Hotel Eastlund

The Lloyd District’s new hotel grand opening draws a grand

June 16, 2015 by DMR

June 16, 2015, 10:55am PDT
Jon Bell
Portland Business Journal

Altabira City Tavern ballroom, photo by Andrea Lonas — A wide wall of windows lets guests take in expansive Rose City views. photo by Andrea Lonas

There was music and dancing, food and drinks. There were sunny, sweeping views of downtown Portland and the West Hills.

And there were close to a thousand people enjoying it all.

The Hotel Eastlund, a former Red Lion hotel in the Lloyd District that underwent a $15 million remodel, officially opened its new doors last Wednesday evening with a festive grand opening party. The event included a ceremonial ribbon cutting, appetizers and drinks from chef David Machado, who has two restaurants in the new hotel, and musical entertainment from a few different acts, including U.K. soul singer Andy Abraham.

The reborn hotel is a project of Grand Ventures Hotel LLC, a subsidiary of Seattle’s Posh Ventures. The developer was also behind the Hotel Modera, a once-rundown hotel at Southwest Clay Street reborn as a modern boutique hotel, much as the Hotel Eastlund has been.

Click through the gallery for a look at the Hotel Eastlund’s grand opening soiree.

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Look Inside Altabira, Chef David Machado’s Beery Lloyd District Restaurant, Now Officially Open

June 15, 2015 by DMR

pdxEater
by Chad Walsh
June 15, 2015

Altabira City Tavern, photo by dina avila, pdxeater — Altabira City Tavern, photo by Dina Avila, pdxEater

The beer-centric rooftop restaurant features 16 all-Oregon-brewed beer taps and a 103-seat patio with sweeping views of downtown and the West Hills.

Altabira, the new beer-forward restaurant perched atop the Lloyd District’s newly christened Hotel Eastlund (née, the old Red Lion Hotel) officially opens for business today.

Today’s opening follows the opening of Citizen Baker, Nel Centro Chef David Machado’s artisan bakery-breakfast-and-lunch spot, which opened on the Eastlund’s ground floor on the first of the month.

Altabira’s design takes advantage of of a couple of natural amenities: a view of downtown and the West Hills and, via plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows, all the natural light a restaurateur could hope for.

If you include the bar, the dining room seats nearly 100 guests—a number that more than doubles if you consider Altabira’s 103-seat open-air rooftop patio, complete with fire pits for when the weather turns cold.

As fas as drinks and eats go, expect 16 taps, all of which are dedicated to Oregon beers, as well as dishes like beef tartare, braised rabbit and vegetable pie, pork cutlets with potato-arugula salads and sides like onion rings served with green goddess dressing.

Altabira City Tavern: 1021 NE Grand Ave., (503) 963-3600, Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; Tavern, 2:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 2:30 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and 4 to 10 p.m. on Sundays; Dinner, 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10 pm., Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 9 p.m., on Sundays

All photos by Dina Avila

Read the article and view more images on pdxEater.

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Hotel Eastlund opens in Lloyd District

June 12, 2015 by DMR

Photos: Hotel Eastlund opens in Lloyd District
By: Sam Tenney
June 12, 2015
DCJ Oregon

A grand opening was held this week for Hotel Eastlund, a newly-remodeled Lloyd District boutique hotel. The former Red Lion on Northeast Grand Avenue was purchased in 2013 by Seattle-based Grand Ventures Hotel LLC, a group of partners also responsible for the 2008 renovation of Hotel Modera in downtown Portland.
Holst Architecture designed the hotel’s $10 million renovation, which general contractor Deacon began work on last September. Major improvements included updating the building with a new curtainwall that provides rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, conversion of a vehicle driveway to a pedestrian entry with expanded lobby space, removing sections of post-tensioned concrete to accommodate an express elevator to the hotel’s top-floor restaurant and bar, and opening up the previously-windowless ballroom and exposing it to natural light.
Corner rooms at the hotel were combined and converted to suites, bringing the room count from 174 to 168. A ground-floor bakery and café, Citizen Baker, will double as a wine bar in the evenings. Altabira City Tavern, the hotel’s top-floor restaurant and bar, features views of downtown Portland and opens Monday.

