An Inside Look at the New Ritz-Carlton, Portland

Portland is making a splash in the ultra-luxury urban hotel market. Ritz-Carlton opened its first hotel in the Pacific Northwest in downtown Portland in November 2023. The 251-room Ritz Carlton is a striking addition to the Portland skyline at 25 stories and 460 feet tall, complete with a glowing gem-shaped rooftop dome.

The property styles itself as an “urban oasis” of luxury and service with a regional touch. “We have worked alongside local and regional artisans, purveyors, and tastemakers to create an authentic Pacific Northwest experience, providing a new destination for locals and visitors alike,” said General Manager Marie Browne in a statement.

The hotel enjoys a prime downtown location, walking distance to the Portland Art Museum, Pioneer Square, and the famed Powell’s Bookstore, as well as a host of cafes, boutiques, and notable restaurants.

Rooms
From the top floors of the Ritz, rooms boast spectacular views of Portland’s cityscape, the bridges across the Willamette River bisecting town, and on clear days, the Cascade Mountains and majestic Mt. Hood. Room décor is modern, with fairly standard layouts, colored in muted shades of light browns and grays, and blues.

The Ritz-Carlton room rates are priced at typical Ritz premium prices. Spring room rates begin at $487 (including taxes). Prices this June through July begin at $667 per night, including taxes for a Deluxe Guest Room with a California King bed in a 457-sq-ft room. The 251 rooms include 44 suites, with starting prices for the suites beginning upwards of $1,000 per night.

Most room rate levels are commissionable, see the hotel’s website for details of specific room types and potential promotions.

Note that only some rooms have views east toward the Cascade mountain range– many lower-level rooms face across the street into nearby office buildings, so it’s worth checking directly with the hotel when reserving if a room with a view is a priority.

The Ritz also has meetings and events space, with more than 17,000 square feet of customizable room layouts from small conference rooms to a large banquet hall.

Eat and Drink
The Ritz-Carlton’s 20th-floor Bellpine restaurant provides sweeping views of the Portland cityscape and beyond, providing a nice setting for lunches, while the glowing bridges over the Willamette offer up a nice backdrop for dinner.

The menu features many regional Oregon food selections, from area-sourced fish to meat and vegetables. You’ll need to bring a thick pocketbook or a hefty expense account to dine here. Lunch menu items include a $30 salmon sandwich (small, but tasty) and $62 for a 10 oz strip steak, while the dining menu features “sharable” $129 salmon and $240 ribeye entrees. The Ritz wine list features some of Oregon’s top regional offerings, particularly the Pinot Noirs for which the state is famous. along with a global selection.  

The Ritz also offers visitors and guests food and beverage at Medowrue, a lobby bar that doubles as a daytime coffee lounge with a hanging garden Oregon foresty theme. The Ritz has partnered with local coffee roaster Coava to create a special hotel blend brewed exclusively at this location.  The evening lobby bar scene focuses on craft cocktails and a menu of appetizers made with ingredients from local purveyors.

Spa and other features
For guest relaxation and fitness, Ritz created “Cloudbreak on Nineteen,” a spa, fitness center and swimming pool complex located on the 19th floor of the building. The Ritz-Carlton Spa has five treatment rooms and a full menu of massages, facials, and other treatments. The hotel’s 4,000-sq-ft fitness center houses a healthy array of workout equipment as well as a yoga studio. And the 19th floor “Hidden Mountain Lake Infinity Pool” comes with some spectacular views to go along with your swim.

The hotel also features the amenity of a Ritz-Carlton Club lounge on the 20th floor. This food and relaxation area is for guests with club lounge access as part of an add-on to their room rate or as a benefit from high membership reward status. The lounge, a comfortable, well-decorated area with nice views, provides five daily meal offerings and ongoing snack availability.  

The Ritz ground floor lobby opens into a cozy fireplace seating area, providing a warm welcome for guests who might be escaping a drizzly Portland winter.

Valet parking is prompt and polite, but they asked me to download an app to arrange my car pickup, which seemed unnecessarily complicated. I skipped the app and was still able to quickly get my car (on a slow mid-week day). Note that valet parking is $65 per day, but nearby garages provide additional self-parking options.