Red Lion Hotel On The River

Friday June 10^th, the day of my wedding, I had the worst customer service of my life, all my guests and bridal party agree, and were even more angered than I was. Red Lion on the River at Jantzen Beach, Portland Oregon, exhibited the worst staff communication and treatment of guests I have ever witnessed.
A bit of background… My Finance James and I booked 2 rooms for two nights for our wedding. We expressed to staff over the phone that only two people would stay in the rooms, but multiple people would get ready in them. We also asked if we could access and take picture at the back of the hotel on a large dock/​patio along the Columbia river. They said yes of course no problem. We mentioned to multiple staff members, multiple times, we were a wedding party there for the weekend and what our visit there would entail.
The brother of the groom and our flower girl arrived on June 9^th a few hours before us and graciously put their credit card on file so they could get the rooms set up. We would change it over to our credit card later.
On the Morning of our wedding it was time for first look pictures. We were very unfamiliar with this large hotel and I got lost getting to the outside. i asked an older women who had a gold name tag how to get to out. She would not answer my question, she would only repeat herself telling me that they were loading and unloading the steam wheeler river boat, even after I told her repeatedly I just wanted to get out of the building and was lost, I didn’t need to be near the hubbub and would be unobtrusive. I eventually just walked away from her since we were clearly getting nowhere, a couple other guests helped me out.
As I am walking along the dirty backside of the hotel (it was raining so we were forced to have our first look under the eve of the roof, not ideal in any way) to see my future husband a male staff member pops out a doors and asks me hows its going, I tell him it’s not a good time and continue to walk to my partner in a very important sweet moment. Afterwards we take a few pictures on the dock and are about to take a few pictures in front of some bushes covering the back of the building when a security guard tells us we can’t take pictures without a permit. We tell him we are guests. he says there are fees associated with hotel photography. We were taking pictures with only bushes and the river in the background, and never heard of such a fee or permit before, but whatever we said okay we’ll leave. The photographer packs away her equipment, she has been doing this over 10 years and has also never heard of such a thing. Again I am lost in my wedding dress and can’t get out to the front parking lot and end up in some strange meeting rooms and back hallways when the same security guard approaches us again and we ask for help getting out. Little did we know he later reported to his manager that were were taking pictures in the board rooms/​ballrookms. Which are dim and had piles of ugly furniture stacked in them, an ideal place to «steal» some photographs indeed, seriously?
As I am getting in the car with my large gown pulled up in arms another security guard and assistant manager approach me. He asks me for proof that I am a guest. I say I don’t have ID or my room key. I am after all in as wedding gown on my way to my own wedding ceremony. He asks me whose name is on the room, I tell him because our guests arrived before us it could have been 1 of three different names. He said multiple vendors and staff had reported us sneaking around and trespassing and he was going to have to write me a citation for intruding their establishment. i was shocked, confused, offended. He talked to me with no respect or understanding. I told him our room numbers and names. He walked up to me treating me like a criminal, like it was quite obvious i was trying to get away with something. I angrily said are you serious? and got in the car and drove away. How on earth they thought a women in her wedding dress would take the time to plot breaking in to their hotel and take a few crummy pictures, I’ll never understand.
I told my wedding party what was happening once I got to our venue and that they need to go prove we were guests or i am in big trouble, at this point I’m afraid they’ll arrests me or something, the staff were that threatening and intimidating. sorting this out set my wedding and bridal party photos at our behind by over an hour. Every staff member my friends and family talked to, to clear this up, was met with the same rude distain as i had been. We also videoed the assistant manager talking down to my wedding party like criminals. They said we could not have anyone else in our rooms for the rest of the stay.
We paid $ 1200 to stay here. We got no apologies, no admittance of misunderstanding, and a pile of wrongful accusations.

