McMenamins Kennedy School

Location: 5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, us

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 03:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Check-out: 11:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Parking
• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Pets allowed
• Safety deposit box
• Facilities for disabled guests
• Hot tub/Jacuzzi
• Evening entertainment
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Physical distancing rules followed
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
• Physical distancing in dining areas
• Food delivered to guest room
• Delivered food - securely covered
• ATM/banking
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Billiards or pool table
• Free wired internet
• Self parking (surcharge)
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Internet access
• Japanese garden

Rooms Available

• Room, 1 Queen Bed (Pet Friendly)

  1 Queen Bed

  300 sq feet

  
  

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Food & Drink - Room service (limited)

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, bathrobes, and free toiletries

  Practical - Desk, safe, and free newspaper; rollaway beds (surcharge) and cribs (free) available on request

  Comfort - Air conditioning

  Accessibility - Wheelchair accessible

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Private bathroom
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Room service (limited hours)
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Free newspaper
  • Free Local calls
  • Ceiling fan
  • Free WiFi
  • Free cribs/infant beds
  • Bedsheets provided

• King English no pets

  Located in the English Wing this king room offers complimentary use of the soaking pool and admission to the on-site movie theater. Please note: This room is not pet friendly.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Radio
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Alarm clock
  • Tumble dryer
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Clothes rack
  • Toilet paper
  • Pool towels
  • Trash cans
  • Cots
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Feather pillow
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key card access

• Queen Room

  This room features complimentary use of the soaking pool and admission to the on-site movie theater. Please note: This room is pet friendly.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Radio
  • Desk
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Hardwood or parquet floors
  • Alarm clock
  • Tumble dryer
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Clothes rack
  • Toilet paper
  • Pool towels
  • Trash cans
  • Cots
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Feather pillow
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key card access

