When traveling to a new city we aim to stay in unique boutique hotels, so I highly recommend the Francis. We were celebrating our 1-year anniversary in New England and when we got to our room they had a chilled bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us with a thoughtful note from the staff. Our bed was incredibly comfortable and they even offered robes to use during our stay. The mini bar was stocked with full sized bottles which was handy since we booked a BYOB sailing cruise during our stay. Parking was tricky but accommodating since the hotel only has a few limited spots for hotel guests. As long as patrons at the next door bar/hotel don't take the spots. Unfortunately, they had taken all the reserved spots, so we had to call the front desk attendant who was so quick to remedy the situation. He moved his car so we were able to park in the spot in front of the hotel, making for an easy check out the next day. This hotel has been renovated and is so beautiful. We didn't take advantage of the bar/restaurant inside, but loved that they had that as an option. read more

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There were plenty of pet-friendly options in Portland for our stay, most of which were offered for less than $426 per might, plus a pet fee. We chose The Francis based on theirmarketing promises, which we feel they failed to deliver for the most part. Our room was like a dungeon (room 001). The absence of windows to allow natural light in meant that all of the interior lights needed to be on unless we were sleeping. Even with all the interior lights on, the room was dingy. Given that it was below level, it was also damp, even with the air conditioning running full time. Magazines and foilos we left on the table in the sitting area were wet after several hours. This felt both unhealthy and uncomfortable. It was even more disturbing when we learned on our last day that there are other room options at the hotel for guests with pets that are not underground. The absence of staff was concerning. With the exeption of check-in, no front desk staff was available at any time when we went to look for help (four times during a three day stay). And while the sign on the front desk suggesting that 'we're only a call away' yielded results when we called, it's alarming to stay at a "luxury" property and have no one available without making a call. While the staff did respond when we called, they seemed harried and stressed. It creates the impression that the property is radically understaffed or underscheduled, and makes the guest wonder about the financial viability of the property. The website advertises that a complimentary breakfast is included; this creates an expectation of an actual breakfast. $15 at the cafe at the Longfellow does two things: 1) it buys two cups of coffee, and 2) it makes the guest wonder if they should have stayed at the Longfellow instead. I appreciate the local flavor of the pour-over coffee, but most people have never made pour over coffee. Even though I followed the directions to the letter, the coffee it produced was undrinkable. The coffee provided behind the lobby was better, but only slightly. We learned quickly that if we wanted good coffee, we could spend our $15 on that, or brave the line at Tandem. On our first night, we found a contact lens on the rug under the table in the sitting area. This raised questions about the cleanliness of the room, which when combined with the dampness described earlier, created discomfort for us. Finally, we have stayed at many luxury properties around the world, and don't mind spending good money for good accomodations. I am stunned that The Francis is able to retain a "luxury" rating; our experience was so far from luxury. Maybe the other 11 rooms are indeed luxurious. Ours wasn't. I feel like we overpaid by a factor of 2X at a minumum. read more