This hotel is somewhat frozen in time, surrounded by a world that has passed it by. What that means is that this is clearly a place that would have fit the tastes of travellers and conference goers perfectly in the 1970s-​80s, but is today surrounded by circumstances that make it less than optimal for a stay.
Our stay there was fine; the rooms are large and comfortable, the restaurant view of the Columbia River is fantastic, and the staff were very helpful. But the hotel is nowhere near downtown Portland (a fact which would have made it a ‘getaway’ destination in 1980), and the section of Hayden Island where it is located appears to be a depressed hellhole of vagrants, addicts, and other malcontents, some of whom may be found sleeping on the street. In downtown Portland, that is one thing; one does not expect it near a conference hotel on an island.
The hotel is also (through no fault of its own) tantalizingly placed beyond Portland’s excellent light rail system, which ends just before the island. The hotel provides a free shuttle, with friendly drivers, but Portland needs to extend the rail out to this island.
Finally, a hotel like this one needs to invest in security features. Security guards are one thing, but it’s too easy to get into this building without a room key, which probably account for the problems expressed in other reviews of this property. Portland seems to have a serious problem with petty theft; the hotel cannot be oblivious to that if it wants to be inviting.
The renovation work is great, but in order for it to truly be successful, the properties around the hotel also need to be renovated. Otherwise it will remain a snapshot in time, with a great view and pier, and great conference facilities, but isolated by a less than appealing neighbourhood that the average person does not feel safe walking around in.

My room was broken into while I and 3 others were sleeping in the living room. Two laptops, a cellphone, a go pro, and a bag that contained my friend’s wallet and rental car keys were stolen. The culprit also managed to find the car, and take that too. After this occurred, the overnight front desk agents lacked the training needed to respond correctly. In the morning, the staff wasn’t helpful until the executives of the conference I was attending pressured them to accommodate us. We requested to change rooms before this and were told there wasn’t anything available… But when the director came, suddenly there was a room available??? Terrible. Our room was on the first floor. According to one of the housekeepers, the ground floor has hobos and suspicious looking people coming in and roaming the floors all the time because of the numerous entries to the building, even she feels unsafe cleaning the rooms by herself. The worst thing about it, there are no cameras in the front of the hotel, or in the back where our balcony was and where the culprit entered through. When mentioned to one of the managers about the lack of cameras the response we got was «Sure. Sure.» The area surrounding the hotel is bad news, I suggest they reevaluate their security measures. But in the meantime stay far far away.

A group of 9 of us (females) stayed at this hotel for 6 nights for a conference. On the fourth night our room was broken into via the balcony door (our room was on the ground floor). Laptops phones, cards and cash, backpacks with personal belongings including a pair of car keys were stolen, and of course they stole the car as well. The security measures are minimal, not enough guards and no cameras. When the front desk was called they did not believe us and the staff also have a rather nonchalant attitude with the exception of the female security who was on duty and came to us. With regards to safety, I’d say stay at your own risk. Some of the pros though, it is a convenient distance from the airport and the shuttle service is a great plus. The shuttle drivers are also very nice and friendly.

When it comes to safety, I would give this hotel a 0 star review.
Our hotel room got broken into while we were all sleeping. We are attending a conference in this hotel with my other colleagues. We stayed in a family suite located on the ground floor in front of their tennis court. I woke up at 4:00am to get something in my backpack. It was very sketchy because I couldn’t find it. One of my colleagues woke up and told me to close the balcony sliding door because it was cold, which was odd. Why was it open? When I turned on the lights, that’s when I realized that we got robbed. My two laptops were gone. My backpack which contains my wallet, GoPro, books, and rented car keys were gone too. They also stole my professor’s laptop and her personal belongings. We called the front desk, and I was very hysterical. I told them what happened, and guess what? They didn’t even try to calm me down. The girl seemed defensive, she said, «THERE’S NO WAY THEY COULD’VE BROKEN IN, WE JUST CHANGE OUR LOCKS!» IT HAPPENED. Apparently, another car got broken into in the HOTEL’S PARKING LOT. WORST, I realize that the car I rented was gone too! Mind you, I park in front of the hotel! Were there any security cameras? NO! Were there security cameras on the balcony? NO. Were there security cameras in the hallway? NOPE. There were big conferences that happened this week. It is common sense to tighten their security because there were hosting a lot of guest from different conferences. Reading the Unilocal reviews, apparently someone got shot here just a year ago. The culprit entered our room while we were all sleeping. What if the culprit had a different motivation? What if one of us woke up during the robbery, and got hurt, worst or killed. What if we were parents, and our kid got kidnapped? After all, we stayed in a family suite! When we asked them about their insurance policy or protocols, they don’t even have an answer! The staffs were not trained to handle this kind of crisis! Thankfully, the plane allowed me to go home without any identification because I could not stand staying in the hotel one more night. This hotel failed to put an adequate measure to protect their guest. Honestly, the response was really slow and their protocol is very weak. 24hr security? One car was stolen. One car got broken into. A family suite got broken into. Now, tell me what kind of security do they have? I am very upset and angry because I really liked Portland, but in the day that I was about to leave, this thing happened. Since there was a crime that was committed in their facility just a year ago, they should’ve learned some lessons from there. They failed to warn us about the potential danger that might happen in their facility.
In response to the comment below:
Unfortunately, there was a gang shooting that happened just seven months ago and the hotel still failed to put an adequate measure to secure their premises. Take note, there was another break-​in the parking lot. Our room was not the only one that was targeted and victimized by this crime. There weren’t enough staffing when it comes to security. Not only you put your guest at risk, but also your employees. We are obviously upset about what happened, but having a victim-​blaming here is not really helping. The last time we opened the door was on Monday. In fact, we exactly do not know where the culprit entered. It could be on the main or the balcony door. Sadly, we don’t know what exactly happened because, again, there were no security cameras in the hallway/​exterior in the building.
Good news is that no one was raped, kidnapped, or killed in our group. The only thing that was taken were things, not life. Please understand, how traumatic this whole experience is for us, and for the management to start blaming us, is exactly not helping because obviously the hotel itself has major security flaws. I am not blaming the whole staff in the hotel. The security guard who runs into our room seems like the only one that shows empathy to our situation. The shuttle drivers as well. The hotel management did not fully accommodate us until the executive directors from the conference come rallying to our aid.

