great staff! unique bunk bed experience worked perfect for a quick turnaround trip to The Gorge.read more

This review is only for the cafe inside of the Society Hotel! Ive had multiple great stays at the…read morehotel itself and enjoy the pools thoroughly, enjoy the ambiance of the space, the gymnasium and the sanctuary. Unfortunately the cafe gets one star, the eggs and avocado I got last time was downright offensive. As in, this meal should not have been served/ left the kitchen. The avocado was rock hard, brown and unable to be mushed with a fork and $4, the eggs were greasy and burned brown. Oh no, this was disastrous, I returned the avocado as it was inedible and ate two bites of the burned eggs... over $12, really disappointing.

Chrissy was very impolite and honestly quite rude when helping me. I tried to cancel my reservation…read morebecause of transportation issues for my wedding, and they will not accept my reasons for cancellation or give a partial refund. I would not recommend staying here if this is how they treat their customers.

This is for a one night stay. We walked in and were able to…read moreget a room for the night. We selected a room with shared bathroom to get a cheaper rate. The bathroom was very small but nice and clean. Our room was comfortable. However, it lacked foldable rack for my bags. I don't like putting my Travel bags on the floor. After coming back from dinner, we had to use our key to enter the main lobby entrance. Keys were simple to use. There was complimentary coffee in the shared kitchen. There is no parking. Our car was parked on the street . We will definitely come back to this place in the future. :)

If you are planning a trip to Hood River and want an inexpensive but unique experience, keep…read morereading. Bingen School Inn is located just across the river, perfectly situated for visitors to White Salmon and Hood River. I stayed here with a friend while we were doing a three day cycling stage race, and so we wanted something cheap but safe and secure for our bikes. True to its name, the hostel used to be a school house, and like Portland's Kennedy School, the former school rooms are now with simple beds in a dorm style setting. Only instead of the McMenamin's artwork, here at Bingen School Inn we have a small collection of typewriters and other various old objects placed among well-tended vines and swiss cheese plants. The room we stayed in was small, narrow, came with a mini fridge, and two beds. Think dorm room. The floors were a little creaky, and we could only barely hear other occupants down the hall. The beds weren't the best, unfortunately. In fact, this place would get 5 stars if it weren't for the crappy mattress. In the basement area of the Inn there is a huge communal kitchen area with restaurant grade stoves and refrigerators. Outdoors there is a large lounging area and picnic tables. Finally, there is a big auditorium/basketball court adjoining the hostel. While we were there it hosted a friendly potluck for some visiting Buddhists. Meanwhile the owner/manager sports a beard about 2 feet long. Quite nice. I wouldn't recommend coming here with your young children, or making this a romantic weekend stay. It's perfect for a long weekend or a visit for a wedding, or a trip involving bikes, hikes, rivers, and the like. Highly recommend!

Across the Columbia River from the more well known city of Hood River, Bingen is a small town with…read morenot much to call attraction to it (outside of being in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge). It was here, though, we were able to find what appears to be the only hostel in the Gorge. Located in a historic school house built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, it was a quiet hostel (probably because we were some of the few people there) and served us well for the night. We really loved how they kept the majority of the aspects of the school intact when converting it into a hostel. The hallways are lined with lockers, water fountains down at the child level, chalk boards in the rooms; you get the idea. They have a nice large kitchen and common area (maybe the school's old cafeteria?) which is filled a random assortment of furniture, reading material, and other such curiosities. The manager on duty was extremely nice and we had some great conversations with him later in the evening before we retired for bed. It was a nice place to shore up and lay our heads for the night and we will certainly be back.

Great place for hikers. I stayed here a few years ago while I was backpacking the PCT. Good…read morebreakfast, a lot of room for guests. They have showers, laundry, and good food. Very reasonable prices and highly recommended.

DISCLAIMER: Yes, yes, I'm a pretty-active Mazama so I am obviously biased!…read more I have had many, many fond memories of staying here. I've taken all the Mazamas climbing classes and now I help with many of them. BUT, FEAR NOT, you don't have to be a Mazama to stay here, not at all (and you might even enjoy the experience MORE if you don't know anything about mountaineering). Think of this as your hostel on the mountain! You can get a bunk here for pretty cheap, probably cheaper than anywhere else in the area. The only catch is that you'll have to hike about 5 minutes to get to the lodge and you have to bring your own bedding. If that sounds too stressful for you, I'm not sure what you're doing on Mt Hood...I hear there are some nice beaches in Florida. There is a huge drying room downstairs, the main room has a rustic fire place, and the top level has all the bunks. You can see the summit of Mt Hood from the rear deck, you can walk to "down town" government camp if you want to experience some rousing night life, historical photos and objects adore the walls, what more could you want? The staff here works hard and is incredibly friendly. You can get a hot dinner or breakfasts and dine with the staff and the other guests; you can even get a sack lunch if you plan to be up on the mountain all day.

