Alex D.
Yelp
Overall, KEX is a unique property and was a pleasant stay, though not caveat-free. On my most recent PDX visit, I had the opportunity to stay in a queen family suite, a 16 person bunk room and a 4 person bunk room at nearby Lolo Pass, (likely KEX's most comparable property). So I write this review from a comparative rather than purely subjective sense. As a background, I'm a frequent traveler, travel agent and own a small lodging business.
The vibe at KEX is solid. The style is a sort of modern art deco and reminded me a lot of Ace hotels but with a slightly less dreary and more welcoming aesthetic. The lobby is fab, with plenty of seating. The bar had great drinks, a solid food menu and moreover was open late (midnight on weekdays, full menu included). Khruangbin-heavy playlist on a solid sound system? Check. All in, a comfortable and stylish place to hang. Awesome. Also, the staff was super friendly though most members I encountered were within their first month of employment, usually a management red flag for me but also not uncommon this day and age. Shout-out to Zoe, she is a real sweetheart!
The sauna was an unexpected perk and ultimately what swayed me booking a second night here vs Lolo Pass. Only one party is allowed at a time due to "safety" (COVID?) which seemed a bit excessive to me but it appeared an underutilized area of the property and thus had no issues using it whenever. This was an awesome experience, especially as a respite during my second night in a shared bunk room, because there's a shower down there so you have your own private suite for sweating and showering. This was a truly invigorating and luxurious way to start the day despite being in a budget accommodation.
The queen room was nice, reasonably stylish and would fit 6 guests in comfort. Way too much space for one but hey Also the queen mattress was superb and bedding quality excellent. The place also had a nice charm of old meets new in this refurbed historic building. On the other hand, the single pane windows let in a lot of sound, especially as my room overlooked the outdoor lounge downstairs and it happened to be 4th of July. Nothing some earplugs couldn't fix but I'd rather have modern windows than these relics for noise purposes. Similarly, the stylish curtains did not close fully letting some light through in the middle.
Here's where things went off the rails: I originally booked a shared bunk and checked in online as prompted by email. During, I was offered a selection of upgrade rooms (at cost, though less than rack rate) but without making a selection, was taken to the next screen indicating I had selected a queen deluxe room at the same nightly rate ($45) I'd originally booked for the bunk room. The browser wouldn't let me go back, so I cautiously continued and finished the check in process. I arrived, checked in and then was surprised to walk into a room with 4 bunk beds, an adjacent queen bed and private bath with no separation between rooms. Adding to the confusion, there were some sunglasses and a few hanging magnets left behind. Confused (what room did I book? Was I bunking with a sun-averse robot?), I immediately went back to the front desk to verify if I was sharing a room and moreover if the nightly rate I was quoted was accurate. I was assured I was and that I had the whole run of the space. Elated and surprised, I inquired about extending at that rate for my final night in town but was told that it was likely a same day deal and to inquire the next morning with the front desk manager. Understandable; no biggie.
But then next morning, I spoke with manager Rachel and was informed not only could I not extend at that rate but that I had been charged full bore some $160 and change for the night. Perplexed, I showed her a screenshot of the confirmation showing the $45 nightly rate quoted and she retorted "well I obviously I can't possibly honor that rate". After a brief back and forth, we settled on splitting the difference. I normally would've pressed the issue more but I was already contemplating the upgrade in the first place and felt the room was a solid value at ~$100 for the night (weekday, mind you). Nonetheless, I left feeling slighted and that some light bait and switching was afoot.
Anyway, based on my pleasant hostel experience at nearby Lolo and the overall impression of KEX, later that day I decided to book a bunk for my final night. Despite the lower price point, I was less impressed by the value of accommodation especially on the heels of a fantastic stay at a comparable price and accommodation at Lolo. Firstly, I was disappointed to find the top bunks don't have a privacy curtain for some reason. This makes a big difference in light/noise and comfort levels. Furthermore, the only storage offered to the bunks were noisy drawers immediately under the bunks with no apparent locking device. Also, the mini-split ACs could not keep up cooling the room of 16 (yup, sixteen) humans. At one po