Read the article and view the gallery of photos HERE.

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East side energy: Altabira, Citizen Baker and Hotel Eastlund

June 3, 2015 by DMR

Hotel Eastlund brings new energy to east side

Opening in June, the Hotel Eastlund in the Lloyd District will offer boutique accommodations within blocks of the Oregon Convention Center and the Moda Center on Portland’s east side. Nearly one year and $10 million in renovations has transformed a ‘60s-era structure into a plush, modern establishment with breathtaking views of the city skyline. Featuring mid-century-inspired design and floor-to-ceiling windows, the 168-room property boasts two executive boardrooms, a ballroom and two private dining rooms.

Backed by Grand Ventures Hotel (developer of the local Hotel Modera and Seattle’s Hotel Andra and Hotel Deca), Hotel Eastlund’s crowning glory is its rooftop restaurant, Altabira City Tavern. Led by David Machado (of Nel Centro), the beer-centric restaurant comes complete with 16 taps for local craft brews and a bounty of Northwest wine and spirits. American cuisine dominates, incorporating local, seasonal ingredients throughout. The views are inspiring from inside as well as out, where an expansive patio with fire pits and heating elements beckons guests. Downstairs, Citizen Baker, a daytime café and evening wine bar adjacent to the lobby, also showcases Machado’s exptertise. Artisan breads and pastries accompany soups and salads, along with coffee from local Ristretto Roasters.

Hotel Eastlund is easily accessible by Portland Streetcar and MAX light rail, making the hotel an ideal jumping-off point for exploring all corners of the city.

View and download a pdf of Travel Portland’s Media Update, June 2015.
Read the entire Travel Portland newsletter.

http://www.travelportland.com/

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The Oregonian: Lloyd District Rising with Hotel Eastlund and David Machado

May 28, 2015 by DMR

Former Red Lion Hotel in the Lloyd District to reopen as boutique Hotel Eastlund

Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 5:00 AM
By Elliot Njus
The Oregonian/OregonLive

Chef David Machado, Altabira City Tavern — Restauranteur David Machado will operate two eateries at the Hotel Eastlund.

When Seattle-based Grand Ventures Hotel bought the Lloyd District’s Red Lion Hotel in 2013 and launched a major renovation, it was one of a few scattered examples of private reinvestment in the eastside district.

As the hotel reopens Monday as the Hotel Eastlund, fresh from a $15 million renovation that took the building down to its bones, it’s in a district that could have thousands of new residents within a few years.

Meanwhile, the Lloyd Center mall is in the middle of its own $50 million renovation. And Metro is well on its way to landing a large hotel near its Oregon Convention Center, which the regional government says will help drum up new business both for the convention center and nearby hotels.

“When we started, we were not really aware of the breadth of development in the district,” said restaurateur David Machado, who will operate two eateries in the new hotel. “What’s happened around us was very surprising.”

Grand Ventures, hoping to duplicate its success in turning around the downtown Hotel Modera, bought the Lloyd District hotel in 2013 for $12.5 million. As at the downtown hotel, previously a Days Inn, they aimed to create a destination not only for travelers, but also nearby workers and residents.

The Lloyd District hotel opened as the Cosmopolitan Motor Hotel which, as its name suggests, was built for guests coming and going by car. For people walking by or traveling by transit, it might as well have been a fortress.

So a design by Holst Architecture of Portland aimed to turn the hotel inside-out, adding pedestrian access from all sides. Much of the lobby is space once occupied by an auto ramp. Space formerly used for guests-only breakfast will now be Citizen Baker, Machado’s bakery-cafe and wine bar that will be open to the public that will also cater meetings at the hotel and provide room service.

The hotel’s upper floors were largely gutted as well, necessitated by the presence of mold, asbestos and lead paint, Grand Ventures partner Alan Battersby said.

The top floor will house a 5,300-square-foot ballroom, small meeting rooms and Machado’s Altabira City Tavern, which replaces the Red Lion’s Windows Skyroom and Lounge. That restaurant and Citizen Baker are expected to open later in June.