I would NOT recommend staying here if you have any other options. When we arrived with our rental car, parking was confusing. There's off-street parking but everything was taken, so we pulled into the parking lot between The Francis and two neighboring apartment complexes. We parked in a spot with no sign on it figuring we'd have to move once we checked in and found out where guests of The Francis should park. Upon checking in, the young man at the front desk told us we were "good where we were" so we left our rental, walked downtown for dinner, and called it a night. The next afternoon, we discovered our rental car had been towed. The same young man that checked us in the day before didn't seem to remember us, as he said, "Well who checked you in?" after we alerted him to our situation. He then proceeded to tell us, we were indeed in the wrong spot and that we should have parked in the spot with our three-number room on it. We didn't know our room number until we checked in (after we'd already parked) and if we were told we needed to move to a spot with our room number on it, we would have after being given our room number. He never apologized, he never offered to help us in any way, I had to beg him to help me find the phone number for the tow company. We let him know we were very unhappy with the entire situation and upon returning with our rental, we would be checking out, cutting our 2-night stay short. We took an Uber to the tow lot, who works by appointment only, so we did get stuck standing in the rain for an hour. After getting our rental car back, we returned to The Francis, cleaned out our room, and tried to check out, where we were told we would still be charged for both nights, even though we weren't staying. I asked politely why we were being charged for a night we were not staying, and the desk agent said he "just had to", and if we had questions, we could call the next morning for 'Shane the manager'. I called Shane the next morning and was told we would be charged the night we did not stay since he was unable to sell the room to anyone else. (Check-out was 11 AM and we told the front desk we were not staying a second night around 4 PM so there was only a 5-hour window in which they missed giving the room to anyone else.) So, not only are we out the night we did not stay (around $195 which we disputed) but we are also out $130 for the tow, $35 for the Uber and $101 for a tour we booked but had to miss out on because we were standing in the rain at the tow lot. No one has even apologized to us yet for any of the problems we had here or offered to make it right in any way. Everyone we spoke to was immediately defensive. For a small business who exists solely on the hospitality industry, this hotel was not welcoming, friendly, or caring in any way. Aside from that, the lights in our room were confusing, as they are tied to a dimmer that didn't work or was at least 5-seconds delayed each time we used it. There is no full-size mirror at all, only the mirror above the sink, so my husband and I had to share that each time we needed it. We weren't told there was an elevator, or shown where it was, so we had to lug our bags up the massive hotel staircase. Overall, not a great stay, and the staff was less-than-nice. If you do decide to stay here, don't bring a car, and if you must, make sure they point out to you exactly where to park or risk towing! read more

The staff was extremely helpful when my flights were delayed and my trip was shortened. The room was nice. Mostly clean, though the bedspread smelled. The staff were friendly and helpful, but absent on Monday morning, which made the absence of a pre-ordered breakfast frustrating. read more

This hotel absolutely exceeded our expectations! My fiancé and I were delighted to find The Francis when booking for a last-minute trip to Portland and loved everything about it. The staff is so friendly and accommodating (Roman & Tessa - thank you!) and the rooms are well curated with amazingly high ceilings. I highly recommend this charming, 15-room establishment for your next trip to Portland! PS: seems like the parking situation has changed since some of those older reviews. Total breeze parking in the hotel spaces on the property. read more

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Awesome vibe. No problems securing parking. Shane was great at check-in. Super cool room. Highly recommended.

We found The Francis on a whim and were able to snag a room on our way in from Vermont. It was a long day on the road so we were really hoping for a comfy spot in a decent hood, as we didn't really dig into researching the surroundings. We rolled up after dark and checked in - the gentleman that met us was kind and efficient. We had booked a king jr suite, very clean and comfortable with modern touches aside vintage details. There are parking spots for guests behind the property. The neighborhood is sweet. We did walk a few doors down for dinner and the following morning across the street for breakfast, which I highly recommend! We stayed for one night, and would stay again if in the area. This time we were just passing through. No food/bar onsite at the time we were here. read more

This place got our rental car towed! We specifically asked "where should we park?" and the attendant told us "right where you are is good!" The following day and 175.00 dollars later we picked up our rental from Bayside towing. 25.00 dollars by Uber from the The Francis and 150.00 for getting the car out. Bayside towing does not have onsite staff so you are waiting in the rain until they arrive. When asking for help from the "great team" at the Francis they told us that they wouldn't have ever told us wrong but if they did they are sorry. read more

