Portland: The Nines Hotel

Our stay in Portland for my birthday weekend couldn’t have been more lovely. I chose The Nines hotel due to it’s beauty and location, but it really turned out to be so much more. Let me tell you all I learned about this historic property.

First off, getting to The Nines from PDX airport was stupid easy.  Get your bags, go down the escalator, turn right and follow the signs to the Max Light Rail. You buy tickets right on the platform and then hop on; there’s only one direction to go. Approximately 40 minutes later, get off on the SW Morrison. Look kitty corner from the plaza and you will see the gorgeous building that houses The Nines.

Fortunately, we checked in on a day that The Nines was holding their “Art, Architecture & History of the Meier and Frank Building Tour.” I am so glad that this was one of the first things I did. It felt like all of the visual stimuli of the hotel came together and made perfect sense after hearing how they tied into the rich history on the property. The Meier and Frank Building was originally home to the most popular department store for miles around and continues to be a cornerstone of Historic Portland. The hotel takes up the top 9 floors (reception is on the 8th floor). An impressive atrium now houses the center of the building where department store shoppers once scurried from floor to floor. Clint, the expert concierge who led my tour recalled visiting one floor entirely dedicated to all things Christmas as a child. I won’t spoil the whole tour for you, but you can expect to hear about the significant works of art in the hotel, the department store’s crossed path with Hollywood, and a stroll outside to visit Portland’s very own famous Plaza. Trust me, after this tour, the mannequins by the reception desk will totally make sense.

We stayed in a Deluxe City View Room, which indeed had decent view of the surrounding architecture (I think we were on the 11th floor). The room itself was decked out in an old Hollywood glamour style with Tiffany-blue pops of color. The room was well equipped with everything and I wanted for nothing in the bathroom. The bed was super comfy and luxurious- perfect for champagne in bed. The hotel offers club level accommodations that include light meals, snacks, and drinks throughout the day in the club lounge. If you take the building tour, you will get to see this space and may be treated to a glass of champagne of your own! Don’t forget to ask to see the secret billiards room.

Hands down, our favorite space in the hotel was the Urban Farmer restaurant located on the 8th floor in the atrium. Well, to be specific, the bar of Urban Farmer was our favorite space; we didn’t actually eat at the restaurant but we had a cheese plate or two along side some whiskey and martinis. The restaurant is “farm to table” but really the majority of the produce is grown on site at the hotel.

The natural sunlight fills the space so beautifully that you could be here for hours watching people come and go, conversing with the bartender about music and goings on in the city. Departure is the hotel’s modern Asian restaurant located on the top floor.  The prices were high and the interior space was so-so, but the sushi was excellent and the views were fantastic. If you love sake, they have the most extensive sake list in all of Portland. After dinner we wandered over to their rooftop bar where we put up with the cold wind enough to have a drink and soak up the pretty and sunny city views.

I specifically came to Portland to discover this city and honestly didn’t envision wasting much time at the accommodations. But you know what, spending time in this room, with my husband, in the middle of the day with a glass of champagne may have just been the best part of the entire trip.