Guest Reviews

• Peter (10/5): See above - Amazing facility! Theater,Restaurant and soaking pool! Soft comforting jazz playing at breakfast- school hallways with wonderful vintage photos plus a blackboard in the room- this is my favorite place anywhere to stay! My wife is a former elementary teacher and loved everything about the property! NA
• Demetria (8/5): - All the fun places to visit Not very tidy Restaurant was understaffed Tables were not clean Carpets not vacuumed
• Emma (8/5): -
• Amanda (10/5): -
• Germaine (10/5): -
• Mary (9/5): -
• Traci (7/5): I love the staff, and the location! - I stay at that location because my daughter lives close by. You have a great staff in your bars. I always feel it could be slightly cleaner
• Yuri (9/5): -
• Terri (10/5): I want to retire in a facility as beautiful as McMenamins Kennedy School.had - Excellent breakfast! I had never tried butter on a scone before and it was so delicious that way! Staff was attentive as soon as I walked in from soaking pool with low blood sugar. I was drinking down an emergency glass of orange juice within 60 seconds of reporting I needed one. It was followed by the best breakfast I've ever enjoyed ever. That is saying something because I'm 70 years old. It could not have been better. Nothing I didn't enjoy.
• Wayne (9/5): -
• Sean (8/5): I always come back to the Kennedy School - So much to do here, always entertaining!
• Larry (3/5): Clean but outdated. Funky. Needs a facelift - Restaurant. Good food kids No TV in the room. No amenities in room. No Kleenex no in room coffee. Out dated
• AMANDA (10/5): - The history the property kept in the building.
• Michael (10/5): -
• Elizabeth (5/5): Nice set up - The rooms were spacious Our room wasnt as close as we wanted to be. I was traveling with my 80 year old mother, and I was concerned with her being in a different location that I couldn't get access to if something happened to her. We could have used more blankets on the bed. And the soak tub closed to early, flying in at 945 pm did not allow time to soak and relax. Then wanting to sleep in, by the time we got up we had to check out, no time to soak.
• Edwin (9/5): -
• Andrew (10/5): -
• KVOinrochester (10/5): Unique Portland experience and comfortable - The Kennedy School is a unique experience which feels very in line with the quirky Portland vibe. It is an actual elementary school transformed into a hotel, community meeting space, and gathering place, with several bars and restaurants. There is something to discover around every corner and art everywhere. There is a soaking pool as well. The rooms are comfortable and clean and there is coffee in the morning. It feels like an experience—more than a hotel!
• Donald (9/5): Convenient and great - Breakfast was great! Service good too
• Michael (9/5): -
• Margaret (10/5): Unique and fun place - Such a unique and fun experience. Everything needed is on site. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the courtyard and a long soak in the soaking pool that evening. There are several bars on site as well as a movie theater.
• laundress (10/5): Charming and immersive experience - My partner and I stayed here the night before an early morning flight out of PDX airport. We loved it. The room is pretty basic. We stayed in one of the classrooms. The bed was comfortable and everything was extremely clean. Despite the heat wave, we were cool in the room with the help of the ceiling fan. While I had a lovely time, I'm not sure I would stay there again unless I got a big discount on the room. The cost comes from the charm of the hotel, not the charm of the room, as the rooms are designed not to have TVs, mini fridges, coffee or tea. I knew to expect this so it was not a problem at all. The restaurants and bars were lovely and we enjoyed happy hour at the restaurant. Next time, I'll opt to go there for food and drinks and then use the money saved to stay in a more luxurious room someplace else. I'm very glad we stayed there. The experience was one-of-a-kind.
• Deanna (10/5): - I really enjoyed my stay at the Kennedy School. It was fun learning the history of the school and walking around enjoying the artwork and unique design. They had a very friendly culture and I especially enjoyed the soaking pool. It is an old building, so does not feature more modern amenities like a mini fridge, tv in rooms, or super updated bathrooms, but the culture and variety of other options like the bars and restaurants more than make up for it. I was also able to check my luggage early before check in, as well as after check out. Would definitely stay there again.
• GuidoKarp (10/5): Allow yourself a lot of time to explore this - Even though I travel the world touring with "my" artists, this was my first time in Portland, Oregon. Our friends booked us a personal guide (Adam Thorn Smith, highly recommended! ) who showed us around and made Yelp even sent us a message on the day like "wow - you know how to explore all hot spots on one day". This was my first time at a McMenamins place. What a fun place! Loved the ambiance, their food (their Cajun Tater Tots are a must-try), and the service. This will be the #1 spot to visit whenever we return to the area and try out all the little gems inside this gem that were closed during our afternoon visit. Would I do a 30+ min detour to go here (mandatory in my rating scheme to achieve 5 stars)? Oh yes! Next step: get the McMenamins Passport!
• Jen (8/5): - The Kennedy School is a fun environment, and my family and I enjoyed our room very much. It was fun to go to a movie just down the hall! The grounds and community garden behind the parking lot are beautiful.
• John (9/5): - Wonderfully exotic. The art and wall posters were fascinating. Like a museum of joy!
• Joanne (10/5): - We always love the vibe and soaking pool at this location! Also,,, nice that you can roam around and eat and drink right on property.
• Robin (8/5): -
• James (10/5): -
