The Docent's Collection - Thompson Block

I can’t say enough good things about our stay at The Docent’s Collection. We came to Portland for a winter weekend with our three kids, and from the moment we walked in, it felt like the kind of space you only wish existed for families traveling who still want comfort, style, and a little luxury.||The apartment-style layout was a total game-changer. Instead of the usual cramped hotel room chaos, we had space for the kids to decompress, play, and sleep without being on top of us. The design is gorgeous — modern, clean, warm, and thoughtfully curated in a way that feels high-end but still incredibly homey. It honestly felt like staying in our own beautiful downtown condo.||One thing I loved: every detail is intentional. From the comfortable beds to the beautifully designed living area to the washer/dryer (a lifesaver with three kids in winter), everything is just easy. You can tell this place was designed by people who actually understand what makes travel feel good rather than stressful.||The location is unbeatable — walking distance to amazing restaurants, coffee, and the waterfront. We loved being able to pop out with the kids and explore without ever needing the car.||Check-in and communication were seamless, and the entire vibe is exactly what I want when we travel: stylish, calm, and elevated, but without the stuffiness of a traditional hotel. It truly felt like we found a secret in Portland that we’ll come back to every time.||If you’re visiting Portland — whether as a couple, a family, or a group — do yourself a favor and stay here. It made our weekend feel relaxed, cozy, and actually restorative (which is saying something when you’re traveling with three little kids in the freezing cold!).

we really loved our stay at the Docent's Collection. The staff was incredibly friendly, prompt, and helpful. The lofts themselves were absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous high ceilings and large windows. The kitchens were nicely stocked with exactly what we needed for our short stay. The location was ideal, right in the middle of everything and walking distance from anything we could possibly need. 10/10, thank you so much!

Our stay at the Docent was perfect. Our 2 bed apartment was incredibly spacious, everything was brand new and updated, top tier appliances and spotless. The location is perfect right in the heart of downtown, check in and access to the property was seamless, and we felt like it was the perfect blend of privacy and the accommodations you would expect from a hotel. Would recommend to anyone looking to stay in Portland!

Part of me doesn’t want to share my review. |I want to squirrel this gem away so that it doesn’t become too popular!!! |But, that would be terribly selfish!!! |So, if you are Foodie Lover looking for a place in Portland that is centrally located and within walking distance to EVERYTHING then this is your spot!!! You can park your car and never use it the entire visit!!! The loft is bright, clean, quiet and has everything you need for ease of comfort.|The entire team made our first experience in Portland memorable. Everyone from Sarah at booking to Spencer who always greeted us genuinely in the evenings-|We stayed at 121 Middle Street in loft 307 which is a lovely corner unit.|For you foodies make your reservations early!!!! |A must try is Central Provisions as well as Standard Bakery and if you are an oyster lover try Eventide. We felt safe and ate our way through the city as best we could while maintaining a balance by walking everywhere.

We had the most amazing stay! Hannah and Sarah went above and beyond to make it a very memorable experience, even surprising us with local beers in our room (having told them we are doing a beer-crawl that weekend). The loft was in pristine condition, with modern and upscale finishes. We would love to stay there again.

We stayed for three nights in August at the Docent Collection in Portland Maine. This was a beautiful space and we would absolutely stay there again. The hotel is ideally located in Old Port and in walking distance of everything. The entry/key system is done digitally on your cell phone and provides an easy way to communicate with staff. The suite was spacious and clean, and included a huge seating and kitchen area. The suite offered complimentary coffee, water and assortments of locally sourced snacks. The staff was very attentive and quickly responded to our needs. They recommended several restaurants and made a last-minute reservation at a popular restaurant. Parking was convenient and right next to the property. It was a wonderful experience.

Clean, spacious, great location, comfortable beds. Kitchen has everything you need. This place is a gem. Priced great. We stayed with our son in the 2 bedroom loft. Absolutely wonderful. Lots of families staying in the building while we were here.

My husband and I have stayed in each of the Docent Collection's buildings- A. Robinson Block, Boyd Block, and Thompson Block. We really wanted to love our stays and gave the place every chance before leaving a review as in theory it had everything we wanted for a short getaway, and we loved the idea of having a full loft and space vs. a hotel room. Unfortunately we will not be booking again. The pros to staying at the Docent Collections are the locations being right in the heart of Old Port, modern and updated lofts, and easy parking. While the location and lofts are fantastic for each of their buildings, each loft we have stayed at has had inadequate curtains to block the light from outside, at night. If you are someone who needs a dark room to sleep in, this is not the place. They do have curtains, but the fittings of them are sub par to windows. I was hoping their new Boyd Block would have better curtains, and it was even worse than their other two buildings. Their beds are uncomfortable. I can handle a so so bed, but when paired with light pollution it's nearly impossible to sleep. We regularly ask for no room service. A couple of the times, it is acknowledged by their concierge through their text service, yet we have come back to our loft with someone in it or there have been signs housekeeping was there. One thing to also note is the manager, Avery, is not customer friendly. On one of our stays housekeeping was waiting for us to leave long before checkout, which is 11am. During that stay we were in their larger loft, which I understand takes longer to clean, yet housekeeping showed up in the direct elevator entrance about an 30 minutes prior to checkout. As we brought things out to out car, their cleaning cart was waiting. Our group left right at the checkout time. About a half hour later my husband was texted that because we left after their checkout time, we would be charged a late fee. Which was not the case, we had already left and left right at checkout time. He ended up speaking to Avery. While listening to their call I was honestly surprised by the lack of listening and the manager coming off honestly, just rude. He mentioned that housekeeping said that we were not out of the loft on time. We did end up having the fee removed, but the whole thing left a poor taste for me personally. I did see there is another review mentioning Avery.