the Multnomah Hotel - Downtown (currently Embassy Suites Portland)
Yes, there are Embassy Suites all over the country, but there isn’t one quite like this one in downtown Portland, which opened in 1912 as the 700-room Multnomah Hotel, and continued to welcome guests until closing in 1963, when the building was converted to Multnomah Manor, a short-lived retirement home, and later into government offices.
It was built during the rapid growth following the Lewis and Clark exposition in 1905, and was the largest hotel for over fifty years with 750 rooms. It is designed in the American Renaissance style. With its luxurious accommodations, elaborate interior appointments, and numerous banquet halls and dining rooms, the Multnomah was the focal point of much social activity during its heyday. And not long after its opening, was the site of a publicity stunt, in which a Curtis Pusher bi-plane took off from the roof.
Noteworthy Multnomah Hotel guests included aviator Charles Lindbergh, silent movie heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, and Queen Marie of Romania. Many politicians came here, too, including then-Senator Harry Truman, who met with reporters during a 1944 presidential campaign stop. In fact, every president from Teddy Roosevelt to Richard Nixon either stayed or attended an event here at one time.
In 1997, the Multnomah became a hotel again when it was renovated and restored by the Hilton company as part of its Embassy Suites brand, with 276 rooms – roughly one-third of its original room count.
Yes, there are Embassy Suites all over the country, but there isn’t one quite like this one in downtown Portland, which opened in 1912 as the 700-room Multnomah Hotel, and continued to welcome guests until closing in 1963, when the building was converted to Multnomah Manor, a short-lived retirement home, and later into government offices.
It was built during the rapid growth following the Lewis and Clark exposition in 1905, and was the largest hotel for over fifty years with 750 rooms. It is designed in the American Renaissance style. With its luxurious accommodations, elaborate interior appointments, and numerous banquet halls and dining rooms, the Multnomah was the focal point of much social activity during its heyday. And not long after its opening, was the site of a publicity stunt, in which a Curtis Pusher bi-plane took off from the roof.
Noteworthy Multnomah Hotel guests included aviator Charles Lindbergh, silent movie heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, and Queen Marie of Romania. Many politicians came here, too, including then-Senator Harry Truman, who met with reporters during a 1944 presidential campaign stop. In fact, every president from Teddy Roosevelt to Richard Nixon either stayed or attended an event here at one time.
In 1997, the Multnomah became a hotel again when it was renovated and restored by the Hilton company as part of its Embassy Suites brand, with 276 rooms – roughly one-third of its original room count.