• jerrygK7439MP (10/5): Hippy Dippy Heaven. - This place was simply amazing! Housed in an ancient school decorated in a Hippy/Bohemian style, the food was out of this world. I had their "Dungeon Burger" with mushrooms and Swiss cheese and a side salad. Everything was fresh and delicious and my wife and I finished off the meal with a heavenly Blueberry-Brown Butter cheesecake. Outstanding. My only complaint is that our server seemed bored and not really attentive. Nevertheless, if you are traveling near Portland then by all means stop here. You'll be glad you did.
• Paul (9/5): Superb -
• Jennifer (10/5): - This is the first time I've stayed, but I have visited the Kennedy School several times before. I love how much there is to do just on the campus. The food is tasty, the room was comfortable, and I loved the soak pool. I also appreciate that the property is in a neighborhood of Portland that I love. Overall, I had a lovely stay!
• Esther (9/5): Superb -
• Dave (10/5): - Great atmosphere and stuff to do. The soak pool is great
• calvininSF (10/5): Get Schooled - What a delightful place! I wish I'd read up ahead of time because I wasn't prepared for the soaking pool (i.e., no swimsuit), but it looked wonderful. Our room was comfortable. We enjoyed the Boiler Room and the Cypress Room, but Detention was closed the two nights we could have checked it out (Monday and Tuesday).
• Maureen (10/5): great bed and bathroom - all the food and drink options everything was fine
• Courtney (10/5): - Our first experience at a McMenamins hotel. What a special property! All the different bars/restaurants are so adorable. The soaking pool was delightful. Will look for others in the future.
• daddyrusses1 (2/5): Avoid this property until the management changes their clenliness and customer service. - I will start with the positives, as there are fewer of them, and I don't want to come across as completely negative. The food was pretty solid. We dined at the restaurant for both dinner and breakfast, and the food was served hot and was very well done. Props to the kitchen for sure. Our server the first night was a young man named Diego, and he was phenomenal. He was one of only two people we met who worked at the property who genuinely cared about the customer experience. Let's begin our journey at check-in. We went to our room to freshen up before dinner. The first thing we noticed was a strong pot smell. It's Portland, so hey, we weren't that surprised, but we didn't want everything we had to smell like pot either, so we opened the windows and turned on the fan before we left for dinner, hoping that the room would air out. From there, we made our way to the restaurant. It was approximately 8:00 pm when we arrived. The sign at the hostess desk said open seating. It was a beautiful evening, so we began to make our way outside to the patio where other folks were dining. We were intercepted by the manager, who told us that they had discontinued service on the patio and if we wanted to dine outside, we would have to order from the bar and serve ourselves. We opted to go ahead and sit outside. As we were looking over the menu and preparing to head to the bar, Diego appeared and told us that he was going to wait on us. We placed our order, and everything arrived just fine with one exception: my wife ordered the soup, and when the runner delivered her soup, we were informed that they had no spoons for the soup. Even Diego came out and apologized and said he couldn't find a spoon anywhere. After a few minutes, he did appear with a mini spoon like one would use for jam or jelly, but nothing you would be able to eat soup with very easily. Then, as the evening went along, it was getting dark, and we asked Diego if they could turn on the decorative hanging lights out on the patio for some light and ambiance. He returned and told us the same manager who didn't want him serving us told him that she would not turn on the lights. That concluded our dining experience for the night. Back in the room, we began to settle in and prepare for bed, and noticed the bathroom. The bathroom looked like it had not been cleaned in weeks. There was hair all over the shower, the floors were covered with dust and hair, and the most disturbing thing was the hair on the sink where we were trying to brush our teeth. The towels had a burnt and musty smell that we couldn't place. I went to the front desk and gently mentioned our issues to the gentleman working the night shift. He took notes and promised to share with the manager. The next morning, I went by and found the manager and asked if he had been made aware of our issues, and he simply said, "Yeah, I knocked $50 off your bill" and that was it. I asked him if he would like to the pics and he wasn't interested. I told him that we were going to get breakfast in the restaurant and asked him if he would like to inspect our room while we were out, and he wasn't interested in that either. I could tell the $50 was meant to try and appease me and get me to move on without him having to do anything else to remedy the situation. Our friend's room had such a thick layer of dust on the headboard that they wrote a note in the dust. They were offered $20 for their "troubles". The next morning at breakfast was a continuation of the previous night's weird lack of customer service. Again, being greeted by a "please seat yourself" sign, we chose a table that would accommodate the six of us in our party. Once settled, we were asked to move by the manager. We were told that those seats were reserved and we needed to find another spot. Two hours later, as we left, the original seats had still not been occupied or used by anyone else, as there were only three parties in the entire place that morning. Not the biggest deal in the world, but it was just the final straw on what had been a very disappointing experience. If you want a nice hotel room for $250 in Portland, I would recommend staying at any other hotel.
• susan (8/5): - Room is small, had to ask to get it cleaned (not explained that I would need to do so at check in) Good location for my family needs. Next time I'll look for something more upscale
• Malea (8/5): Very good -
