Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

Kimpton RiverPlace is the hotel to choose if you want to wake up to the river. It sits right on the west bank of the Willamette at 1510 S Harbor Way, in the RiverPlace marina development at the southern end of Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and many of its rooms and suites look straight over the water, the marina and the bridges to the east-side skyline. The building has the low-rise, shingled feel of a waterfront lodge rather than a downtown tower, and rooms are decorated in the warm, residential Kimpton style with comfortable beds, soft furnishings and, in select rooms and suites, fireplaces. Beyond standard rooms and suites, there are riverside residences that suit families or longer stays. RiverPlace Kitchen and Bar serves seafood-focused Pacific Northwest dishes and cocktails with river views, and the daily afternoon happy hour, with discounted wines by the glass, local beers, cocktails and snacks, is a relaxed way to end a day of sightseeing. The hotel is famously pet-friendly, with no restrictions on pet size, breed or number for a nightly fee. Outside the door, the waterfront path leads north through Tom McCall Waterfront Park to the Saturday Market and Old Town, and south to the South Waterfront district and the Portland Aerial Tram, making the hotel ideal for runners, cyclists and walkers. Downtown's core is a ten- to fifteen-minute walk, with the Portland Streetcar nearby. The trade-offs: it is a little removed from the downtown core, river-view rooms command a premium, and parking is paid.

The location is the main event. Morning runs and walks along the river are right outside, and in the evening the light over the water and the bridges is lovely from a river-view room or the restaurant. Summer brings festivals to Tom McCall Waterfront Park, from the Rose Festival to the Waterfront Blues Festival, and RiverPlace guests are well placed to enjoy them while retreating to a calmer base. The marina promenade has a handful of shops and restaurants, and the Eastbank Esplanade is reachable across the Hawthorne Bridge for a riverside loop.

As a Kimpton, the hotel offers the brand's usual extras: a welcoming hosted happy hour culture, loaner bikes in many Kimpton locations (ask at the front desk), yoga mats in rooms and a friendly, personal style of service. The hotel's sustainability program and its warm reception of pets make it popular with Portland locals on staycations, too. Rooms with fireplaces are especially cozy during the wet season.

RiverPlace suits couples, travelers with dogs, active visitors who want to run or bike along the river, and families who appreciate the residences' extra space. It is less ideal if you want to step out into the bustle of downtown or the Pearl District, though both are an easy walk or short streetcar ride away. Book a river-view room — it is the reason to stay here. On summer evenings, the riverside path outside fills with walkers, joggers and cyclists, and watching the sunset reflect off the water from the hotel's terrace or a river-view room is one of the quiet pleasures of a Portland stay.