Mike B.
Yelp
It's been years since we've visited McMinnville and Hotel Oregon.
We decided to stay for one night just before the Christmas holiday. We arrived about 5pm and checked in at the front desk where we grabbed a cart to get our luggage to our room. After unloading in the 20 minute zone, we parked in the free parking garage about a block down the street.
Built in 1905, and originally known as Hotel Elberton, it remains the tallest building in downtown McMinnville. The interior is decorated with relics of the towns history and the 1950 UFO sighting.
Today, it looked just as we remember, we approximate the last time we walked through the halls and visited the various bars was 2015 ish.
Here we are 10 years later and it appears they do a very good job of maintaining the property including everything from general maintenance, painting, functioning elevators, quaint bars and restaurant spaces and the overall cool, eclectic vibes that McMenamin's properties are known for.
We were also reminded that Hotel Oregon serves as the official center of the annual UFO festival which we were told brings in as many as 30,000 visitors!
Our room, the Ollie Ruffner White, was a dedication to the original patriarch, Ollie White. She married her childhood sweetheart, Tom White in 1890 and the couple headed west to Oregon landing in McMinnville in 1892. There they raised three children. When they opened the hotel in 1905, the family of five moved into rooms on the second floor.
The room was clean and comfortable, however, we noted we are not used to staying in historical properties where the room sizes are cozier, counter space simply does not exist, and modern amenities like TVs and desks for laptops, etc. just aren't available. Therefore, our recommendation is this makes for a fantastic weekend getaway, where you can pack light and enjoy your weekend exploring the area. We did find it a bit difficult to have 7 days worth of belongings including gifts for our holiday trip with us in a small space.
We did sleep well, and it was very quiet, which was appreciated. Main Street was decorated beautifully for the holidays, which made this extra special. There are plenty of local shops, restaurants, and well over 200 wineries in the region that make this a great weekend getaway spot.