Booked my room through groupon. The room was definitely nicer then I expected ! Hotel was nice and clean. Staff was extremely nice and can I add they have a bar !!

My group had six rooms and not one complaint. My room was spotless and comfortable. They are doing renovations so I wonder if the people complaining had an old room. The staff was very courteous. The toiletries were very good and I don’t usually mention toiletries. The view of the river on the north side is great. Great view for dining. There’s a grocery store and gas station conveniently nearby. There’s a coffee counter in the lobby with some drinks and snacks, not free but not expensive. Overall my group enjoyed it.

This hotel is so dirty. If I wasn’t staying here because of a family function I would have cut my losses and just got a hotel somewhere else. The elevators are filthy (there were dirty q-​tips on the floor and I don’t think it’d been vacuumed since 1985).
The room I stayed in with my toddler reeked of the previous persons cologne and two of my 4 hand towels were dirty. I also got a nice surprise when I showered, someone wrote I see you in the mirror. Clearly the cleaning crew skipped over a few step.
I would stay far away from this place

Beautiful views, friendly staff & great food! Rooms were clean & updated nicely. They are remodeling so be prepared for some noise. Also if your a light sleeper know that you will hear planes & trains at times. Didn’t bother us a bit & the views make up for all of it!

Great location and big clean comfortable rooms. We re a rewards member so they bumped us up from basic king to pool river view remodeled room. You have to ask though.

Stayed here last night for the PNWGWA conference. Booked a room months in advance and they over booked. The good news is they upgrated me to the Presidential sweet. 3 rooms, wet bar, hot tub and two crappers. Most comfortable bed ever and I can only imagine the high price call girls that have laid in that same bed. Sweet dreams for me. The restaurant was a disappointment with a very limited menu. No bottled water available for purchase as they ran out?

Currently writing while spending my last night here so this review is fresh.
This hotel is about as far north as you can get with the state line to Washington being about 30 seconds away. With that said I would say the drive to downtown Portland is about 15 minutes.
The hotel staff upon check in were extremely friendly. We were put into room 411. If at all possible AVOID the building closest to the freeway, the traffic makes for endless noise through out the entire evening. The walls are also fairly thin, you can hear every footstep in your hallway. The room is very spacious with a pretty big bathroom which was nice. The beds came with 3 pillows each and were extremely soft very hard to comfortable. We ordered room service and got crab cakes which were pretty tasty and glasses wine at 10 $ each.
All and all extremely friendly staff and great service just avoid the building near the freeway and maybe ask for more pillows.

