Hotel Lucia: Break From The Traditional
Every so often we get to stay in a hotel that is a break from the traditional chain brand over-nighter. Last weekend in Portland we were able to stay in one of those hotels, the Hotel Lucia, located directly downtown. From the moment we had the door opened for us and were greeted by the friendly front desk staff we knew it was different. What is this strange feeling? Could it be the good customer service that my parents told me of when I was a child? All the way up to our room, which happened to be a corner with an excellent view of the city streets, we noticed these differences. The lobby that was modern and inviting, the hallways were lined with classy black and white photographs, personally unique room keycards, and the list goes on and on.
My favorite part of this unique hotel? Well it had to be the music, pillow and spiritual menus. That’s right, a menu to 
pick your favorite pillow type (hard, soft, firm,etc.), the type of music you want to listen to on your room’s iPod dock (they load up an iPod for you to enjoy during your stay), and your choice of spiritual reading placed in the top drawer of the nightstand. Talk about going the extra mile to make a person feel welcome and at home. The bed was one of the most comfortable I had slept in and the LCD TV was a great touch. They also have a great room service menu. It’s beautiful hotels, that while you are in the heart of the city with so many exciting things to do all around- you really don’t want to leave your room!
Although I can’t say enough good things about Hotel Lucia, it was really a wonderful stay; I must share the very few downsides you may want to know about. There isn’t any on site parking, and there is a charge to valet. Also, the one thing that I thought odd about the modern hotel was the charge to use their wifi. Other than those small downsides, I highly recommend you think outside the box and look for unique and interesting hotels to stay in.
Tags: hotel lucia, hotel reviews, Oregon, Portland
April 14th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Just a note on having to pay for wifi. We had this discussion the other day at Blend. The point was made that, the more expensive/refined the hotel, the better the chance that you’ll have to pay for WiFi. For two main reasons, 1. they can afford it if they can afford the more expensive room and 2. there is a good chance that they are there for business and will pay the fee for the added productivity (especially if the company flips the bill).