• Faidra (9/5): Back to School! - It is an experience itself to be able to sleep in an old school. The whole building is very atmospheric with a lot of memorabilia and references to its period as a school. Loved also the concept of the smaller bars with different types of music and atmosphere. Sleeping in an old classroom is definitely a memorable stay.
• tony (10/5): - Real gem
• Leslee (9/5): It was a great, comfortable stay for us while we were having a major renovation on our house. - Very good location for dog walkers, appreciated having the Dogi-pot container outside not far from our room.
• Douglas (10/5): - This is truly a destination hotel. Loved it!
• Debra (6/5): - Our second stay in a very different, newer room that was tiny. Wouldn’t go back. This was a huge contrast to our last “schoolroom” room.
• Richard (9/5): Superb -
• Robyn (10/5): Exceptional - What a fantastic hotel and wished we'd had longer than one night. So much character and history in one building and it felt quite magical to enter into it all even if just for one night. Hotel was also in a lovely part of Portland.
• Julie (8/5): Very good -
• Neil (10/5): Exceptional -
• joseph (8/5): - We really enjoyed how they remolded the old school and kept it charm.
• Toree (5/5): Lovely place, however staff seem bored with their jobs- food bad! - We have been McMenamins fans for over 20 years. Our daughter was even married at Cornelius Road House Barn in 1981. However the food quality has continued to decline. In addition, the staff seems totally uninterested and bored.
• Bereniece (10/5): I love McMenamins and have enjoyed several of your facilities! The dining experience is usually really great so hopefull - So much to do without leaving the space. Kitchen service was slow and made mistakes in every meal. They also ran out of stuff that was on the menu and the wait staff seemed not to know the status on two separate occasions.
• Matthew (10/5): Comfortable and unique - Cool hotel, very unique. The bars were great and the rooms were comfortable.
• Janette (4/5): Too funky and old and grumpy for our taste - Except for when we first checked in, it seemed like all of the other employees were grumpy. The coffee in the hallway was empty and eh tea water was cold. Another guest was helpful and said I could get some ice and coffee at the restaurant. The guy at the bar seemed bothered by my asking for ice and handed me a cup of coffee that was already poured. It too was cold. The mattress had old blood stains on it. The "king" sized bed was two twins pushed together with some kind of padding in the middle making the middle of the mattress. The rug was old and dirty and had a weird smell. There was a soaking pool, not a hot tub as advertised. As advertised they did not have TV in the rooms but they advertise they had WiFi so we could stream our show. The WiFi was very weak and was not always available and our ATT cell phones only had one bar.The doors were very heavy and one shut on me so hard it left a bruise. The bar looked very nice and I'm sorry we did not have time to enjoy it. I like funky, interesting places to stay, but this was too funky for us.
• Steve (9/5): Old school charm incorporates modern amenities - I loved the old school charm, into modern comfort and entertainment. Such as soaking pool and movie theater. The different drinking areas were great too. Staff was exceptional
• Elizabeth (2/5): Very poor -
• Steve (10/5): - Great place ... interesting and novel
• Maureen (8/5): - We had a great stay! Charming place.
• Amy (9/5): A wonderful and creative weekend in a unique space. - I had a wonderful stay at the Kennedy School. It's such a unique space, and the staff members were incredibly kind. I enjoyed meandering the hallways, which were full of quirky art and interesting lighting fixtures. Also a lot of history. Clearly care and attention to detail went into it. It was a bit chilly at times, but I imagine it's difficult to keep the space warm. Toward the end of my stay, the smoke detector was beeping, hopefully they replaced the battery.
• Arvin (10/5): - Fun little place with a lot to do
• Breanna (9/5): It was a fantastic first visit. I definitely want to come again! Thank you! - I loved the location. How our hotel was separated from the School. I enjoyed the little walk outside into the building. I LOVED our room! It was so beautiful. The art is so beautiful. The headboard of the bed was breathtaking. I love the style Mcmenamins has. One thing was that in the shower, the steam revealed markings of a past guest’s drawings on the shower door. Thankfully they were cute drawings but it was weird to see them showering.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Unique hotel - What a lovely, funky little hotel. We only stayed for one night and I plan to return in the future.
• HELEN (10/5): - Staff go above and beyond here. This is my favorite hotel in Portland without a doubt.
• LINDA (8/5): - Beautiful reused building in true McMinamins style. Multiple bars. Restaurant and outdoor seating for pet owners when warmer. I would have given a full 5 stars except the pet friendly room fronted the noisy street. And room service was fast but the hamburger and fries were luke warm.
• Nicholas (10/5): Exceptional -
• Leanna (10/5): Exceptional -
• Kara B (10/5): - Great place, food and drinks. A lot of history with building
• Erin (10/5): - Great unique place! No TVs so you can unplug and enjoy what they have to offer on-site. Id definitely stay again
• Zapp (9/5): Comfortable, fun , different and a one of. Kind - Unique, different everything you need in one place
• Kristin (10/5): Exceptional -
• LAURA (6/5): - It’s a fun spot for dinner and a soak but the hotel is over priced
• Karen (10/5): Exceptional -
• Christina (9/5): Restful, happy, interesting place to stay. - Great breakfast. The whole place is very dark. The lighting is dim. Otherwise, impeccable,
• Sparks (9/5): Superb -
• Leslie (10/5): - Just charming and lots to do
• Aurora (10/5): - Great hotel with great restaurant inside as well as soaking pool
• Wiederhold (9/5): Superb - The pool is calm. There are hours for hotel guest only.
• David (10/5): - Hard to describe, but it's artwork itself.
