Holiday Inn Portland-By the Bay, an IHG Hotel

My traveling companion swims for exercise. She said the pool was very large and nicely appointed. This property appears to have been redecorated fairly recently, Furnishings were comfortable though not lavish, plastic finishes, not wood. The TV was huge. The room was large enough that a single king bed left empty space. The bay view was definitely worth the extra cost. The refurbished bathroom was cleverly designed with the vanity angled in a corner to give good clearance. Because parking is not included, you only pay for what you need which at $15 per night is reasonable enough. The garage under the building is tight but easy enough in a small car such as mine. The parking ramp next door looked more normal. In-and-out using the room key was easy enough once I figured out which side the magnetic strip should be on. The location is outstanding easy walking distance to the old houses of the West End, to the so-called Arts district with its restaurants and local shops, and to the Commercial and Free Street area of the Old Port. The arena is just down the block, if you were there for a sport or entertainment event. Unlike hotels facing Commercial Street, there is no traffic or truck noise. The lobby was pleasant. I did not tour the function rooms which appear quite extensive.

The included breakfast was fairly standard, chain hotel, buffet fare. It included both French toast and waffles as well as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, a nice fresh fruit salad, etc. It is served in the hotel restaurant. I think they were understaffed. Rather than allow open seating at the adequately spaced tables, a hostess was seating people which resulted in a considerable waiting line. Instead of providing takeout materials at the buffet, I had to request them from the hostess which meant standing in the line even though I did not want to sit down. Seems like they could design a more efficient system. A single easy-chair and a desk chair provided minimal seating though a desk on wheels provided a table for eating breakfast opposite my friend.

Perfect location - close to the port, restaurants. The Arts museum is just on another side of the street. Parking is convenient - there is an indoor 2-level parking (with the direct elevator to your floor) and a big parking next door. So if there is no place in indoor - you could go to the next door parking. Gates are operated by the room card. The indoor pool is nice , quite deep on one end (2 m) and rather shallow on another (1.4 m). There are saunas in the shower rooms at the Pool/Gym. The staff is very welcoming. Beds are comfortable (while the pillows are quite small and soft).

The parking places in indoor parking are too small, I was afraid that my car would be scratched by someone. The capacity of indoor parking is just few dozen cars , so it is highly likely that it would be full. In addition the parking is paid (15$) which is not crucial, but would be easier if it would be included. Air conditioning is awful - it is "not smart" - there is Heat or Cold (and there is no Auto mode just to keep necessary temperature). As usual - this type of ancient AC is quite noisy. The sound proof is bad - so we heard steps in the corridor, knocking into other doors, some quite loud music (as if there is a festival outside - while there was nothing). In the bathroom there is no ventilator - so after a shower everything is foggy.

I've given reviews about this property many times. With one rare exception, I have always received amazing Customer Service,Quiet and Relaxing Stays and The Port of Call Food is amazing. I'm a Local who stays here a few times a year as a treat to my children. Won't stay anywhere else...EVER!

Although it's very convenient, the parking fee could be lowered a tad. But to be able to park and go up to your room,it's kind of worth it. I know at the bottom of the ramp has necessary drainage,but maybe smooth it out so your car won't bottom out and drag. Drive slow and it mitigates that somewhat.

breakfast was pretty good. Very slow on some days, and not a huge variety of menu options, but it was certainly adequate. Location (except for the climb UP the hill at the end of a long day!) It was great when we were able to use the shuttle. Our view.

Housekeeping service in our bathroom was not great...We understand that they only service the rooms every 3 days, but they didn't leave extra TP, although one spool was obviously empty. Bath mat still on the floor. We reported, twice, that our reading lights above the bed were not working and those were never repaired.

Its a Tradition to stay her with my two children during Thanksgiving Break. I am a former employee and I have always enjoyed the property. The Dining Room Food is Excxeptional,The Pool is Comfotable and cleam,,always plenty of towels. Had an issue during our stay a year ago (Not 2023). Those issues were not present and Assistant GM Libby made sure our staff was amazing,and it surely was.

Parking was kind of high, but it was only a couple of days. I mean $15.00 dollars a night, yet The Property assumes no responsibility if your vehicle is broken into.

Breakfast was good. Waited a very long time for the food (I assume they didn't have enough help in the kitchen). The food portions were very large. I felt bad because it seemed like no one finished their food and there was probably a lot of food thrown away. Portions could have been smaller and the breakfast still would have been good.

On Sunday when we finished breakfast the elevators didn't work. Many of us tried out keys and they wouldn't work. We walked up 10 flights to our room. I have cancer and that was very difficult to me and I had to lay down for awhile when I got to the room. When I told 2 different staff people at the front desk they both said that was too bad. I think they could have at least does something or given us a credit or ???? they both mentioned there are issues with the elevators and it takes a long time for the repair people to come. Not a very good system.

Many restaurants are walking distance but about 8 to 10 min to Old Port area. Standard 2 queen bed room & amenities. Go to Tandem for breakfast (drive) - very good quality

$15 self car parking but the parking spaces are extremely tight and not well marked due to which many spaces are "wasted". High prices for the weekend even though it was only very early June. Old Port is walking distance but not located in Old Port area. Street parking in Portland seems to be worse than NYC (where sometimes street parking is available), east side of the city is the worst

Easy to find location. Simple check in with friendly staff, I thought the breakfast was good, good options & something for everyone, plenty of food. We were in the middle of the city and easy to get everywhere. I thought the room was spacious and the bed was VERY comfortable ! We got a great night sleep. Heat was great in our room too, with it being 5 degrees over night and only about 16 during the day.

Certainly NOT a deal breaker - but I did wonder if the lobby and dining area could have been warmer, HOWEVER it was 5 degrees out...hahaha, so I DO imagine it was hard to keep the heat super warm with all the glass & doors opening so often with people coming and going. But we were fine.

Excellent location- close to everything!!! Easy to walk around from here. Great view from my room.

Not clear on the parking when I arrived (there was no available space when arriving for check-in). Also not aware in advance of parking fee. Not a terrible thing, just good to know in advance. Fitness center is tiny (great if you are the only one in there, hard to do anything with more than 1-2 people). Great area for running, so this made up for this.

We liked the convenience of the location, the room was clean, comfortable and the room shade kept the room dark. The beds were comfy and overall quieter than I expected.

The bathroom exhaust fan ran all night, There was no way to shut it off. Thankfully with the bathroom door shut it wasn't too loud. I informed the hotel the next morning and they did give me a small credit and explained the reason