PORTLAND, ORE.—The Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center opened for guests on May 27 in Portland’s downtown urban core. Developed by Sage Hospitality and designed by Portland-based SERA, the hotel draws inspiration from both Oregon’s natural surroundings and the vibrant artistic community with subtle design details of oceans, mountains, rivers and deserts incorporated into the original artwork, custom designed carpeting and fabric and wall coverings.
As part of the ongoing revitalization of downtown, the Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center, located in the former Toronto National Building, went through a complete exterior and interior renovation of the derelict space. This major renovation allowed Sage and SERA to design the new hotel to meet the high standards of today’s traveler and is expected to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Gold certification makes the Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center the first Courtyard in the country to receive such a high level of recognition for its eco-friendly design.
With 16 floors and 256 guestrooms, the hotel also features 5,310 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including the Sequoia Ballroom, a business library with computers, docking stations and printers, and a fitness facility. Two unique aspects of the hotel include the collection of locally commissioned artwork and a new concept restaurant/diner called The Original from the Sage Restaurant Group. The hotel is conveniently located on the new Green Max Line (coming September 2009) which will give guests easy access to the Oregon Convention Center and Portland International Airport.
“Clearly the strength of the Marriott brand will be an advantage for this hotel and its central location and unique amenities will appeal to a healthy mix of business and leisure travelers,” said Walter Isenberg, president and CEO of Sage Hospitality. “We are thrilled to be a part of revitalizing this neighborhood in Portland to bring such a unique hotel to the market. We are confident in the property’s potential to become a major draw for this area of the city.”
Local Art Brings Portland into Focus
The new Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center will add something unique at its downtown Portland location: original artwork by local artists. Local art consultant Paige Powell, a long time friend of Andy Warhol, Walter Isenberg of Sage Hospitality, and SERA Architects shared a vision to fill the hotel with art and photographs representing Oregon’s cultural past and present as well as bring attention to the high caliber of art found within the local art community.
Some of the photographs chosen include images of the Made In Oregon sign, Oaks Park Amusement Center, wooden pilings in the Columbia River, the statue of Sacagawea, and the Columbia River Gorge. Lisa Zangerle, director of interior design at SERA, had the photos enlarged and designed into large wall murals for each guestroom as well as for the walls opposite each elevator landing. The overall interior design concept was inspired by the textural, abstract and varied landscapes of Oregon. Fabrics, wall treatments and carpets throughout the property graphically represent the topography of the state in a unique, contemporary and playful way while still maintaining the Courtyard brand.
“This artistic collaboration is significant because the typical Courtyard by Marriott properties do not feature original art,” said general manager Mike Castro. “Working with Paige, Walter and SERA gave us the opportunity to break out of the traditional Courtyard model and put our Portland stamp on this exciting new property in the heart of downtown.”
Hotel Design Goes for Gold
Eco-consciousness has been a key element of the design of the new Courtyard. When SERA Architects started renovating both the exterior shell of the building and the derelict interior, architect Gary Golla focused his efforts on designing to LEED Gold standards. To accomplish this feat, the property is designed to lower overall energy consumption by 28 percent (equivalent to the energy consumption of 42 households per year) and reduce carbon emissions. Water consumption was reduced by 26 percent through the use of dual flush toilets and over 75 percent of the construction waste was recycled and reused. All of the hotel’s electricity comes from renewable sources, including wind and hydroelectric. To further reduce the waste, recycling containers will be situated in each guestroom and on each floor. Additionally, kitchen grease from the Original Restaurant will be recycled into biodiesel fuel and food waste from the restaurant will be composted.
“The complete renovation of the old Toronto National building gave us the opportunity to apply all of the best thinking around sustainable development,” Isenberg explained. “Restoring an existing building rather than just tearing it down was the first important decision, and then every decision after we considered the best option to create an eco-conscious hotel that offers our guests an amazing hotel experience.”
The interior design uses ergonomic office chairs and features a smoke-free environment and green housekeeping products. Also non-PVC wall covering, low VOC paints and low urea-formaldehyde casework in the guestrooms contributes to a healthier indoor environment.
Go to the Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center.
