DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland is a full-service hotel in Portland, Oregon's Lloyd District, directly associated with the development of the city's east side and the growth of the Lloyd Center area. The property opened on September 28, 1959, as the Sheraton-Portland Hotel. It was the first new hotel built in Portland since the New Heathman Hotel opened in 1928, giving it an important place in the city's postwar commercial and hospitality history. The hotel was initially owned by the Lloyd Corporation and operated by Sheraton Hotels. In 1963, it was renamed the Sheraton Motor Inn. In 1980, Thunderbird–Red Lion Inns purchased the property and renamed it the Red Lion Inn/Lloyd Center, reflecting its location across Northeast Multnomah Street from Lloyd Center, then a prominent outdoor shopping mall. The property had 276 rooms before a major expansion. When the enlarged hotel reopened in 1982, it included a new 15-story tower and 520 rooms, making it the largest hotel in Oregon at the time. Its scale helped establish the Lloyd District as a major destination for shopping, business, conventions, and urban redevelopment. The property remained one of Oregon's largest hotels for many years. In 1989, it had 476 rooms and ranked as the state's second-largest hotel, behind the Portland Marriott Hotel. In 1996, Red Lion Hotels, Inc. agreed to be acquired by Doubletree Corp. The transaction closed on November 8, 1996, after which the Lloyd Center property became the Doubletree Hotel Portland. Doubletree later became part of Hilton's hotel portfolio, and the property was rebranded as DoubleTree by Hilton during the broader brand transition in late 2010 and 2011. The hotel has historically served both business and leisure travelers. Its facilities include guest rooms, restaurants, a conference center, covered parking, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness-related amenities, and meeting and event spaces. The hotel is a sizable convention-oriented property with 15 floors, multiple glass elevators, and a location near the Oregon Convention Center, Lloyd Center, public transportation, and other east-side attractions. As of 2020, it had 477 guest rooms. The outdoor pool is an unusual feature among Portland hotels and can accommodate approximately 20 to 30 people. The property has also been recognized as a Portland landmark hotel. Local coverage has connected its opening to the expansion of the east side and to the customer traffic generated by Lloyd Center. Travel and lodging guides have emphasized its business-friendly facilities, meeting and special-event capacity, spacious rooms, upper-floor city and mountain views, central Lloyd District location, and the DoubleTree brand's chocolate-chip-cookie welcome tradition. The hotel continues to operate as a DoubleTree by Hilton property, although detailed current ownership information is not established by the supplied sources.

The hotel opened on September 28, 1959, as the Sheraton-Portland Hotel. It was developed and owned by the Lloyd Corporation and operated by Sheraton Hotels, making it the first new hotel in Portland since the New Heathman Hotel of 1928. Its placement opposite the Lloyd Center shopping mall connected the property to one of the most significant commercial developments on Portland's east side. The original nine-story building provided roughly 300 rooms and served shoppers, business travelers, and visitors to the newly expanding Lloyd District. In 1963, the property became the Sheraton Motor Inn. In June 1980, Thunderbird–Red Lion Inns acquired it from the Lloyd Corporation. On August 1 of that year, it reopened as the Red Lion Inn/Lloyd Center. At the time, the hotel had 276 rooms, but a major expansion was planned. The project added a 15-story tower and substantially increased the property's capacity. When the expanded hotel reopened in 1982, it contained 520 rooms and was described as the largest hotel in Oregon. The expanded property remained one of the state's largest hotels. By 1989, it had 476 rooms and ranked second in Oregon by room count, behind the 503-room Portland Marriott Hotel in downtown Portland. Its size and location gave it a substantial role in the convention, corporate, and group-travel market. The hotel was also part of the broader transformation of the Lloyd District from a shopping-centered area into a mixed commercial, entertainment, and transportation district. In September 1996, Red Lion Hotels, Inc., then headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, entered an agreement to be acquired by Doubletree Corp. The merger was completed on November 8, 1996, and the Lloyd Center hotel was renamed the Doubletree Hotel Portland. In October 1998, Doubletree announced a plan to construct a 300-room tower on the northeast corner of the property. The proposed addition was intended to create a headquarters-style hotel for the nearby Oregon Convention Center, but it was never built. Doubletree later became part of the Hilton hotel system. During late 2010 and 2011, the company's hotels adopted the DoubleTree by Hilton name, and the Portland property became DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland. The current hotel retains the large-scale configuration created by the early-1980s expansion, with 477 guest rooms reported as of 2020. Its facilities include restaurants, a conference center, covered parking, an outdoor pool, guest amenities, and meeting and special-event spaces. The hotel has attracted both favorable hospitality coverage and significant negative attention. Local writers have described it as historically important to Portland's east-side development, while travel guides have emphasized its location, spacious rooms, meeting infrastructure, outdoor pool, and suitability for business travelers and events. In late 2014, a woman was found dead in a stairwell, leading to a criminal case and a later civil lawsuit by her family against Hilton and the hotel's owners. In 2019, a guest filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging racial profiling during a 2018 stay. The hotel apologized and fired two employees, and Hilton publicly reiterated its opposition to racism. The property remains an operating DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in the Lloyd District.

