OR Portland Hilton Garden Inn Lake Oswego Tigard

[AEmgee]

I stayed two nights at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lake Oswego from November 24-26, 2006. My winning bid was $33. Once again, I was not disappointed by the Hilton Garden Inn brand.

The hotel is located on Kruse Oaks Drive just off the I-5. It is close to the 2.5* Residence Inn and the 3* Crowne Plaza, which is very visible from the highway. I've stayed three times previously at the Crowne Plaza and once at the Residence Inn, and the same comments about the location applies: CONVENIENT! Because it is at the junction between Highway 217 and I-5 means that one can get to Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Portland, and Wilsonville with just a short commute.

I called shortly after my successful bid on Priceline and asked for a King Non-Smoking room and this was indeed recorded in the system when I checked in. I notified them that I would have some packages arriving and they said that this would not be a problem.

I checked in at about noon on November 24. I was greeted by a friendly front desk staffer who took down my Hilton Honors number and assigned me to room 417, which was the first room by the elevators. Despite this, it was fairly quiet and I slept well both nights. I mentioned that I had some packages and he pointed to a pile in one corner of the lobby (apparently I am not the only person to send packages to my hotel). He suggested that I take the luggage cart to transport them but nobody offered to help me with my packages. I would have preferred to see my packages in a locked office or storage room, but I guess that corner was in plain view of the front desk. In theory, I could have taken all the packages - even the ones that didn't belong to me!

The lobby itself was wide, spacious, and has a little area for breakfast. There was complimentary tea and coffee in the mornings. To the left of the front desk was the usual Hilton Garden pantry, which stocked some gum, chips, etc. The front desk sold the Oregonian newspaper, which is helpful especially on Sundays to look at the weekly advertisements. Someone left one by the couches in the lobby and I was able to get the coupons for Woodburn Company Stores, which got me a free poinsettia and some decent discounts. In the evenings, the front desk had cookies (one night there were three varieties, and on the other night there was only peanut butter). I wish they also had a fruit bowl like the Crowne Plaza next door. Behind the front desk and opposite the small pool was a business center with one computer with printer, and an all-in-one machine.

The room itself was pretty standard. The housekeeping staff had not placed any pillows on the bed, but someone came to rectify that quite quickly (I might have checked in just as the room was being readied). The room had a microwave and a mini-fridge, which were both very useful. The bathroom looked clean and had Neutrogena soap, shampoo, conditioner, and a bottle of mouthwash. The showerhead had good water pressure, and the hair dryer was also well-powered. The television had a good number of channels and toll-free calls on the telephone were free (local calls were 75 cents). Wired internet was free in the room (Ethernet cable in the closet) and so was printing to the business center (although I could not get this to work). There is free WiFi in the lobby, and I could get an intermittent and weak signal from the room. The only dislike about the room was the bedding - I wish they had the fluffy comforters instead of the nasty rough blankets.

Check-out was a breeze and there were no surprise charges. This is my third stay at a Hilton Garden Inn and I have enjoyed every one. I would not hesistate to stay at this property again.

[Sutter]

Winning bid was $45 per night for 4 nights (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). Weeknghts were showing as higher so we wer epleased with what we got. Room was basic, comfortable Hilton Garden Inn room. Never did get the mattress dials to affect the bed comfort but we slept just fine. Breakfast buffet, at about $10, seemed a little pricey for what one got (we did use it the last day), but the room had a refrigerator and we purchased items at a supermarket about a 10 min. drive way. There are at least two nice restaurants within a very short walk of the hotel, which is generally surrounded by trees, offices and small busineses. Did not have a problem with noise. One day we forgot to take the "do not disturb" sign down when we left, and by the time we returned, about 3:30 or 4. housekeeping had departed for the day. Manager on duty brought us some fresh towels but did not take away the old ones (we put those in the hallway and eventually they were taken away). The next day, housekeeping did not bring us any towels (we did phone and they were brought to our room). Parking was free, as was Wi-Fi (there is a business center downstairs with two PCs and a printer).

We did not make use of the fitness room or indoor pool. Items in the small store were sometimes pricey (e.g., $5.50 for a bottle of beer; same price as in the restaurant).

Hotel is not close to a light rail station, but is close to major highways, including I-5 and state highway 217, so accessibility was not a problem. I might want to stay elsewhere if spending most of my time in Portland's central attractions, but we were mainly looking at real estate in the Lake Oswego/Tiger area, so the location was good for us. Front desk was helpful in giving directions, and recommendations (e.g., which "haunted maze" to go to on Halloween).