Because the new tram gets all the attention these days, I wanted to send a shout out to the Portland Streetcar. Hear, hear, streetcar! You, the overlooked of Portland transportation options!

The truth is the streetcar is a great, almost-free ($1.70) way to tour downtown P-town. From near Hotel deLuxe, just hop on at 11th and Taylor (about 5 blocks east of the hotel), ride on north into the Pearl District, or south down to 10th and 11th to Portland State University, and then head down to SW River Parkway and RiverPlace, and then over to the South Waterfront where it connects with the tram.

Also, you can get on and off as many times as you want, as your ticket is good all day!

Later,

Lance

I love trying to figure out what will really make a guest’s stay with us memorable. Sometimes it’s advice about a good restaurant. Sometimes it’s just getting them to the airport on time. Last week it was a piece of cake. Literally!

We were having this big Mercedes-Benz event at the hotel for the announcement of their C-class sedan (you’ve got to see this car — total ride and a half). And one night the Mercedes folks were feeling stressed because they needed color copies of their press material but it was 11pm and we couldn’t find a 24 hour copy place. It was getting pretty tense. Then I remembered seeing some extra blueberry cheesecake slices in the kitchen, so I brought them out, and it helped them relax a little.

Anyway, the event turned out to be a huge success and we received the greatest letter. I just had to include part of it here because everyone worked so hard and deserves the recognition. This is from the event organizer’s thank you to Hotel deLuxe:

“As the advance person for all our events, it falls on me to visit all our potential cities, hotels and resorts. All of our events are run out of only the very best places, including many four and five star resorts. Nowhere, in my twenty seven years of producing large scale events, concert tours and automotive programs, have I ever encountered a better bunch of people than the staff at the Hotel deLuxe, Gracie’s and the Driftwood. As much as the location itself worked for us, it was this staff that will bring us back.” —

Not bad, eh? You got to love a review like that.

Later,

Zach

So I know we talk a lot out the Movie Nights that we host here at the Hotel deLuxe, so instead of me talking about it, why don’t you check out what the Vancouver Voice thinks about our movie nights. Or come check one out for yourself!

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Lance

OK, I see your MusicFest NW and Jimmy Mak’s and raise you a Zoo Concert… I saw Los Lobos at the Oregon Zoo last month and offer up a hearty bravo. Bravo! I ask you, what could be better than watching great music outside on the grass, a cold microbrew (me) or glass of vino (Bonnie) in hand, and the monkey house only 100 feet away?

I see from their site (just checked) that there are still tickets for the last couple of shows in their Wednesday night world series. And only $9.75! Costs you more to go to the movies!

That’s all I got,

Lance

Everyone remember to watch out for all those runners this weekend. Oregon’s famed Hood To Coast relay race is happening this weekend (Aug 24-25) - the staff here at Hotel deLuxe wishes all those runners the best of luck. I get tired just watching them, they are truly inspiring.

Speaking of inspiring, check out the history of the Hood to Coast and while you are on their site, check out the Hood to Coast map and I recommend you avoid driving anywhere on those roads!

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Lance

So being a relatively new (refurbished) hotel in Portland we tend to get written up in a lot of magazines and newspapers. I love it when we find ourselves mentioned in publications from other countries, so does anyone out there speak Spanish?

Here is the latest write up on the Hotel deLuxe from Boletur.com - which is a Mexican travel site - kind of the TripAdvisor for Mexico. Be sure to scroll down since the article is located at the bottom of the page.

adios muchachos!

Lance

Thanks, Zach. I was pleased to find MusicFestNW is not only rock music. I see that one of my favorite spots in town is hosting artists. Jimmy Mak’s is really the premier jazz club in Portland. So if you want to celebrate MusicFestNW with a bit more groove than guitars, swing on over to Jimmy Mak’s that weekend. Or any weekend for that matter.

If you haven’t been to Jimmy Mak’s in awhile, note that they’ve moved. Same Pearl District neighborhood, just around the corner on NW 10^th. And not too far from Portland’s Hotel deLuxe. What luck!

Groovily yours,

Emily

MusicFest NW is coming up and I’m hoping this year a few of the bands will find their way to Hotel deLuxe. (I’ve been told that a few have stayed here over the years…) I’m thinking it would be pretty cool to carry in a guitar case for a change.

If you don’t know about it, MusicFest NW is Portland’s annual independent music rockstravaganza. This year there are like 160 bands converging on the city Sept. 6-9.

So if you’re reading this Britt Daniel of Spoon, come on over to Hotel deLuxe. Fuel up with a “Brando’s Exile” or two in the Driftwood Room.

Rock on,

Zach

TGIF everyone! So a little birdy told me that our Portland Streetcar is expanding this weekend and they are having a grand opening celebration starting today. It starts at 11am (which is like right now) and apparently Valerie Day and Three Leg Torso will be playing - sounds like fun! Check out all the details at the Visitor Association’s website.

So here’s the kicker - FREE streetcar rides starting today through Sunday AND …. FREE Tram Rides Saturday and Sunday. That is pretty cool, whether you are a long time public transportation rider or a first-timer get out and ride this weekend and check out the new S.W. Lowell extension of the Streetcar.

cheers,

L

The times here at our little Portland hotel that I cherish the most are those coincidental meetings with guests with similar backgrounds or hobbies. There’s a guest here now that I met who happened to grow up in my hometown of Ashland (about 5 hours south of Portland). It was just one of those great unexpected connections. We were chatting and realized.

We ended up talking for about a half hour about lakes, and people, and old stomping grounds. And now I love that we’re on a first name basis. I look forward to regaling each other with more tales of the city when we see each other.

In the end, it made me realize it’s not so much about getting to know the guests, but rather about making them feel at home in a genuine way.

Cheers,

Zach