Background:

My wife and I where moving from Astoria, Oregon to Salt Lake City. In order to relieve pressure on finding a place, we traveled down to Salt Lake City, found an Apartment, then left our vehicle in Salt Lake and flew back to Portland where we picked up a rental truck the next morning.

The Story:

I made reservations at the Days Inn City Center because of its central location, and the next morning be able to ride the Portland Streetcar to the Penske moving truck location. We flew Southwest (review coming up) to the Portland Airport. The weather report on the plane said drizzle but there was no rain when we arrived so we took Portland's MAX light rail train to downtown from the airport. MAX let us off 7 blocks from the hotel which seems like a lot but Portland's blocks are only about 200 feet long so it was much shorter than blocks in many other cities. The rate at the hotel was only $43.00 for the night so it was a bargain. For people driving to the location it is located about a half mile from Interstate 405's 6th Street exit.

The Hotel:

As I stated earlier we picked the Days Inn because of its central location. It is located at the corner of SW Sixth and SW Columbia. The hotel is 5 stories with two elevators and is L-shaped. The Hotel included meeting rooms, room service (with prices ranging from $6.50 to $8.50 for breakfast and dinners ranging from a $7.50 BLT to a $15.95 New York Steak), Parking ($8.00 Per Day), Pool (Seasonal-Outside), Restaurant and Lounge, Business Services, Internet Kiosk, and they do allow pets. The Hotel looked like it was built in the early 70's? The Hotel does not have a fitness center but gives you free passes to 24 hour fitness.

Check In:

The front desk person was efficient but was not overly friendly. She did her job well but acted like she just didn't want to be there.

The Room:

As you walked into the room there was a small area to the left for your luggage that had one suitcase stand. Beyond the luggage area was the fairly large bathroom which I will discuss later. As you entered the main part of the room continuing along the right wall is a dresser with the t.v. on it and then a writing desk. To the left was the queen bed with the standard nightstand on each side and a chair between the nightstand and the window. There was also a bookshelf above the dresser and a digital clock on one of the nightstands. Television stations included: ABC, TBS, CBS, USA, NBC, Disney, PBS, UPN, Foxsports, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Showtime, TLC, Discovery, CNN, Headline News, CNBC and the weather channel.

The Good:

The bathroom was nice and large. As you entered the bathroom there was a long vanity to the right and the bathtub to the left with the toilet straight ahead in the center. While you don't spend a lot of time in the bathroom, the nice size made it easy for my wife and I to get ready at the same time. Also it is a nice feature that they have a bookshelf with some books on it but it looks like they got the books at a yard sale or Goodwill store since all the books where at least 30 to 40 years old.

The Bad:

The rooms either have heat or they have air conditioning but not both. Apparently the system is central and so they have to switch the entire hotel from one to another. The day before we arrived was in the 50's, but we arrived to 74 degree weather and it was humid. Most people where using the wooden hangers from the luggage area to prop open the window to have fresh air. They also charge you for every time you .99 cents every time you use the phone including to check messages and as stated before they charge you $8.00 a night to park your car in their lot.

The Ugly:

The chair in room was dirty and needed to be cleaned. Then there was the bed. While I like a firm bed since I have a couple of back problems, this bed was hard as a rock. It felt like you where sleeping on solid concrete.

Check Out:

Check out went smooth but once again the front desk person acted like they needed to find a new job. In addition they try to tell the person ahead of me that the rate they booked on line was not one of their rates and he would have to pay more. After I started waiting she just let him have the rate he reserved.

The Restaurant:

We had breakfast at the restaurant and the best thing that could be said is that the food was good. Service on the other had was very bad. There was only four couples in the restaurant and 3 waitresses but it took over an hour and a half for us to be seated, order food, have our food arrive, eat and finally leave. In addition they charged $3.50 for a glass (about 22oz?) of Orange Juice and $3.00 for a glass of Apple Juice. There is much better choices around.

Area Around the Hotel:

One of the best things about the Hotel is its location. It is located in the Tri-Met Transit System Fareless Zone which means you can travel all through the downtown area for free. On the next block from the motel is the bus stop that has 15 bus routes heading toward the Pioneer Square are which is the central part of downtown. In addition it is only a short walk to the Portland Streetcar which can take you to many restaurants and attractions in the area.

Within a couple of blocks of the hotel is: Portland State University, a Post Office, Javaman Coffee, Katie Cafe, Hunan House, Fedex-Kinkos, Mummy's Restaurant and Lounge, The Department of Motor Vehicles, Key Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America Investment Center, Kinder Care, 24 Hour Fitness, Land America, St. Mary's Academy, AAA, A 7 Eleven Store, Teriyaki Healthy Fast Food, Quiznos, The Oregonian Newspaper Offices, and a Chevron Station with a full service area.

Within a few blocks or a short ride away from the Hotel is the Portland Art Museum, Oregon History Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, A Concert Hall, P.G.E. Park (minor league baseball), and the Waterfront Park.

Overall:

This motel is in the heart of the city and you do not need a car to get around as it is located close buses and the Portland Streetcar. The room was in good shape except for the chair and the hardness of the bed. You also have to keep an eye out on the supplemental charges and avoid the restaurant. Because of the great rate and its great location I would consider staying here again, but there are also well priced rooms in the convention center area with easy access to freeways and also to MAX.

Recommended: Yes