The Dialogue: What Readers Have to Say About Portland’s Surplus of Hotel Rooms

Last week, we wrote about Portland's hotel-building spree ("Making Rooms," WW, Aug. 29, 2018). Currently, the city's hotel rooms are only 69 percent occupied. Regardless, a 14-story, 600-room, $244 million Hyatt Regency is in development near the Oregon Convention Center. If conventiongoers fail to fill the new Hyatt, taxpayers could be on the hook for the building's repayment. Here's what readers had to say.

JP Perry, via Facebook: "The glut of new hotels might reduce some demand for Airbnbs, which may compel landlords to lease their units as permanent housing instead of tourist housing."

Jeremiah William Johnson, in response: "Keep dreaming. Apartments and hotels will both sit empty, just like the inner-city undeveloped lots that property owners sit on and keep eyesores."

This too shall pass, via Twitter: "We wanted to have a staycation the other week (mainly since we have no bath tub and my partner loves a bath) but couldn't find an affordable (under $125) room. Every hotel seems to think they are the Ritz."

Christina Buck, via wweek.com: "I'm waiting for the rates to fall. I come to Portland twice a year to go to Oregon Health and Science University for health care and the hotel we stay at RAISED THEIR RATES!!! Please explain the logic in that?"

Jason Sabourin, via Facebook: "Perhaps the land-use commission could see that more rooms equals lower prices and think about how that might apply to new housing starts and apartment buildings."

Bees the Sea, via Twitter: "Or, and this may sound crazy, they build more affordable housing."

Kooosh, via wweek.com: "It's a shame that any public funds had to go toward the Hyatt at the Convention Center, but hopefully Metro will recoup most of that over time. That hotel did need to get built, though. It's 20 years overdue."

Harv056, via Twitter: "Field of Dreams occupancy projections."

Charlie Rehfeldt, via Twitter: "That sounds like a great problem to have. It would crush nightly room rates, encouraging companies and organizations to host events in Portland. Right now, it's hard to find a room under $250 a night, which discourages visitors."

Bryan W. Pohl, via Facebook: "I'm sure these hotels didn't research the market before they spent tens of millions of dollars on new hotels. Nah, they probably just spend that money indiscriminately and bankers lend that money with no promise of being repaid."