[TRAVEL] Where NOT to Stay in Portland

Friends - if you're coming to PDX and wondering where to stay, DO NOT book The Nines. Despite it's (supposed) 5-star rating, our stay has been a nightmare. Even with my company's preferred corporate corporate rate, I'll never stay here again. 

Here's a little story ...

We got here on Saturday at 4 p.m. to check in - room's not ready because housekeeping is running late. Check back at 4:45 - nope, not ready, but here's $25 to use at the hotel. Can I apply it to the $30/day parking fee? Check back at 5:20 p.m. - nope, not ready. "Room is clean but hasn't been inspected; give us 15 minutes," they said. Checked back at 5:45 p.m. and the room STILL hasn't been inspected! They send someone to inspect it and tell us they'll give us $50 in hotel credit - because with all of the amazing restaurants within spitting distance of this place, I want to eat here? Um, okay. Finally get to our room to drop off our stuff & freshen up before dinner. Seems like the Golden State Warriors might be staying here. I'm sure they didn't wait for their rooms. 

First night I crash. Great room, I'll give them that. Wake up and Alan asks me if I heard the construction all night. Nope. But I did wake up at 3 a.m. AND CUT MY LIP ON A CHIPPED GLASS WHEN I TRIED TO DRINK SOME WATER. A bloody lip at 3 a.m. is awesome! 

So, yesterday we come back to the room to watch Game of Thrones. Our TV flickers incessently the entire episode. Whatever. Annoying but not dire. At 9:30 p.m. the noise starts - carts and god knows what else being dragged over us. It went on for hours! At 11 p.m. I call the front desk to ask WTF. Turns out we're directly below the kitchens!!! They made us wait 2 hours to give us a room below the kitchen. Is this a joke? She offered to see if there was another room she could move us to. I told her we were already in bed but I'd take her up on that offer tomorrow. 

So, tomorrow ... err, today? My room is directly on the city's garbage route. The garbage trucks start at 5 a.m.; they stay in front of my hotel from 5:35 a.m, until approximately 6:10 a.m. 

This is going to be a very long day.

ETA: I moved from the 7th floor to the 10th floor last night when I got home from work. The room is almost identical to the previous room, but it looks a bit more ... lived in. There is a turquoise throw pillow that if in my house would have been thrown away awhile ago.

This morning, I waited nearly 30 minutes for my car. It's a good thing my 9 a.m. meeting was canceled. All in all, I cannot recommend this hotel for any reason.