Hotel Website: The Hi-Lo Hotel, Autograph Collection
Location: Google Maps
Book: Check availability
Room Type: Alcove, Junior Suite – 1 King Bed, City View (Corner)
Review Score: Results of our review

Our Highlights

Atmosphere: Dark, moody, and recently renovated design that feels unique and cozy, especially in winter.
Location: Prime Downtown Portland location, within easy walking distance of a mall, countless restaurants, and unique rooftop bars.
Room Feature: Innovative TV mounting system that flips between the bed and sitting area.
Amenities: Better-than-average onsite fitness center.
Dining: Excellent hand-crafted cocktails and a fantastic breakfast from the single onsite restaurant.

Things to Know

Parking: Do not use the valet parking service, which is slow and very expensive. Self-parking nearby is highly recommended for speed and convenience.
Traditional Luxury: The property does not feature a pool or a spa, which lowers its score in terms of traditional resort-style luxury amenities.
Curb Appeal: The outside of the hotel is not necessarily what you call “sexy” or remarkable, but the interior design and location fully compensate for this.

Amenities

🍸 Bar
🏋️ Gym
📋 Meeting rooms
🐾 Pet friendly
🍽️ Restaurant

The Luxe Atlas Rating

Design: 6.9/10
Vibe: 7.5/10
Romantic: 6.2/10
Air Conditioning: 9/10
Room: 7/10
Food: 7/10
Location: 8/10
Gym/Fitness: 7/10
Cleanliness: 9/10
Wow Factor: 6/10
Overall Experience: 7.36/10

The Hi-Lo Hotel, Autograph Collection: A Unique Boutique Experience in Downtown Portland

The Hi-Lo Hotel, Autograph Collection, in Portland Oregon, was actually one of our more exciting and unique places to stay in the Portland area. We wouldn’t consider this property the traditional luxury found with major global brands like Rosewood. The Luxury Collection, The Ritz-Carlton. Instead, this Autograph Collection hotel provides a truly unique boutique hotel experience, successfully blending modern, moody design with a prime downtown location.

Introduction: The Essence of the Hi-Lo Hotel

The Hi-Lo Hotel offers a distinct personality among Portland hotels. Part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, it intentionally leans into a unique, localized aesthetic rather than a cookie-cutter luxury design. Its appeal lies in its dark, sophisticated, and recently renovated environment, making it a favorite for travelers seeking charm and character alongside their Marriott points. This blend of reliability and unique character made for a very enjoyable stay.

Arrival and Parking Logistics

Upon arrival, the check-in process was pretty quick. The front desk efficiently handled the paperwork, leaving little to explain about the property beyond the room keys. The downstairs area, featuring the dark and recently renovated aesthetic, is actually a very cute and inviting spot, serving as a comfortable communal area to hang out with friends. All the way in the back, there is a very cool sitting area with glass along the front, offering a quiet view of the sidewalk.

A critical note for future guests involves parking: Do not use the valet parking. Sure, you can use the valet, but they are going to charge you an arm and a leg, and the service is quite slow. For me, I literally self-parked in the parking lot in front of the building. This setup was fantastic; I could walk out to my car—often the first one in the lot—and easily walk inside or outside. Given that we were on the move often, the easy access made things much nicer to experience. For me when I travel, I am a bit impatient, so parking my own car is a typical preference unless it’s forced.

The Hotel and Location

While the exterior of the hotel is not necessarily noteworthy, the property’s location and interior design are its defining strengths. The Hi-Lo puts you within walking distance of countless things to do. You are definitely within walking distance of numerous restaurants to eat at, tons of shopping and a mall, and some unique hotel rooftops and places to have nice cocktails. This excellent walkability was probably one of our favorite spots about the hotel, as we were within a short stroll of a very fun time after a long day of sightseeing in Downtown Portland.

The Hotel Room: Urban Design and Cozy Finishes

The journey to the room was seamless, thanks to the dark hallways and the quickness of the elevators. Once we arrived at our suite, the unique finishes of the property made us feel like we were in a distinctive urban sanctuary. We visited Portland in December, and the dark, rich aesthetic really helped bring in a cozy winter vibe.

Our room featured dark wooden panels along the walls, complemented by exceptionally high ceilings. The design brilliantly mixed raw industrial elements like the concrete ceiling and concrete walls with beautiful wood finishes stacked up the wall, creating a warm, contemporary feel. The TV was mounted creatively on the wall between the bed and the sitting area. This ingenious setup allowed us to actually flip the display both ways, eliminating the need to have a random piece of furniture holding a TV that’s rarely used. The bathrooms are updated, and our shower was very nice, featuring the crucial element we always appreciate: good water pressure. In traditional Autograph Collection form, the beds were, of course, super comfy, and the AC worked very well, providing a cool room even in the winter! We definitely had a nice room and thoroughly enjoyed our experience there.

Restaurants Onsite: Craft Cocktails and Fantastic Breakfast

The Hi-Lo operates with a single, highly capable food and beverage venue onsite. This venue transitions throughout the day, providing morning breakfast service, food during the day, and then cocktails at night. The bar area is not very big, but that absolutely does not take away from the quality of what they are serving. They actually made excellent hand-crafted cocktails, and the breakfast was fantastic.

Venue	Focus	Notes
Onsite Restaurant / Bar	Breakfast, All-Day Fare, Evening Cocktails	Serves high-quality food and excellent craft drinks.

Note: As this is a single, fluid venue, specific operating hours can vary, but generally covers essential meal and evening cocktail times.

The Hi-Lo, Autograph Collection Cocktails

Shopping Onsite (and Nearby)

While the hotel itself does not appear to have major dedicated retail or a gift shop, the value of the location is its proximity to the city’s best shopping. The Hi-Lo Hotel is ideally situated for retail therapy, being within walking distance of the main Downtown Portland shopping district and local boutiques.

Activities & Amenities

For those who enjoy fitness, they have a very nice onsite gym, and I highly recommend spending some time there. It’s not necessarily a high-quality, luxury gym like you would find at a dedicated wellness resort, but they definitely have more equipment than your traditional hotel, offering a solid space to maintain your routine. The best “activity” the hotel offers is its prime location, giving guests immediate access to Portland’s vibrant culinary and nightlife scene.

The Spa

The hotel does not have any kind of pool or spa or similar leisure facility, so the traditional luxury factor on that score does not exist. The Hi-Lo focuses entirely on the urban boutique experience rather than resort amenities.

Final Closing: High Marks for Value and Vibe

My final verdict on this hotel is that it is an easy, affordable place to stay if you are looking to earn Marriott points without having to go to the more expensive or corporate hotels around the corner. We really enjoyed our stay here for its unique vibe, excellent location, and comfortable rooms, and we would definitely stay here again.