• Brigitte (10/5): - Very quirky and unique place. Loved it.
• Carly (10/5): - I enjoy having options for restaurants that are open later, as well as easy and safe well lit parking that is close to drive to just about everything I need. Nice to have the extra amenities like the soaking pool. Cool place with lots of personality and history. Always friendly staff! Amazing art everywhere!
• Kate (10/5): Perfect spot for an easy stay-cation for Portland locals - Location great, close to airport, soaking pool access very nice, loved that we could get food till 12am. Heater unit didn't work right away in the room, but no big deal bc it warmed up overnight.
• Jerry (10/5): - We’ve been here many times but this was our first time staying here and we loved it.
• AtlantaDrummer (10/5): A unique and different lodging experience - My wife and I stayed here while on a two week road trip of the west coast. We wanted to stay in a few unique places and this one fit the bill. It is an old elementary school in a cool residential and arts area of the city that's been converted into a hotel and place to hang out and have fun. It is not your normal hotel so keep that in mind when booking. I'll list the key points: Very friendly and helpful staff No TV in rooms Incredibly EXCELLENT free coffee in the morning Each bar is unique and is in places like the boiler room or the detention room Room was an old classroom and was large, but the bathroom is small Modern charm that maintains the classic authenticity 1 power hub with USB & AC outlets Salt water soaking pool and you can bring your drinks in with you To sum it up, this is a beautifully restored boutique hotel is truly a cool experience if you're looking for something unique and different, so do keep in mind that it isn't the Four Seasons, but it is still 5 stars
• James (4/5): Disappointed. - Very unique with lots of attention to detail. Eclectically historic. We splurged to bring our grandson here for our last night in Portland. While the room was nice, the rest of the hotel was a bit chaotic. We did get in the first movie which was age appropriate; however our dinner arrived at our theatre seats with cold fries. The biggest disappointment was the pool: not the volume of people (of which was extreme) but the impaired condition of the waders, the inappropriate public displays of affection, and the umbrellas in use. We immediately left, much to our grandson’s dismay. As the evening movie was not age appropriate, we had to call it a very early night. Hard with a child to be sure. He’s had birthday parties at Kennedy, visits with Santa, and an overnight during an ice storm- all favorable experiences. We were disappointed.
• martin (10/5): - It was fantastic
• Adamson (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ariana (9/5): Amazing stay in quaint neighborhood of pdx - Soaking tub, the food and drinks were great! Bed a little hard
• Dane (10/5): - Beautiful salt pool and gardens. Boiler room bar. Close to Alberta rose theater. :) Lyle Hehn artwork! Stage coach and tavern days.
• Linda (10/5): - It’s a real destination. And the staff are fantastic. Front desk to gift shop, and in each of the five bars on site!
• leone (10/5): - The Kennedy School Hotel is a work of art. It is chock a block full of interesting things to see and do. The staff are super friendly and accommodating. On the down side, our king bed was a tad less comfortable than some other places we recently stayed at, but certainly not bad enough to affect our sleep too much. We would go stay again especially if rates drop somewhat.
• Luis (4/5): Not what the pictures portray - It wasn’t what u expected. No a/c in the room just a fan. Several of the bars were closed. The ones opened wasn’t what I expected.
• Misty (10/5): - Great experiences all around! It is a must stay!
• Rachel (10/5): Lovely - Best place ever. So cute. Staff was so friendly and accommodating Wish the pool was a touch cleaner.
• Mark (6/5): Love the quirky unique style and you'll have a great time as long as the neighboring rooms are quiet - Location was very convenient as we were arriving from the airport. The restaurant and boiler room bar were open late so we were able to grab a drink and snack when we arrived at 10pm. Breakfast the next day was nice in their restaurant though not included with the room. The walls were very thin and we could hear the neighbours clearly. They were staying with their child who was still up and crying at 11:30pm and then woke us up again at 6:30 am when they got up and left. They also seemed to come and go from their room about a dozen times slamming doors as they went.
• Emily (5/5): Stay here if you plan to take advantage of the on-site activities. - Cool use of space. Nice on-site amenities. There wasn’t enough furniture, lighting, or bathroom amenities.
• Denise (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ann (10/5): - The hotel is unique and fun. I'm glad they preserved Kennedy School! I love the cocktails at McMenamins, and the food was good. Only complaint was noisy neighbors on our hallway, but we could see after the second night that a sign was put up to keep partiers out of the hallway.
• Mike (10/5): - Excellent experience, pool was delightful and the perfect temperature even though it was raining. Wander the halls for the art and grounds are well cared for.
• Eichholz (9/5): Superb -
• Angela (10/5): Fun, comfortable, and convenient. - I loved the location here. Walked to Alberta each night and still had a place to hang out when I got back with the on site bar. It was pretty close to a few other neighborhoods that were very walkable as well. I didnt spend any time downtown, so I can't speak to accessibility there, but super convenient to get to the airport as well. Check in was a breeze and the decor is so so cool. I love the adapted use and the amenities are great. The gardens outside were beautiful. They were also able to hold my bags when I was checking out until I could make my way to my next destination 11/10, will definitely stay again!

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