The City of Roses is a destination that’s in constant bloom these days, with intriguing options popping up to please planners on many fronts. There are burgeoning neighborhoods, debuting hotels, hot new dining and plenty of other possibilities.
Hip Hotels
“Fueled by a strong convention market, our hotel industry is poised to grow substantially in the next two years—10 new hotels are on the horizon, with over 2,000 new rooms to supplement our already diverse hotel landscape,” says Michael Smith, vice president of convention sales for Travel Portland.
May brings the launch of the Hotel Eastlund, in—appropriately enough—the city’s Eastside neighborhood, an elegantly modern 168-room boutique with more than 5,200 square feet of innovative event space highlighted by an impressive 3,600-square-foot ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown. There has been much buzz over the property’s culinary temptations in particular, where chef and restaurateur David Machado will oversee the fare.
Other big hotel news includes a captivating comeback from Kimpton’s wine-focused Hotel Vintage Plaza, which reopened in March as Hotel Vintage following a $16 million makeover that included a new two-floor lobby space, a game room and funky new in-room decor. And in late 2016 Portland will see the opening of a Curio property, the recently debuted Hilton lifestyle brand.
Dynamic Dining
While emphasizing that there are a number of hot Portland possibilities for great group dining, Marcus Hibdon, communications and public relations manager for Travel Portland, doesn’t hold back when immediately recommending Holdfast.
“It’s very precise molecular gastronomy, but not showy,” he says, adding that the chefs behind the hot Holdfast hail from the Bent Brick Tavern, another cutting-edge local eatery.
While Holdfast’s intimate space is better for smaller groups, the Bent Brick is favorite for private dining and offers an inviting upstairs space that hosts about 26 for a sit-down supper or 40 for a stand-up reception.
Elsewhere, the exotic Mediterranean Exploration Company features a hip industrial setting and shared plates bursting with flavors from the eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere. The Pearl District hot spot also showcases a creative cocktail menu of handcrafted libations.
For something refreshingly different, the Red Lion Hotel on the River and its Jantzen Beach Bar & Grill is just seven miles from downtown along the Columbia River, and offers locally focused fare and ample Portland-area wines and microbrews.
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Tasteful Taverns
Portland’s nightlife, like its restaurant landscape, is driven by local harvests and hands-on innovation. The city has more than 60 craft breweries, and craft cider has also taken off. A number of options for indulging include Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, where groups can share cider tasting trays that go beyond apples to integrate berries, pineapple and other unexpected ingredients.
Wine is also huge in Portland, and one of the great grape gathering spots today is the urban Clay Pigeon Winery in the city’s Central Eastside neighborhood. Home to Cyril’s, a cozy dining spot and tasting room, the venue can handle small groups of eight to 10 in the restaurant, about 14 on its patio and up to 40 attendees or so in the main winery area. Groups can even buy out the entire venue for affairs of 60 or more.
The city as also emerged as a whiskey wonderland, in addition to other distilled delights. The Central Eastside even boasts a Distillery Row now. Another awesome option is the Multnomah Whiskey Library, housed in regally rustic space available for intimate events or full buyouts of up to about 100. A farmer’s market-driven menu adds to the offerings.
Neighborhood Watch
Where to even begin with Portland’s developing districts and hip neighborhoods?
One good spot is actually in an already established restaurant and retail area, Northwest Portland—aka Nob Hill—that has been given a recent boost by uniquely tasty stops like Salt & Straw, an ice creamery where bland standbys like chocolate and vanilla have been given the boot for scoops like pear with blue cheese.
Hibdon also encourages exploration of the Central Eastside, home to countless indie shops, new restaurants and the aforementioned Clay Pigeon and Distillery Row. And Division Street is a hub of Asian and Italian flavors, plus unusual boutiques of all kinds.
Notable Venues
One of the more intriguing group-friendly attractions to take off in recent years, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is a train museum where groups can take a guided tour, host a small event or climb aboard a locomotive for a picturesque outing.
The biggest venue news of late, however, is the Oregon Convention Center (OCC), which gained LEED Platinum Certification, becoming one of only two such U.S. convention centers to hold that designation. Adding to its spectacular sustainability success, the OCC also became the first venue on the planet to gain Level 4 APEX certification from the American Society for Testing and Materials, a new benchmark developed in league with the Green Meeting Industry Council.
