Stay away CONSTRUCTION ZONE Drilling hammering construction noise starting at 7:30 in the morning give me a break this place is a joke it's a construction zone not a hotel should be closed until the construction is completed - don't go stay away. Wish I had read the reviews my mistake trusted Expedia advertisement. Our dinner at the H50 Bistro was unremarkable and over priced. Hotel manager is totally unresponsive to complaints and clueless. Construction crews roaming the hallways -- never in my 30 years in construction management have I seen a worse run remodeling project. Stay away don't lose sleep or your money!

I just checked in and am happily settled on my king size bed using the free internet connection. The view of the building next door isn't wonderful but transportation via the light rail from the airport took about 45 min to arrive within a block of the hotel location - for $2.05. No noise in my room - a little constuction dust but very friendly staff and good city location. Good start to my 4 days here!!

I stayed at Hotel 50 starting 6/8/08 and was billeted here for almost 3 weeks courtesy of my new employer, an insurance company not two blocks away.
My first week there was the least favorite, as there was a lot of construction going on, and I listened to nextel radios, loud conversations in the hallways and had brown water out of the taps. I sincerely dreaded coming back if this is what I had to look forward to for my second week of training. Perhaps the most interesting part of this stay was when the Shuttle Express van came to pick me up on Friday afternoon, I asked the staff up front if there was a lady's room downstairs, and I was assured there was not. However, I was offered the room key to my room even though I had vacated the room that morning and checked my bags awaiting pickup that afternoon. Thinking little of it I accepted back the key card for room 540 and went up. I just went in and turned into the water closet, not taking particular note of much since I thought that the housekeeping staff simply hadn't been there yet. It was then I realized that there was clothing in the room and I had already packed. Yep, they gave me a key card and free access to someone else's room. Yikes! Good thing there was nobody in there! I just quietly left the room, advised the desk and left on my trip home for the weekend!
However, I was pleasantly surprised when I came back. The room this time was very clean, and the renovations were progressing. This time, I had a room that had a full-on view of the river (room 519 - great view!!), and I noticed that the room had been painted. This week's stay had no real abberations, just the same noise and brown water.
Now, week 3 was interesting. I checked in and was given room 325. When I went in, I noticed blue tape in several places and that the room was very hot. Looking around, I saw no thermostat on the wall at all, just a plastic faceplate where one should have been. I called downstairs prior to unpacking and they sent up a staffmember to confirm the obvious. Only then was I offered another room, 335, which had a full and unobstructed view of a huge white wall and the garbage. OK, no problem. Here's how the room looked, though: The shower curtain had been replaced by tempered glass and a rain-show'r head. The shower enclosure was all tile, very nice. The coffeemaker had been removed from the bath (which didn't seem sanitary to me in the first place), leaving room on the counter for the things you bring along. There was a new cabinet built onto the desk which held the coffeemaker and cups, nice touch. There was a new headboard to match the kingsize bed with a pillowtop on the mattress and an abundance of comfy pillows. Yum! The rooms are finished very art-deco-ish and are attractive.
ROOMS: The beds completely overpower the rooms. There is only one chair in the room, a desk-style chair that isn't the best for relaxing in. A nice chair would be such a plus, but I can't see where it would go. There is an iron, ironing board and hair dryer provided.
BATHS: No bathtub, so if this important beware. Exceedingly nice shower enclosure and fluffy towels. There are also two robes in the closet, but I don't know if they are laundered or not. There is no door to the bath alone, it shares the door with the closet on a slider, so you either have the bath closed or the closet closed.
ELEVATORS: Be prepared to wait. There are only two, and they are also used by the construction staff. During the day, this could be a long wait.
ENTRANCE: Be very careful entering and leaving. You step down directly into the driveway. I tripped my first weekend there as there was no visual delineation to cue a person of the step down. My colleague actually fell at this spot a week later and landed on her face. One member of the staff actually said that people fall there "all the time." To the good, when we returned that afternoon, a black-and-yellow tape strip had been placed prominently at the curb.
INFORMATION: I never saw the Oregon laws posted on the doors on in prominent places as required. No checkout times are posted in the rooms, and no fire escape/exit instructions were posted in the rooms, on the elevators or in the hallways. I never quite knew where the stairs were that would be used in an emergency.
DINING: The "H-5-0" opened my last week there. I must say that the food is excellent beyond my expectations. Wait staff were attentive and educated. This is an upscale dining establishment, not designed for the family dining experience. No kids plates, no hamburgers here. There is a chef and two sous-chefs, a breathtaking winelist, and definitely a fine repast for those with an elegant palate. The prices are reasonable for the personally-prepared muses, appetizers and entrees with which you will be presented. Be prepared to see $36 for a beef entree, and less for others. I am a vegetarian and invited Chef to prepare his own choice for me and was served the a lovely seared tofu and forbidden rice with a lively tomatillo sauce. Beautiful!
IN CLOSING: My review would be a catalog of improvement in the rooms from hoping I wouldn't have to go back and pray that someone didn't try to come into my room with an errant key card to really hating to leave. I don't think that Hotel 50 will be well-advertised as a family establishment since the rooms are small and overtaken by the bed and the dining would reduce a tired mom and dad with a couple of kids to pauper status quickly. But I think for the singles or couples that like the 1950-ish inspired rooms and enjoy the ennui of a relaxing dining experience, you couldn't go wrong.

