Sentinel

The architecture of the building was simply beautiful. The valet parking was friendly and expedient. The bed was extremely comfortable, the extra sheets fresh and clean smelling. The towels were very thick. The hot water kettle and teas were a nice addition. There was a knock on the door for turn down service. The hallways were deeply carpeted and wide. We never heard hallway traffic noise. The white noise machine came in handy, for the Max below the window (five floors up) and for the very loud in-room, vibrating heating unit in the casement structure between the bedroom and parlor (which sounded off every 15 minutes). The location was good, close to Powells, Nordstrom, and other corporate shopping storefronts, as well as several very highly rated weekend brunch options. It could have been and even nicer stay had not Portland's most iconic food truck block, catty corner to the Sentinel, been removed to make way for a new 5 star hotel. The price was reasonable for PDX, given these amenities, but as you will read below, I feel it was overpriced given the actual 3-star experience due largely to poor maintenance and industrial design. I felt like the hotel was not focused on the user experience from the ergonomics point of view, and was not able to look at people as persons rather than average consumer groups. The devil is in the details and we will not stay with this hotel chain again...and it should not be rated with 4-stars.

There were so many little things that were not up to par with regard to the maintenance and creature comforts of the room that it became one big thing. Bathroom: -extremely small with a pedestal sink, no towel bars or hooks nearby and a thin mirror ledge shelf not big enough for a small overnight bag. -no exhaust fan, peeling wallpaper, and a shower curtain with a curling iron burn likely for being so close to the single outlet by the sink (close enough for the hair dryer to fall into the bathtub). -The toilet felt lower than standard for hotels and could be difficult for some to lower/raise themselves. -Low water pressure in the shower, the shower head itself and faucet of inferior quality, without alternating spray options. The water temperature was "child safe" and set to a lower level typical for hotels. Bedroom: -the floor-length mirror was on the back side of the bathroom door and inconvenient as it needed to remain open for ventilation and easy access. -curtains did not close completely, despite creative fabric folding, streaming in outside street lighting. High ceilings made it hard to fix. -no dresser for personal items, only built-in drawers in the dark closet which require one to squat or kneel to access. -luggage racks at foot of bed had dark metal frames, the exact color as the carpet, making it difficult to see and navigate in low light and caused banged knees. -one bedside table lamp was a pull-down chain style and the other a twist knob, requiring fiddling in the dark. Parlor: the light switch at the door turned on no lights, even with playing with the settings on the three lamps in the room causing fumbling in the dark to find the switches on the units Reception: No visual review of bill offered prior to customer signature. When asked, "What does the guest amenities fee include?" the response was, “it’s included in the total price,” rather than providing an explanation of what the fee covers.