The Duniway Hotel

This was one of the worst & most exhausting hotel stays I have had. Not because the space is bad, but because almost none of it is being allowed to function. To start with the positives, which deserve mention. The bedding/sleep quality was excellent. Breakfast at Mayrose was genuinely outstanding. I had a breakfast slider and the Bloody Mary which were both stellar. Also had cold brew coffee, easily the best cup of coffee I had in the city. Jeff, the bartender at breakfast, was awesome and professional. Brown, a valet attendant was the single most helpful person I encountered. He genuinely tried to improve my experience before any tip was involved. These individuals clearly understand hospitality. Unfortunately, everything around them is broken. I booked this stay through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, which advertises specific benefits: Early check in at Noon, potential room upgrade, daily breakfast credit for two, 4 PM late checkout, complimentary WiFi, and a $100 experience credit. This is also a Hilton property, so Hilton Gold benefits are supposedly in play as well. In practice, these programs collide instead of complementing each other. I arrived at 2pm and while I was able to check in, parking immediately became the first layer of confusion. Valet costs $59/ night with no access after hours. Self parking is at the sister property but cannot be billed to the room, meaning FHR credits cannot be applied. This was never explained by anyone other than Brown. In the room, I booked an ADA King, with complimentary upgrades listed as part of both FHR and Hilton Gold. I was placed in a single Queen. An upgrade that results in a smaller bed and less space is not an upgrade. After check in at 2pm I began exploring, however nothing was open. No bar. No restaurant. No amenities. I was handed a confusing flow sheet listing closures and hours with no clear explanation (See photo attached). Early check in existed yes, but to the room only since all amenities were closed. Luckily there was a Canes chicken nearby who was willing to feed this starving traveler. The bar at Mayrose, operates as lounge service only in the evenings. This means roughly twenty seats for a room full of guests. Table service unavailable, so guests stood in line to order drinks while large sections of the restaurant sat empty behind closed signs. After seeing a few guests enter the closed section and be seated, I asked if I could sit there as well (I had been waiting about ten minutes at this point). The bartender explained that while those guests were allowed to sit there to be nice, the area was technically closed. That moment summarizes the entire stay. Rules exist, but they are applied selectively. Guests who follow them are penalized. Guests who quietly bypass them are accommodated. None of this is the fault of the bartenders, who were clearly understaffed and overwhelmed. Decided to cross the street and visit the sister property hoping for relief. The same situation awaited. Huge open areas. Most seating closed. Two solo bartenders managing crowds. No improvement. I contacted the GM via the hotel app to express frustration, and the response quietly walked back the early check in promise, framed closures as scheduling choices, and redirected me once again to the sister property or to canned cocktails from a market. It addressed none of the underlying issues. During my entire stay, amid visible guest frustration and obvious staff strain, I never once saw a member of management present on the floor. The in room experience continued the theme. The refrigerator was plugged in and running, yet hot to the touch. There is no minibar, no room service, no printed menus, and no clear guidance. Everything is pushed to QR codes. So instead of being welcomed, you are onboarded. Instead of care, you get compliance. Instead of warmth, you get a bored gatekeeper irritated that you interrupted her screen time. Despite being guaranteed a 4 PM late checkout, I chose to leave EARLY. At that point, I had simply had enough. The most frustrating part is the unused space. Beautiful rooms, gorgeous public areas, massive square footage; all sitting behind closed signs while guests wait and staff burn out. This hotel has enormous potential, but it is paralyzed by poor operational decisions and invisible leadership. At $300 per night, this is unacceptable. The Duniway should be renamed "The Wrongway" if you ask me. Simply because everything here sends you in the opposite direction of clarity, ease, and hospitality. ZERO STARS AVOID AT ALL COST

Stayed at the Duniway with my buddy for my birthday trip in December 2025. The hotel room itself was great, but the service left a lot to be desired. When we checked in there was an absolute mosh pit in the lobby. We couldn't even get to the front desk to check-in. They were understaffed, so I eventually was able to check-in after getting a drink at the bar. While I was checking in, the bartender dropped off the check for our drinks with my buddy even though we said we were checking in and doing a room charge. They did take care of this eventually, but I had to escalate to a manager. I have notes in my Hilton Gold profile saying I want away from the elevator, and the first night they stuck me in a room dead in front of the elevator. I slept awful from all the noise from the guests congregating in front of the elevator. I should have immediately switched rooms but again the front desk was a nightmare so I ended up having to pack up and move rooms the next day. Again, they took care of my concern but this should have been addressed up front. They gave a very confusing printout of the hours of their various restaurants which I literally had to put into ChatGPT to understand, and ChatGPT flippantly said something to the effect of those aren't hours, that's a teasure hunt! We enjoyed brunch on the weekend with the extended hours but the coffee shop wasn't open the hours they said it was, and when they casually told me to go across the street (in the rain) to get a coffee, I did and found their worker on a 15 minute break. And then they charged me for the coffee that was supposed to be included at breakfast. I loved the hotel itself but don't think I'd stay there again due to all the service lapses. Next time I go to Portland I'll give the Canopy by Hilton a try and see if they care about their elites.

Nice hotel. The dinners and breakfasts in the Mayrose Lounge are a highlight. Great food and excellent staff. Front desk staff are amazing as well--just incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. The only knock on this place is it is crazy crowded. They only have the bar area open for dinner on Sundays, and it was absolutely jammed from 5 pm to 11 pm with screaming kids and dogs (on leashes). My only suggestion if you are not a fan of loud toddlers and dogs is to know before going that this is a thing here. But otherwise, this beautiful hotel lives up to its reputation for sure.

We stayed on 12/8/25 for a night, Rodrigo at the front desk gave me two choices for an upgrade, I left it on his suggestion. To my surprise his choice exceeded my expectation and made my partner very happy. He is professional, friendly and make you at ease. I am staying again this weekend for 2 nights Sunday/Monday, hope he is around. The next day we had great breakfast, fresh hot coffee "Very Important", the gentleman who served us checked as on us frequently.

This Hilton hotel was very nice and the staff were wonderful and very sweet. The rooms were very nice but my room didn’t have a microwave.. i’m not sure if that’s a normal thing or not lol. The lounge was nice and coffee was amazing. Directly in the heart of downtown Portland.