The Press Hotel, on the corner of Congress and Exchange Streets, puts most of downtown Portland’s must-see sights, must-eat restaurants, and must-do experiences within easy reach. Once home to the state’s largest newspaper, the Press Hotel, a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, honors its past while giving guests a comfy, contemporary yet retro arts and letters newspaper-themed experience.
Location, location, location
Sited at the head of Exchange Street, which connects the Olde Port and Waterfront with downtown, the Press Hotel works equally well for business travelers (City Hall is across Congress Street) as vacationers. It’s an easy walk west on Congress to the Arts District or east to Munjoy Hill and all the new restaurants, breweries, distilleries, coffee/tea houses and independent shops now populating that area.
Valets make parking a cinch, and the daily rate includes as many ins and outs of the garage as you wish. (You usually can find overnight parking on the street, with no charges between 6pm and 8 or 9am, but read signs carefully for any restrictions. Day parking requires feeding a meter or pay station or opting for a garage).
The inside scoop
The ghosts of the Portland Press Herald linger inside the Press Hotel, but in a good way. The newspaper-themed decor with an artsy edge begins in the lobby. There’s a letterpress relief artwork behind the front desk; a typewriter cases work adjacent to it; and a spiral of typewriters installation filling an open stairwell wall.
The lobby lounge, called the Inkwell, continues the theme, with a typewriter set up for guest usage and tabletops displaying old newspaper pages with appropriate headlines, such as Goodbye, about the last edition of the long-ago Evening Express.
Inkwell does double duty: In the morning it’s a coffee bar, with house-made pastries until noon. At 4pm, it morphs into a cocktail lounge. The cozy seating areas, especially by the fireplace, invite relaxing with a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail and perhaps choosing a nibble or two from the snack menu.
Read all about it
Elevators access guest rooms on the second to sixth floors. Step off the elevator, and read the walls. The directional signs are in a typesetter relief like the one in the lobby. The wallpaper comprises old Portland Papers headlines. Among my favorites: Elderly lobster set free; This time, dogs all dressed up with someplace to go; and Honest warden, the doe really had an antler. The headlines and type get closer together reading from down the wall, and it appears as if the type spills out in a jumble on the hallway carpet.
Sleep on it
Guestrooms in The Press Hotel continue the theme, although it’s more subtle. On the back of desk chairs is the classic learn-to-type exercise: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
I’ve stayed here a couple of times, once in a king and another time in a junior suite, and I’ve toured the splurge-worthy penthouse suite. I find the guestrooms very comfortable and well equipped. They’re soothingly decorated in navy, white, and beige and display art from contemporary Maine artists.
Among the guestroom amenities: Frette linens, Cuddledown comforters, bathrobes, large flatscreen TVs, marble bathrooms with rain showers, mini refrigerators, bottled water, and coffee makers. A few rooms have wet bars and rooftop terraces.
The newspaper and writing theme is also present in phrases posted here and there. For example, on the Inkwell’s morning menu: “I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee,” Carly Simon; inside the closet: “Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them,” Marc Jacobs; by the in-room Keurig: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give,” Winston Churchill; on a sign noting complimentary ice delivery: “Don’t skimp on the ice. I prefer beautiful, big squares for my cocktails,” Jost Andres.
The rest of the story
The hotel’s lower floor houses a fitness center, hallway art gallery, and meeting rooms with names such as Editorial and Composing.
Other amenities include complimentary airport and transportation center transfers, free Wifi, guest bicycles, and concierge and evening turn-down services.
Union rules
Union Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Executive Chef Josh Berry draws heavily from local, sustainable farms, fisheries, and foragers for his New American menus. I’ll interview him for a post at a later date.
Just the facts
If you can swing the room rates, I think you’ll enjoy staying here. The service is friendly and efficient, the location superb, and rooms are nice to return to after a day of exploring.
Off-season rates start at around $179; peak-season rates begin around $479.