PORTLAND, Ore. Stroll out the front door of the Avalon Hotel and
Spa and, within a few steps, you’re standing on a picturesque
three-mile pedestrian footpath that hugs the banks of the
Willamette River.
No wonder Avalon sales and marketing director Nancy Helms
describes her hotel as “an urban resort destination.”
Thanks to its strategic location and first-rate facilities,
including a full-service spa and high-profile restaurant, the
boutique property is attracting a well-heeled clientele. Open since
June 2001, it stands apart as the only Oregon member of Small
Luxury Hotels of the World.
“Our guests are looking for more than a hotel room when they are
on the road,” Helms explained. “They enjoy the intimacy of a
99-room property, the sophisticated yet informal atmosphere and
cuisine of our restaurant, and the offerings of our spa and fitness
facility. We give our clients that personalized touch that keeps
them coming back.”
Portland’s only hotel on the Willamette, the Avalon overlooks an
undeveloped stretch of the river.
“However, we are just 1½ miles to the center of downtown
Portland,” said Helms. “Our complimentary town car service takes
guests downtown and picks them up when they’re ready to come
back.”
While the hotel’s well-balanced blend of the rural and urban has
proven successful with solo corporate travelers, it is also drawing
groups of up to 40 people for meetings. “Smaller executive retreats
are very popular here,” Helms said. “The hotel provides the perfect
environment to hold a think tank, with opportunities for energizing
a company’s staff.”
The Avalon’s 13,000-square-foot spa and fitness center adds to
its selling power.
With 11 treatment rooms, the spa presents a long list of body
and salon services, and it boasts a spacious workout area
surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.
Rivers, the hotel’s free-standing restaurant, serves breakfast,
lunch and dinner in a colorful, stylish dining room, and its
outdoor tables are a stone’s throw from the water. The eatery has
attracted attention among culinary circles since the addition last
year of executive chef Rolland Wesen, son-in-law of French master
chef Jacques Pepin.
Avalon Hotel and Spa’s rack rates range from $205 to $245 per
night for guestrooms and $285 to $650 for suites.
For couples, the hotel’s Romance on the River package includes
roses, truffles, champagne and breakfast. Rates range from $295 to
$575 per night. Add two spa treatments and you get the Romance and
Rejuvenation package ($445-$725).
Clients who visit the Avalon through July 16 can book one of
three add-on spa packages at reduced rates. The Beach Body package
includes a personal training session and body wrap ($195). The
Extreme Makeover provides a facial, makeup and hair cut ($178), and
the Head-to-Toe combines a facial with pedicure ($165). The three
spa packages include a day pass to the Avalon Fitness Club.
888-556-4404
www.avalonhotelandspa. com