The hotel asked for my opinion of my stay and this is what I shared with them. I did not hear any reply from them on my thoughts. You had asked for more details on why I scored my visit a 4 out of 10. Upon arrival at hotel, there was nobody at the front desk. We called the number on the sign many times before someone came to check us in. The first night at the hotel we came back around 9 PM. We could not find a place to park by the hotel in a spot with the "key" on it. I went inside the hotel only to find again that nobody was at the front desk. I called the number many times, texted, and finally after about 10+ minutes, Tino showed up and told me about the overflow parking a little ways up. Two things, again, why nobody at the front desk and why wouldnt I be told about the overflow parking when I checked in? In the room there were three controls for heating and cooling. One Nest control, which if you have never used one you need the directions, a wall unit, and then another one in the bathroom. As the room was hot I worked on the Nest but nothing happened and got no cool. I worked the one in the bathroom, but apparently that was just for heat. Last, we stumbled across a remote for the wall unit and if you held it just right at the right angle, you could turn on the AC. Way too complicated and a waste of time to figure out. Along the same lines, one night it was cool. We wanted some heat NONE of the three controllers did anything for the heat as we tried all three. I called the front desk to ask about the heat, and guess what, nobody was working the front desk and nobody answered the phone. The sink in the bathroom was pretty, but not functional. There was no shelving to put sundries. As a matter of fact, there was very little room for laying out any sundries. We had to remove all the coffee and tea trinkets in order to make room for our basic sundries and lay the others out on the bed each morning. Add some shelving to the bathroom. The sink had no counter space. The faucet installed was very short and the basin protruded out under the faucet. This now meant that there was no clearance for the stream of water and the back of the sink. You could hardly wash your hands or rinse because you were hitting the sink and splashing around. Get a sink with a straight back or a longer faucet. I needed ice one nite about 9ish. I searched the hotel, but could not find any. AGAIN, nobody working the front desk and when I called 6 times, no answer. Finally Tino called me back after several texts and brought me some ice. We checked in and only had a half role of TP and had to ask for more. We needed an extra blanket, but nobody working the front desk again, so we had to search closets on each floor until we found one on our own . The shower head where you can adjust the flow of the stream, the handle was broken so we could not adjust that feature. All in all, my biggest disappointment was not being able to reach anyone and the fact that the front desk was mostly not manned. I find it not only a security issue since all the doors were unlocked, but just dumb to have a hotel, that is not inexpensive (almost $500 per night) and you cant reach an employee or have the front desk manned. That is just a bad policy and program to have. read more

We loved staying at the Francis! The staff was wonderful, even greeting us with a complementary glass of sparkling blueberry wine. The building is beautiful and our room was fantastic, with a comfortable bed and a spacious bathroom. We were a little worried about street noise, being located so close to a fire station, a hospital, and the airport, but it was hardly a bother. While the Francis might look on a map like it's a little out of the way, Portland is fairly compact and very walkable, and if you have a car, street parking is plentiful. (Even so, it was great to have on-site parking at the Francis in a very accessible location, with both parallel-park and pull-in spots available.) We would absolutely stay here again. Also, don't miss the next-door restaurant! read more

Loved this beautiful boutique hotel. The staff is super friendly and helpful and our room was filled with character with a comfy bed and super clean bathroom. The location is great--lots of amazing restaurants nearby. Reasonably priced too! read more

This is a really nice, historic hotel that manages to also feel contemporary and modern at the same time, thanks to the room design and amenities. It's not exactly in the heart of Old Port, but it was a very quick (5 minute) Uber ride in the winter, and probably a nice walk in the summer. The service was warm and friendly, and our room was very comfortable and clean, although being on the bottom floor, we did hear a decent amount of footsteps when a family upstairs was departing at the ungodly hour of 4am. One suggestion, and one reason I didn't give a full five stars: Make the parking easier. They don't have their own parking lot...just a few spaces across the street at a convenience store, and some extra spaces down the street somewhere. Which just seemed a little sketchy. Would have felt better parking our car in a private lot. read more

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This August a lot of Hotels were booked and The Francis was the only one available with a room. Me and my girlfriend got a reservation that night and upon checking in the room was filthy and wasn't clean. The staff working the night shift mentioned he didn't know it wasn't cleaned. So he took it upon his self to clean it. After one hour and 42 minutes... We was able to check in. It was really awful and it was pasted midnight. Mind you, we check in at 10:59 pm letting them know it would be a late arrival ahead time. My girlfriend was furious. The night staff also mentioned that staff at night usually sleeps when there's a bed available. Very unprofessional! It's interesting that these people like others hired people for housekeeping from out the country and don't pay them overtime or fair pay. This was told to me from a housekeeper from Zimbabwe named Tino. People of color should be careful working there because Toni (owner of the place) is pretty sneaky doing things under the table. read more