We came to McMenamins Edgefield to attend one of their concerts on the lawn, Earth Wind and Fire…read more We read up ahead of time and saw that we should show up early and make sure to only bring the specified items on the website. Everything from the towel size to the clear bag listed online made getting through security easy and helped us get a prime spot. The concert itself was great. Lighting, sound and the vibe of everything was fantastic. We were disappointed with the vegetarian options available for purchase inside the concert venue. An overpriced baked potato and a store brand veggie burger felt subpar compared to other food options. Unfortunately, we could not bring food from all of the pubs and bars into the concert venue so it made it a little difficult. You really have to enter 2 hours before the concert to get a good spot, meaning you are there during dinner. That being said, the concert was great. The location is fun to walk around and includes a golf course, outdoor dining, and lots of little pubs and secret spots. The food is typical for McMenamins and the art both inside and outside makes it a unique Portland experience. My favorite part of all McMenamins sites is the history for the location. The local historical society was selling a book for $5 that told the history of the site, including its days as a poor house, a jail, and lots of other stories of the past. I would love to go on a historical tour, but for now to stroll the book and walk around the property was a treat. The lines were long because of the concert to get drinks everywhere so we opted for cold brew coffee on nitro at the little coffee cart inside the main lodge. We sipped our coffee and walked around and it was lovely. By

I typically won't go to any McMenamins as service is slow and non-existent and food is okay, even…read morethought it takes to long to arrive. The Chardonnay was the best part. Very good, but it was $16.25 for a 9oz pour...it should be good. The small Caesar with Grilled Chicken was ok. But again, $16.00 is too expensive. I did look further and saw that the Cheeseburger, with Fries and a Pickle Spear is $25.00. No way. My server was Adam. I hope this is a short term gig for him as he was non-existent...which is what I expected. His lack of attentiveness to me was horrendous. I will not return to any McMenamins, as I stated at the beginning, service is slow, food is okay and it has become too expensive.

I loved my stay here at the NW Portland hostel. I've been to many hostels around the world, and…read morethis is by far the most calm and peaceful hostel I've been to. They have everything you may need - soap in the shower (bring towels), free water, free social events (cider and wine tastings, city tours, live music), a cafe with food and drinks, and several buildings with rooms. I really appreciated that my 4-bed, all-female room only had me and one other person in it throughout my 4-night stay. I appreciated they don't try to cram the rooms full. I really liked that the bathrooms are private. Each floor has 4 private bathrooms, each with a shower. Each bad has its own bed lamp, charging station, and personal fan. There aren't any bed curtains, though. Staff was friendly and helpful. Location is great and only a 10-20 minute walk into the city. Street parking is available for less than $5 a day. Would choose to come back and stay here again!

It was a great hostel. Large, lots of amenities, and the cafe had good food. The service was great…read moreeverywhere. The front desk people were great and the cafe people were too. The kitchen is too cluttered with people's food. The room was too hot and we couldn't figure out how to cool it down. Those were the only things that kept this place from getting a 5 star.

Best youth hostel, bed and breakfast, day care, hang out, tea house, cigar lounge, buffet, bar,…read moredance club I have ever been to

This place is awesome and the beer is good but theres little kids running around and I'm so…read moreconflicted.

I did a quick little trip to Portland and need a place downtown near the Roseland Theater. The…read moreSociety Hotel is within 5 minutes walking from there so it was perfect. Its hotel style BUT they also have private rooms you can book with it's own bathroom and super affordable. I didn't the private suite and it was perfect for the one night. The felt desk staff was super friendly both when I checked in and out, the room was clean, super comfy bed and overall loved my stay. The area this hotel is in is a bit sketchy but that's no fault of the hotel, just be aware when walking around especially at night.

The marketing is much better than the actual experience…read more I booked the outdoor dry sauna because the photos and marketing made it look like a polished, relaxing rooftop experience. Unfortunately, the reality was very different. First, prospective visitors should be aware of the immediate surroundings. During my visit, I observed people lingering around the property and what appeared to be drug transactions nearby. I understand that a business can't control everything about its neighborhood, but it directly affected my comfort. I felt uneasy leaving my car parked there, even just for the couple of hours I was there. Once upstairs, the sauna itself was extremely small. I'm not a large person, and I still found it claustrophobic. More concerning were the visible gaps between the wooden boards. I could literally see daylight through the walls. For an outdoor dry sauna in Oregon, that didn't inspire confidence in the construction or upkeep. The shower setup added to the frustration. The hot-water rinse had a chain within reach, but the cold-water control was placed so high that I couldn't reach it at all. There was no call button or clear way to reach an attendant from the rooftop either. So if I had a question, needed assistance, or wanted someone to fix the cold-water pull, I would have had to leave the rooftop and go all the way back down to the lobby. I also couldn't find something as basic as a trash can. The changing and bathroom setup was another surprise. Sauna guests use shared bathroom/changing facilities with guests of the property. I understand that The Society Hotel offers hostel-style accommodations, but as someone who specifically booked the outdoor sauna experience, it wasn't what I expected based on the polished way the experience is marketed. Then there's the rooftop aspect. I expected that being on the rooftop would mean there would be some kind of view or outlook. Instead, privacy fencing blocks the sightline. You can't really look out--you can basically only look up. That was another disappointment compared with the impression I got from the marketing. Finally, the towel-return process stood out in a bad way. I was given a towel at check-in, which I used in the sauna and after showering. There was no bin or designated place that I could find for used towels, so I ended up handing my damp, used towel directly to the front-desk employee, who took it with their bare hands. That made me uncomfortable and seemed like a poor system for handling used linens. It also left me wondering how many guests' used towels employees are handling directly throughout the day. Any one of these things on its own might have been something I could overlook. Taken together--the neighborhood experience, extremely cramped sauna, visible gaps in the sauna walls, inaccessible cold-water control, lack of a way to contact staff, no trash can, shared facilities, blocked rooftop view, and handling of used towels--the entire experience felt haphazard and makeshift rather than relaxing. The concept has potential, and their marketing team does an excellent job presenting it. Unfortunately, the actual experience did not live up to that presentation. I left extremely disappointed and would not return for the outdoor dry sauna.