Introduction | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

On our second leg up to Canada, we decided to stay in Portland for the night, after coming in from Redding, CA (we had a blast at the Sheraton Redding Hotel, which is such an underrated Marriott property). The Kimpton hotels are known to be super dog-friendly and often have perks that are unique to its own brand. The Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel is a regal luxury property that is literally right next to the Williamette river. We opted to stay here and found our two nights here to be great, albeit with a few disappointing quirks.

Booking | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

As Portland was one of our main stops during our trip up to Canada, I knew there would be two IHG hotels that I could leverage my free night certificate at. The Kimpton RiverPlace and the Kimpton Hotel Vintage were the two choices, but considering the location of RiverPlace and its vast grass fields and lakefront views, I ended up selecting this place. We utilized 45,000 IHG points for a Junior Suite, which on our first night turned into a 1 King Bedroom Suite Willamette River View. Cash price for that room at time of booking was over $500 USD, so it was great to see these points carry a bit further than usual.

I’ll caveat by saying that while the free night certificate played out nicely for our stay, the guest amenity and parking fees do eat into your redemption. (I’ll get to that later in the blog.)

Hotel Grounds | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

The riverfront courtyard is scenic and a lovely place to walk around. We found a lot of dogs playing and smelling around the vast grass fields, and saw a few locals running around the park line.

Inside the hotel is very cabin-like, with warm and rustic themes running across the entire lobby and restaurant. Ample fireplaces are lit up 24/7 and one can enjoy a the warmth of the fire while sipping on some tea or wine. During the morning, the hotel provides hot tea and coffee for its guests. The fitness center is within reach, and had decent workout equipment, though I did find it a bit humid in there without the lack of windows and proper ventilation. You can exit directly to the walking paths of the Waterfront park and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Portland. The staff are super friendly and are very welcoming to any of your requests.

During 3-5pm, there is a Social Hour that features a chef’s appetizer along with a series of wine - we were greeted with Pacific Northwest wines that we gladly obliged to. The friendly staff also provided several hot tea and drinks at the request of my wife.

1 Bedroom Suite River View | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

Our hotel is right on the river, so we were blessed with a suite that gave a beautiful view of the Willamette River and the bustling freeways of Portland. The room is spacious, thought a bit dark during night time. During the morning, the sunrise can easily light up the whole suite with ease. The motifs scattered across the room are lodge-inspired accents and something that I could easily envision in a mystery novel. I loved the unique furniture and design, such the headboard and the curtain designs. The color schemes are definitely not muted, and rather bold.

WiFi is included, and was rather fast for streaming and uploading. There is in-room dining from 7-10pm daily, though I recommend just picking it up downstairs to save some money on surcharges and delivery fees. There is a yoga mat in every room, free of charge for you to unwind and stretch. Two bottles of water are there for you to quench your thirst, along with the typical minibar items and accessories. The living room space consisted of a round table, a chair, a minibar with the fridge, along with a sofa and a TV. Overall, the breadth of the room felt warm and very inviting, and while its age is slightly showing, it’s a fantastic hotel to be in.

Bathroom | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

If the room was a positive point of the property, the bathroom was a major letdown in terms of its design and longevity. It felt somewhat old and interestingly enough shower pressure was not as great as I thought it to be. However, the amenities were from Atelier Bloem and they were fantastic. The lotion is one of my favorites and I was able to snag a couple bottles back home courtesy of housekeeping. Towels were plentiful though! There’s also a list of toiletries and amenities that you can ask for should you find the need for some items that you may missed during your journey into Portland.

Hopefully in the future a renovation is in the works for this property, as a major refresh would immediately propel this hotel back into the spotlight as a major hotel in the Portland area.

Guest Amenity Fee | Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

The daily guest amenities fee of $26.00 plus tax includes the following:

2 bottled waters
Weekly Programming
Rooms equipped with coffee makers and Starbucks coffee
Newspapers available in the lobby
Seasonal Curated Music Playlist
A $10 food and beverage credit to be used at King Tide Fish & Shell or for in-room dining per stay
Peloton Bike in the Fitness Room

If I did the math correctly, I essentially only get about $10 in value as everything else is somewhat standard across the spectrum of its competitors. We ate at King Tide during dinner our stay so it was $10 face value towards our check. I do wish hotels would either remove this so-called guest fee or bolster it with items that actually bring value to their customers.

Dining | King Tide

We arrived towards the tail end of the night time, and found ourselves hungry and tired. For dinner, we ate at the King Tide Fish & Shell restaurant, which we really enjoyed both on-site and for room service. In fact, the food was fantastic, especially their mussels and salmon. The manager was also kind enough to comp us on an IPA due to slight mishap with our menu. The pricing is slightly expensive for the area, though the ambiance is like a wooden luxury cabin. It’s a great place to eat out at.

Conclusion

Overall, the Kimpton Riverplace Hotel is a fantastic property that features beautiful and traditional rooms and is a great value for those redeeming points or their free night certificate. Being that it’s a Kimpton, dog parents will be excited about this property as they’re super friendly with dogs and often have treats at hand for your best fur-friend. No fees or restrictions!

That being said, it’s a bit disappointing to see a $49 valet parking fee + $26 Guest Amenity Fee when redeeming a free night, as that somewhat detracts a great redemption. I do hope that IHG can follow the footsteps of Hyatt on removing these fees for those with status, as it makes the experience a lot more attractive. That being said, the Kimpton Riverplace hotel is still a great choice for those with IHG points and wish to bring their pets around!