I was a little worried since this property has so few reviews-- but my hesitation was completely removed as soon as I arrived. The Francis is unassuming from the outside and expectations start quite low due to the incredible price, but inside, the property is like no other. The rooms are very cute, rather spacious, decorated well, and full of great amenities. I love the personalized touches and the extra toiletries most hotels don't provide. The spare blanket in the room is large and comfortable. Everything feels cozy! The hallways are gorgeous and fun to walk around. There's a great restaurant downstairs. You can text the front desk and get immediate responses. I can't say enough about how lovely it is to stay here and can't wait to come back!! read more

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Found this hotel through Expedia (perks at work) and was excited to book. Booking attempts (2 or 3) resulted in an error and no confirmation, so we found an alternate locations. The next day a $400 charge came through from The Francis - a no show fee for a reservation we never received. Multiple calls to Expedia and The Francis have come to no resolution. The lack of urgency to return that amount of money charged by a system error is incredibly frustrating. No customer service to support this issue, which seems to have happened before. It's been almost a month. Place looked great, this is a bummer. read more

Pretty much my favorite hotel in the US. My wife and I kept coming to the Francis until we eventually decided to move to Cape Elizabeth.

Strolled into Portland late last night without reservations and The Francis had 1 room available. I'm a frequent traveler and I was apprehensive at first about this hotel just because of my unfamiliarity. My apprehension was immediately overtaken by the warmth, ambiance and beauty of this charming hotel. From the moment my wife and I walked in, we were treated with kindness and tremendous accommodations. Tony was so helpful and friendly. If we ever get back to Portland, we'll be staying at the Francis but I'll need to book in advance as I got a feeling this hotel will stay full!! read more

A little outside old port, but still can walk or Uber easily! When we arrived, Roman and Noami at the front desk were so helpful and got us signed in quickly! Roman helped us bring in all our luggage and showed us everything we needed to know. The room they had us in was spacious and the beds were super comfortable. I would definitely stay here again and maybe next time try the spa! read more

A lovely hotel in Portland! Highly recommend to anyone visiting. The small vibe makes you feel right at home, and my wife and I went for our honeymoon. We told them that is why we were visiting, and they upgraded us to a nicer room and gave us a free bottle of wine! The staff are very kind and helpful! A good local choice!! read more

absolutely stunning. The elegance that you would expect from an interior design magazine.. The setting is warm, inviting, rich and the vibe is romantic and alluring. Exceeded my expectations in terms of design and service. The front desk is available 24/7 and you have direct text communication with them upon check in. This place is wonderful, and the price point is beyond generous. These pictures are just renderings and not the actual hotel. The hotel is GORGEOUS. Think Restoration Hardware. Thank you so much, The Francis! read more

I was charged 4 times a $93 dollars, was never given a confirmation number, was then told it was perks at works fault, then Expedia's fault. Blame is placed the way around, but meanwhile I was still charged close to $400, when I called, they said I was a no show, there is no paper trail. So to be super clear I was charged $400 for something I never got, they have no customer service, until after I got a text message asking how my stay was. From reading other yelp reviews, I believe they are happy to rip you off. Be wary traveller, this place is happy to rip you off without offering any recourse. Avoid at all costs. This whole situation is maddening. I can't believe this is allowed. read more

The Francis is adjacent to an ambitious and behind schedule townhouse project. Construction noises, including cement cutting and grinding, heavy equipment, back-up safety beeping and copious clouds of dust are not uncommon on weekends and holidays beginning as early as 7:30 am. If this scenario does not appeal to you, it might be wise to wait until the townhouses are complete- which, by the looks of it, are several months away. read more

We loved our stay here! The staff were very accommodating, squeezing us in for a massage, providing ample food recommendations, allowing for early check in and late check out, and gifting a complimentary bottle of wine for our celebration. Lots of local snacks and even local beer/liquor available for purchase in the room. Gas fireplace and board games in the lobby. Local art throughout the building. Great vibe, lush modern renovation of a historic brick building in West End. Walking distance to Old Port and even East End if you can bear the cold. As other reviewers have mentioned, parking is not ideal - in an unshoveled spot across the street; and room 001 is very spacious with a sitting area and double showerhead but does have overhead noise from traffic in the lobby above. Regardless, I would certainly stay again when we're next in Portland! As an extra perk, the locals will approve if you "buy local" and we got kudos for not booking at a major hotel franchise. read more