We stayed June 1st and 2nd, 2008.

The previous reviewers are correct - the hotel is currently under renvoation. The riverview wing facing Naito Parkway appears to have been completed first, and the wing along Morrison is receiving attention currently. I peeked into the restaurant and it is currently completely gutted all the way out to the studs, so I'd say that the listed July 1 opening date for the restaurant is ambitious.

There is so much great food within easy walking distance, however, that the lack of an on-site restaurant really only impacts you if you absolutely needed room service - if someone in your party was ill, perhaps, and wanted to just stay in to recover.

Truly, this location is exceptional - close to the Saturday market, festivals at the riverfront park, easy walking distance to downtown shopping, the Pearl District, and light rail going in all sorts of directions.

The renovated rooms are nicely appointed - the beds and linens are excellent, the pillows (as advertised) plentiful (a major plus as far as I'm concerned), and the fashion forward adjustible office chair instead of a side chair at the desk was a unique and welcome touch. My back was happy as I checked out the internet on my laptop and connected briefly with my job using the complementary high-speed internet access in the room. Bottled Athena water (all profits to breast cancer research), coffee/tea, and a daily USA Today were complimentary with the room.

The bathroom features Gilbert and Soames soaps, shampoos, and body wash, all every nice. Part of the renovation was that the layout of the bathroom and closet were re-jiggered. (I know this, as on the Sunday we were there, and the construction area down the hall was vacant, I snooped past the wide open door to see what the old rooms looked like)

Honestly, the old layout for the bath and closet was better. Bathtubs have been replaced by luxury shower stalls with rainbath showerheads, which I prefer, but did pose a problem with our three year old, who had never taken a shower before and viewed the whole set-up suspiciously. The sink and vanity used to be outside the bath/toilet room in an alcove, but now the sink and vanity are inside.

I think having the sink outside with the additional privacy when using the facilities is preferable, expecially if you are travelling with extended family or friends, as opposed to partner or spouse. Coffeemaker is now in the bathroom with the toilet, again, not as accessible if someone is occupying the bathroom. On the plus side, the new sink and vanity are very luxurious and spacious, and any toiletries you have forgotten are a phone call away at the front desk, and are complimentary.

One note of oddness: One of the sliding doors from the previously double wide closet is now the combination bathroom door/closet door. The closet was cut in half, and now half of the closet frame is the door to the bathroom, and the single door trolleys back and forth to cover either the closet or the bathroom entrance, but doesn't cover both at the same time.

I've done a fair amount of conventions and sales on the road, and if you are trying to do business with a client in your room (use your hotel room as an office during the day to write orders and such), the last thing you want is to have your closet door opening to expose your traveling junk everytime someone uses the restroom. Not to mention, the sliding door has a nearly two-inch crack above and bleow when closed on the bathroom, making it more of a stall - not very private in terms of bathroom noises (if you know what I mean). Plus, the closet is now too small for two travelers, as the previous reviewer noted.

In construction related issues, other than no restaurant (not a problem for us at all), there was also no lobby to speak of, as the lobby was blocked off for remodeling. I needed to return a call to a panicking client late one night and didn't want to wake up my traveling companions, so I took my cell down to the lobby, thinking I'd find a comfortable chair. Temporarily, at least, there is NO LOBBY. There's a check in desk, a set of elevator doors, and a lot of temporarily walled off space. It was a nice night, so I ended up on a bench outside the hotel making calls.

Hopefully, this is a short lived problem. The staff could not have been more friendly or accomodating in finding me a place nearby to sit and phone from, and that speaks well for the Hotel 50's prospects once the renovations are done.

Also, we had no sleeping disruption at all from the construction. It is well-contained in the lobby and the other wing, and the elevators are speedy and get you to your room fast.

All in all, I think the Hotel 50 will be more suited for the younger traveler, traveling for fun, once the renovations are complete. If beds and pillows are your key consideration (and let's not minimise the importance of a good night's sleep), this hotel earns a big A+. Add in perfect internet access and prime location with parking (another big plus for a downtown hotel), and the Hotel 50 is looking pretty good.

We got an excellent rate during the construction period, so if you are looking for a downtown Portland super bargain, and don't mind no lobby or restaurant, this might be one for you to consider this summer.