• 2020

  Reported inventory stands at 477 rooms

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was described as having 477 guest rooms, along with restaurants, a conference center, covered parking, and an outdoor pool.

• 2010

  DoubleTree by Hilton rebranding begins

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  The broader Doubletree portfolio began adopting the DoubleTree by Hilton identity in late 2010 and 2011.

• 1998

  Unbuilt convention-oriented tower proposed

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  Doubletree announced a proposed 300-room tower intended to serve as a headquarters hotel for the Oregon Convention Center; the project was not constructed.

• 1996

  Property joins Doubletree system

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition of Red Lion Hotels by Doubletree Corp. closed on November 8, and the hotel became Doubletree Hotel Portland.

• 1982

  Major tower expansion completed

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  A 15-story tower expansion increased capacity to 520 rooms, making the hotel the largest in Oregon at the time.

• 1980

  Acquired and renamed Red Lion Inn/Lloyd Center

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  Thunderbird–Red Lion Inns purchased the hotel from the Lloyd Corporation, and the property was renamed in August.

• 1963

  Renamed Sheraton Motor Inn

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  The property adopted the Sheraton Motor Inn name.

• 1959

  Hotel opens as the Sheraton-Portland Hotel

  [1]DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org

  The Lloyd Corporation-owned hotel opened on September 28 as Portland's first new hotel since 1928.

An upper-upscale, business-oriented full-service hotel combining convention and event capacity with leisure amenities in Portland's historic Lloyd District.

• Hotel accommodation · 1959

  Guest rooms and suites

  The property offers a large inventory of guest accommodation in a 15-story hotel. It had 477 guest rooms as of 2020, with travel coverage noting that many rooms are spacious and that upper-floor rooms can provide views toward Portland and, in clear conditions, the surrounding mountains. The rooms support both corporate and leisure stays.

• Meetings and events · 1959

  Conference center and meeting facilities

  Meeting and event facilities are a central part of the hotel's business proposition. The conference center supports corporate gatherings, conventions, special events, and group functions. Its location near the Oregon Convention Center has also made the property relevant to convention-oriented lodging, although a separately proposed 300-room headquarters tower was never built.

• Food and beverage · 1959

  Restaurants and banquet dining

  The hotel includes restaurants and food-service facilities for overnight guests, business travelers, meetings, and special events. Dining is part of the property's full-service positioning, complementing its conference and banquet capabilities.

• Leisure amenity

  Outdoor swimming pool

  The outdoor pool is a distinctive leisure amenity in the Portland hotel market. It has been described as able to accommodate approximately 20 to 30 people and has received favorable attention in local travel coverage of Portland hotels with outdoor pools.

• Hotel services · 1959

  Covered parking and guest amenities

  The property provides covered parking and standard full-service hotel amenities, supporting guests attending meetings, events, shopping trips, and city visits. Its large physical footprint and Lloyd District location are central to the overall guest proposition.

• 2019

  Racial-profiling lawsuit and employee dismissals

  A guest filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that hotel staff racially profiled him during a 2018 stay. The hotel apologized and fired two employees. Hilton stated that it maintained zero tolerance for racism.

  Source

• 2014

  Death in hotel stairwell and subsequent civil lawsuit

  A woman was found dead in one of the hotel's stairwells in late 2014. A Washington man was accused of murder and arrested. The woman's family later sued Hilton and the hotel's owners in connection with the incident.

  Source

Read more

• 2010

  Conversion to the DoubleTree by Hilton brandStrategy

  Background

  Hilton integrated the Doubletree portfolio into a unified DoubleTree by Hilton brand identity.

  Action taken

  The Portland hotel adopted the DoubleTree by Hilton name during the rebranding period spanning late 2010 and 2011.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating as a Hilton-affiliated full-service hotel under the DoubleTree brand.

  Source

• 1998

  Proposed convention headquarters expansionStrategy

  Background

  Doubletree sought to strengthen the property's convention role because of its proximity to the Oregon Convention Center.

  Action taken

  The company announced plans for a 300-room tower on the northeast corner of the property.

  Aftermath

  The proposed tower was never built, leaving the existing hotel configuration in place.

  Source

• 1996

  Doubletree acquisition of Red Lion HotelsM&A

  Background

  Red Lion Hotels, Inc. entered an agreement to be acquired by Doubletree Corp.

  Action taken

  The merger closed on November 8, and the Portland property was renamed Doubletree Hotel Portland.

  Aftermath

  The hotel became part of the Doubletree lodging system and later adopted the DoubleTree by Hilton identity.

  Source

• 1980

  Red Lion acquisition and rebrandingM&A

  Background

  The Lloyd Corporation sold the property as the hotel prepared for a major expansion under Thunderbird–Red Lion Inns.

  Action taken

  The buyer renamed the property Red Lion Inn/Lloyd Center.

  Aftermath

  The hotel underwent a major expansion that produced a 15-story tower and made it Oregon's largest hotel when reopened in 1982.

  Source

1. 1DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portlanden.wikipedia.org