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We saw the hotel listed on Hoteltonite. We decided to visit the hotel before booking. We asked the front desk person to see if we can pay the price listed on the discount website directly thru the hotel. She checked with the manager and he told us we should book thru the discount website. He then immediately changed the price on the discount website from $189 to $250. Of course we decided not to use this hotel. read more

So, even though I have yet to stay in the hotel, I was shocked to find out there is NO coffee available on the property, (unless you consider instant coffee, coffee. I do not) I was also informed when I called the hotel that I could order for $20.00 - coffee and pastry from the place nearby to be delivered (no protein involved). I am paying over $320.00 a night for this highly upscale hotel which is charging me a surcharge to stay during the pandemic, but they cannot give me nuts, fruit, coffee or anything else else even moderately healthy, even to buy on the premises. They did tell me there are places I can walk to buy same. REALLY???? This is the best they can do???? read more

Wow! This is a truly outstanding, high-end hotel. The Frances manages to be both historical and modern at the same time -- architectural character is preserved, but the furnishings are sleek and new. I loved small details, like the complimentary Maine moon pies, the cozy fire in the front hall, the leathery room keys (not generic cards), and the hip selection of beverages in the minibar. The staff were extremely friendly and hospitable -- in fact, this is probably the closest I will ever feel to being royalty! The restaurant downstairs is great for brunch too. And the location is perfect -- just a short walk to restaurants, shops, museums, etc. Highly, highly recommended! read more

I loved this place the people are very nice and the rooms are very clean. The French toast and coffee they serve for breakfast are delicious read more

The Francis - Hotels Near Me - Portland, Maine

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We had a really great stay here last night. The bed was comfy. The bathrooms were clean and really pretty. I loved the fireplace downstairs in the living room. The morning coffee came in adorable cups (arguably too small?) and was delicious and hot. The rooms had some neat touches--loved the bedside table lamps and the decadent mini bar. We felt very well taken care of-- we wandered into the restaurant around 10pm seeking a cup of hot tea to take up to bed. Figured we'd pay for it-- but the bartender brought us a little pot of chrysanthemum tea, free of charge. Will come back to portland for a quick trip again--the food in the town is great! And now we know a really lovely place to stay! Oh and the bakery across the street has some of the best espresso and baked treats I've had---and I have had more than my fair share over the years.... read more

Had a great one-night stay in Suite 101, a beautiful and spacious room. Located in a great area walking distance from the water and great local shops. read more

We found this hotel on Expedia and unexpectedly had to cancel our reservation a few hours later. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed to find that even though Expedia reached out to the hotel on our behalf to ask that the $35.00 cancellation fee be waived due to our cancelling right away, the hotel manager refused. I would recommend not booking this hotel through Expedia if you don't want to be charged a cancellation fee. The manager was very unreasonable and we will not be booking with them again. read more

Spent the night and treated ourselves to dinner at Bolster Snow and Company. The experience and atmosphere was top notch. Looking forward to trying their spa. Would highly recommend The Francis to friends and family. read more

My husband and I stayed 2 nights at the Francis in late sept 2018. I had booked the room and was confident I hadn't booked room 001 as I had read that you hear early am footsteps above the bedroom. I wasn't very thorough because we indeed booked that room and indeed heard early am foot traffic above. We wanted to get up early each day so to us it was ok but if you do not want to wake up early do not book room 001. We loved the bar area and the quaint restaurant, Bolster Snow and Co in the hotel. Sat at the counter so we could watch the chefs and it was a lot of fun. They gave us great tips on where to travel around the area. We are runners so a good tip is to start on Neal St across the street from the Francis and run the neighborhood There is a hospital, cemetery and beautiful historic homes so it is safe. Recommend the land and sea trolley tour for a great overview of Portland. Also if you want to eat anywhere in particular it's best to make your own reservations Also be aware there are spa items in the bathrooms that are not free. We had no price list for those things or the minibar I had to ask several times before I received the pricing. I'm guessing the person working the hotel was new and I can imagine keeping everyone happy in a 15 room hotel is difficult One more tip if you want your room cleaned more than just fresh towels leave a note Again I'm guessing the woman in charge was overwhelmed and needed more help The linens, robes were wonderful, bed was comfortable read more