I’d give them five but they get 4 bcz of the smell. There a historic building and that’s understandable. It’s definitely an awesome place if you’re here for fun with a group of friends They have a beautiful view and 10 mins away from Vancouver. So you can visit two states no problem. They also have a club with DJ who plays music on Saturday nights or Friday’s. The staff is very friendly. If you plan to stay here bring air freshener. I know there in the process of a remodel so I’m sure future stays will probably be worthy of a 5 star rating even if all they do is replace the carpet that will be a positive! It’s neat how there on an island though! Definitely unique! And the building has the historic feel! It’s beautiful! The price is pretty spectacular! The view is spectacular, the staff is spectacular! I would definitely stay here again!

I stayed here a week for work.
Pros
— spacious room
— good views
— friendly staff
— good restaurant/​bar
— fridge/​microwave
— balcony on room
— good gym
Cons
— airplanes fly right over top so it’s pretty loud I was on 3^rd floor
— older style

For the price, location and amenities this place wins my patronage.
I like the log timbers and the design of the hotel.
Yes it is not super modern or updated but I think for the price and location you can’t really ask for more.
Im sure over time things will be changed and updated.
Customer service is very good and the room we were given was very clean.

The hotel is in need of updating
The hotel is dirty
The air needed fixing in room on arrival
Thank goodness they have s good mechanic that fixes things
Some folks were shot in hotel during our stay
Noise all night
They should have comped the stay
They have parties there with cannabis bus
Don’t stay there

Didn’t actually stay here so this review is mostly for the bar and reception area, also the van service.
The in-​laws stayed here on their most recent visit. The hotel is huge and looks like something right out of 1964. Very cool. The doors are automatic and make you think they will fly open, only to practically stop moving when halfway open. Both my husband and I bumped into the doors. Ugh and ouch.
We took the van service down to the Island Café a short 5 minutes away which was very nice they have that. When we were close to being finished with our meal we called to make sure the van got there soon as it was getting pretty chilly out. They said about 10 minutes. Perfect. We got up to the parking lot and waited just where he dropped us off with a group of people who had also called for the same shuttle. We waited A HALF HOUR before we finally called a THRID time to get them to come get us. We figured we could have walked back by the time it took him to finally make the 5 minute drive, and would have been much warmer. The A/​C was on in the van. wtf? We asked the guy what took so long with no response, he also didn’t turn down the A/​C hearing us moaning how cold we were. We were going to tip, but thought better of it. Lame.
We ended the evening at the bar for a nightcap. The drinks were decent and the view was pretty nice.
The in-​laws seemed to think it was a nice enough hotel. But commented that the pool was crammed full of kids. Not sure that’s a bad thing on a summer day, but that’s all we heard about the place from them.
Might be a good place to stay, I don’t know. But be wary of the van service.

This review is for the restaurant only. Five stars for the view – it’s killer. The food is predictable and average. The service is mechanized but polite.
I was hoping for a solid happy hour – and it almost was. The view was gorgeous, and my $ 4 gin and tonic was refreshing. The menu, however, featured foods I’m allergic to. Bummer. I ordered steamed clams. Meh. Some were cold, some were warm. The broth was a shimmering green pool – kinda pretty, but bland. The lovely roasted garlic bread that came with looked tasty. Sad to pass that up. My son gobbled it up.
The rest of our order looked very pedestrian, but my son enjoyed his bacon cheese burger and fries.
If you like a stunning view and can eat off the happy hour menu, add a star. I’ll go back for future happy hours, but I won’t go there for the food.

Fantastic place! We were here for my husband’s company awards dinner and the service, food, and atmosphere were incredible!
Dustin Bronn was our server and was an exceptionally great part of the evening.
If you’re looking for a great place to stay or a wonderful banquet facility, this is the place for you!

This is for the Convention Hall part of the hotel, since we didn’t stay at the hotel this trip (We spent the night elsewhere) the convention part, I really enjoyed the Sabbath service we had here for Saturday, December 27^th, 2014 the the convention room they had us in overlooked the river, and was very nice view, the room it self was very clean, and the staff very courteous and helpful.
I really hope that United Church of God, Portland, OR returns here for next years Northwest Weekend! I also liked the fact that there is no charge for parking, unlike last year when we did Northwest Weekend at the Hilton in Vancouver, WA/​
This hotel is real easy to get into and out of so overall– at least for the Convention part I was very pleased with this place.