"How did it strike you on arrival?Sophisticates who want to be in the thick of the action, The Nine is your spirit hotel, with one lofty advantage—instead of opening straight into downtown’s traffic and tumult, the lobby hovers eight stories above ground. Step off the elevator, bypass a bevy of stark-naked mannequins, and enter the soaring, light-bathed atrium, which is dotted with dramatic custom art installations from the hotel’s substantial collection. If your room isn’t ready, settle into the library with a Maple Old Fashioned or glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from the excellent bar menu at Urban Farmer, the onsite restaurant. What’s the crowd like?Posh out-of-towners, well-heeled locals on a staycation, 20- and 30-somethings dressed to the (ahem) nines and ready to party. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.If The Nines Suite—a 1,768-square-foot space with a butler’s kitchen and fireplace—is out of the question, go for a Deluxe City View room on a high floor. If all those sweeping views have you itching to lace up your Danner boots and hit the trail, you can be there in 15 minutes; the hotel sits directly on the city’s MAX light rail line, five stops from Washington Park, home to the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, Oregon Zoo, and Wildwood Trail. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that find worth a mention?Take a good look at the art in your room—it’s part of the hotel’s substantial collection of original, locally commissioned paintings, sculptures, and custom installations, all curated by former Andy Warhol associate Paige Powell. And if your heart beats faster at the sight of anything Tiffany blue, prepare to lust after the distinctive robin’s-egg-hued velvet sofas and window seats, a bright, beautiful contrast to the cushy, tufted white-leather headboards, Italian-marble-topped tables, and crystal chandeliers. Bath products are from Gilchrist & Soames’ BeeKind label, a staunchly eco-friendly collection that donates proceeds to sustainable pollination research—particularly fitting since this LEED Silver–certified hotel keeps hives on the roof. Room service and food: Worth it?The building’s regal turn-of-the-century glazed terra-cotta facade once housed Meier & Frank, the city’s preeminent department store, where Portland’s most stylish denizens shopped and mingled. That see-and-be-seen mentality is alive and well on the 15th floor, where a buzzy crowd lines Departure Restaurant’s rooftop railings (Portland’s notoriously fickle weather permitting) and surrounds the space-age bar, sampling high-end sakes and Hennessy-spiked Tale of Sang Thong cocktails, and sharing pretty Pan-Asian small plates like beet-cured trout rolls with furikake and gingery Dungeness crab, and sausage and XO sauce fried rice with crispy garlic Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.After a day of indie boutique-shopping in the trendy nearby West End and Pearl Districts, take a break in the cozy hotel library—if you can find it. Signage is nonexistent, so walk through the lobby, then turn left down the nondescript hallway on the left. Inside, find a full-size billiards table beneath an antler chandelier, cushy leather sofas, and hundreds of books (extra credit if you pick one by a Portland literary luminary like Chuck Palahniuk, Chelsea Cain, or Katherine Dunn). The upside of the bar's surreptitious locale is sometimes not having to share it with a soul; the downside is the potential lack of a pool partner, so bring your own. Bottom line: worth it, and why?This hotel has an art-forward aura, a stylish, fast-moving crowd, one of the best rooftops in downtown, and plenty to eat, drink, and do (whether or not you leave)." - Jen Stevenson
