anyway, because the check-​in person was friendly, the price was amazingly right ($ 67 + tax for a family of four, 2 queen beds), parking is free, everything was clean and as comfortable as an economy hotel would ever be, and we felt safe enough in this area. We even got a good night’s sleep.

So far it’s been okay. Besides the black guys yelling out the window every other word was the n word and f word. I haven’t tried the wi fi yet because I use my 3G. I’m used to the above things being from California and all. The room is nice but smells like an ash tray. I’ve had better but at the same time I’ve had way worse.

Sigh. Mixed feelings when I have to write this kind of review…
It was cheap: $ 54 through
.
It’s a mom-​and-​pop operation, for better and worse. If you’re like me, you want to see the little guy succeed in a world dominated by corporate giants.
I was assigned a non-​smoking room on the third floor.
The room may be currently designated as non-​smoking, but one can tell — ever so faintly — that this was not always the case. Once a smoking room, always a smoking room…
The WiFi system performed terribly. It was installed using ordinary consumer grade components one would purchase at Fry’s. The components themselves aren’t a problem, but they demonstrate that the system was not professionally designed or installed. Performance on the third floor was terrible; DHCP registration was timing out. I had to take my laptop outside and stand on the balcony to get it to register. Moving back into my room, the throughput was very slow.
The complimentary continental breakfast is insufficient. They don’t have sufficient space for a breakfast room, so they issue a meal ticket in partnership with the venerable Jim Dandy Drive Inn (
) — located across the street. Jim Dandy is an awesome little diner… but they are very stingy with the complimentary continental breakfast offering. A small can of juice + coffee + toast OR shrink-​wrapped pastry OR English muffin. No fruit, cereal, waffle, etc. Additional items are available for purchase off of Jim Dandy’s menu… but make sure you have cash. No cards accepted.
This is the second time I have encountered these sorts of issues in an independently-​owned chain motel. What I am starting to learn:
If a franchise motel is the run as a mom-and-pop…and it’s the only property they own, quality will suffer relative to other motels that are owned and run directly by the corporation. The multi-​unit franchises –as well as the giants — enjoy economies of scale in purchasing power for breakfast items, for example.
If you want the full, enjoyable mom-​and-​pop experience, you have to pony up the extra money to stay in a B&B.