OR Portland Courtyard by Marriott Beaverton

[BrendaBonk]

This hotel was very nice. Staff were friendly & accomodating, the pool was warm and the hot tub even warmer! The rooms heated up well -- there seems to be a theme here!

Room was very nice. Had a king sized bed, a nice size desk and a couch in the first room. My mom & nephew got an ajoining room to us and it had two double beds, a desk and a chair.

All-in-all a very nice place if you don't mind staying out in the 'burbs.

[AEmgee]

(Written on May 3, 2005)

I am writing this review from my room at the Courtyard by Marriott Hillsboro. I am just completing my one-night stay for $38.

The hotel is located in a busy part of Hillsboro with many stores including Rite-Aid, Albertson's, Linen N Things, Nordstrom Rack, Office Depot, etc. A new (opened October 2004) 400,000 square foot open-air retailing center called Streets of Tanasbourne is nearby, as is a MAX light-rail station. Within a stone's throw is a cinema as well. In terms of eateries, I spotted a Red Robin and Old Spaghetti Factory, as well as the usual fast food establishments. For those who like BBQ ribs, are really hungry, and don't care for appearance or service, I'd recommend nearby Reo's Ribs, which has been voted one of the top 100 restaurants by the Oregonian newspaper. The neighbourhood around the hotel seemed very safe with tree-lined boulevards and many new business and residential complexes. The hotel can be a bit difficult to find, particularly since Mapquest recommends coming in from Tanasbourne Street, which is hidden and more resembles an entrance to a shopping plaza. The hotel is much easier to find by using the directions posted on the hotel website. There is free parking at the hotel.

Upon check-in, there was no mention of Priceline. I had purchased a Dell computer and LCD monitor and had it sent to the hotel (no tax in Oregon) and it had arrived two weeks prior to my arrival. The hotel staff had kept it securely stored in the office behind the front desk and reminded me of my packages when I checked in. I did call in advance to request a king non-smoking and assumed I would not have to repeat my request again at check-in. This was a mistake as i was given room 355, which has two doubles. I went back to the front desk and was re-assigned room 218, which was an accessible king non-smoking room. In the lobby, which looks much newer than the rooms, there were free newspapers, free tea/coffee/cookies, use of a microwave, dining area, and a printer (no computer).

The room itself was pretty standard. It was certainly not new as it had some wear and tear. There was a couch and coffee table, work desk with internet port, and television with multiple channels. The bed was comfortable but unfortunately did not have the nice feather comforters that many hotels now have. The mirror bifold closet door was broken but did open with some difficulty. Inside the closet was an ironing board and iron and an ethernet cable for internet use. The bathroom had inadequate counter space as most of it was taken by the coffee maker. Attached to the wall was a small hairdryer that had remarkably good power. The shower head had a very poor stream and the massage feature did not work. To my surprise, only shampoo and soap were supplied - no conditioner or hand lotion. (Please note that these room findings may not be representative of all rooms at this hotel, since as mentioned previously we were in a room that was wheelchair accessible).

I found that the walls at this hotel were paper thin. I could hear people talking, toilets flushing, showers running, etc. from left, right, and above. The other problem I experienced was that the free Wifi never worked as the signal was too weak to consistently maintain a connection. As a result, I am using the wired internet connection at the moment. I was also surprised to see that local calls cost 50 cents, although toll free calls are without charge.

When I checked out, the friendly manager helped me take my new computer and monitor out to my car using the luggage cart. I experienced top-notch friendly service at every turn at this hotel.

In summary, for $38 this hotel was adequate for a one-night stay. The free internet would have been better if the Wifi had worked from the room, but given the cost, one could certainly not complain! Hillsboro is actually quite a nice place to be, and is convenient to most things in Portland. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again as an alternative to a downtown hotel.