The Benson
309 Southwest Broadway, Portland, Ore., 1-888-523-6766,
Rates: Generally as low as $125 a night for a room with a queen bed and starting at $200 for a junior suite. Parking is $29 per night
Stay here if: history is your thing — this place is full of it. The Benson, a great red-brick wonder designed by architect Albert E. Doyle in the early 1900s, is one of those classic urban hotels with elegant wood-paneled lobbies that reminds travelers there was tourism before the age of Embassy Suites and Holiday Inns.
It’s close to: everything downtown, including most of the city’s major cultural attractions. You can walk to scores of great restaurants or stroll over to the Pearl District, a shopper’s delight with sweet boutiques and cozy eateries.
The rooms are: tasteful, very adult. There’s a desk and a coffeemaker. Not expansive, but suitable for most travelers’ needs.
They put all of the money into: maintenance. It takes a lot of cash to keep these old warhorses up and running. The Benson isn’t altogether convenient — bathroom doors open right onto the beds and the fixtures aren’t state-of- the-art, and the fitness room does not have all that much to offer. But the place is in fine shape for a hotel that is proudly on the National Register of Historic Places.
The bottom line: In a city where trendy boutique hotels are hot, the Benson isn’t for everybody. But its charms have endured and probably will for a long time. The lobby bar turns festive in the evening, and the London Grill restaurant in the basement offers classic old-school dining and a deep wine list. Ask to see the Grill’s secret room. Ray Mark Rinaldi
