Hotel Monaco is part of the Kimpton Hotels group located in downtown Portland, Oregon. In 2015, it was listed as one of the “Top 20 Hotels in the Pacific Northwest” by Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

On my most recent visit to Portland, I decided to find out what was so great about this hotel. Here is what I noticed about each of the criteria below.

Location
Hotel Monaco is located in the vibrant downtown neighborhood known as the Pearl District near Pioneer Square.

This is a great location from which visitors to Portland can base their exploration of the city. Walk out the door of the hotel, and you will find many sought after coffee shops, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. And I do recommend you walk; there is so much to see.

But if walking the city isn’t for you, the hotel offers complimentary bikes for getting around this bicycle friendly metropolis. The doorman was also very quick at hailing a cab the few times we wanted one.

Also, the hotel is within a couple blocks of light rail stop, making it easy to access from the airport and other parts of the city.

Decor
The hotel is filled with colorful and eclectic decor. For some, the purple and mint green color scheme might be too much. I, however, appreciated the swanky furniture of the Red Living Room (lobby) and our suite. With a curved green velvet couch and giant purple chandelier, our room was anything but ordinary. It certainly didn’t feel like a cookie cutter chain hotel room.

Amenities
As with many 4 Star hotels, you can expect a daily complimentary happy hour. In addition, a coffee/tea bar is set up in the red living room each morning.

I found it disappointing that the wifi is only free in the lobby. Although, if you sign up to be a Kimpton Karma Rewards member, you can access free wifi from the hotel rooms.

Our suite included a large deep jetted tub that was quite luxurious to soak in after walking the city all day. The only thing missing was bath salts.

Another unique perk I enjoyed was the animal print bathrobes. No boring white hotel robes here. My favorite was the bronze leopard print.

The fireplace in the red living room felt wonderful after being out and about in the rainy city.

And to truly enjoy some luxury, visit the Dosha spa with an entrance right from the hotel lobby.

Service
The front desk staff were very helpful presenting suggestions for coffee shops and shopping locales they marked on maps of the area.

We found the pillows to be too puffy (I woke up with a sore neck after our first night there.), but when we asked for a flatter one, it was provided immediately. We had the same extremely prompt service when we requested some toothpaste. (In my experience at most other hotels, there seems to be a great delay between the time of the request and the delivery of the item.)

The only thing negative I have to say about the service, is that I’m confused about the doorman situation. Sometimes there was a doorman present, and at other times there wasn’t.

All in all, due to it’s timely and friendly service, happening location, and uniqueness, I definitely agree that Hotel Monaco in Portland, Oregon belongs on a “top hotels” list.