— Elliot Njus

Read the article on OregonLive. Be sure and look at the slideshow!

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Peek inside the former Red Lion hotel before its big boutique reveal

April 20, 2015 by DMR

Wednesday, April 15, 2015, 10:22am PDT
by Jon Bell
Portland Business Journal

Just a few months ago, almost any vantage point from inside the former Red Lion Hotel on Northeast Grand Avenue offered expansive views of the city in just about every direction.

The reason: the 1960s-era hotel had been gutted and stripped down to its steel and concrete skeleton as part of a $10 million remake.

“It was just columns and concrete floors and ceilings, and we took everything else out in between,” said Desmond Mollendor, general manager and a partner with Grand Ventures Hotel LLC, the firm behind the renovation. “You could see right through the building.”

With just a few weeks to go before the hotel reopens on May 5 as the Hotel Eastlund, that’s not the case any longer. The 168-room hotel has been nearly built anew, with a much more pedestrian-friendly setup, revamped rooms and meeting spaces and two new restaurants from Portland’s David Machado.

No longer can one see right through the building, but the hotel still offers commanding vistas of the downtown skyline, the booming Lloyd District and even an occasional peek at Mt. St. Helens.

The roughly nine-month renovation, led by S.D. Deacon, is expected to wrap up in time for a May 5 opening. The hotel has already begun taking reservations, with rooms starting at $189 per night. When it opens, the Eastlund will employ about 65 staff members. The two restaurants will have between 80 and 85 employees, according to Mollendor.

Read the entire article and view the gallery of photos here>>

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The old Red Lion will soon be a modern boutique

March 30, 2015 by DMR

From the Portland Business Journal
March 24, 2015
by Jon Bell

It’s no HQ hotel, but the old Red Lion will soon be a modern boutique

What was once a ho-hum Red Lion Hotel is just a month or so away from being unveiled as Portland’s newest luxury boutique hotel with rooms starting at close to $200 a night.

Seattle-based Grand Ventures Hotel LLC is heading into the final stretch of the massive renovation that gutted the Red Lion in the Lloyd District to make way for the Hotel Eastlund. The new hotel, scheduled to open in May, will feature 168 rooms and suites as well as a flexible ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, two executive boardrooms and two private dining rooms overlooking the Portland skyline.

As of this week, the hotel has begun accepting reservations. Opening rates at the low end run $189; deluxe suites approach $470 per night. Guest rooms and suites have either California kings or what the hotel claims are the first-ever California queens, as well as commissioned artwork by Loui Jover and Badri Valian.

Read the entire article in the Portland Business Journal.

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The Nel Centro Fall 2014 Newsletter is here!

October 20, 2014 by DMR

October 14, 2014
Book a Table | Menus | Nel Centro Gallery | Blog

Dine With Us, Then Waltz To Your Show.
The Fall Arts Season Is In Full Swing.

Dining at Nel Centro

Dinner & a show couldn’t be easier, really. October signals the start of downtown Portland’s vibrant performing arts season and Nel Centro is conveniently located just minutes away from Portland’s premier venues such as the Keller, the Newmark, Lincoln Hall, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and the Portland Art Museum. Nel Centro has a proud tradition of supporting and partnering with such esteemed arts organizations as White Bird, Chamber Music NW, The Portland Opera, Third Angle New Music, Oregon Ballet Theater, PDX Jazz, Friends of Chamber Music and Northwest Dance Project.

Nel Centro is the perfect location to rendezvous for drinks, appetizers and dinner before or after a show. Reservations can be made at nelcentro.com or by calling 503-484-1099.

Fall Menu

Mushroom Agnolotti with Brown Butter

The new fall menu has just been unveiled and it showcases a number of comforting and delicious fall pasta choices including Spinach Gnudi with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Sauce, Mushroom Agnolotti with Brown Butter Parmesan Brodo and Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Toasted Hazelnuts and Sage. New fall entrees include a Braised Pork Osso Buco with Risotto Milanese and Citrus Gremolata, Spit Roasted Pork Loin with Seared Risotto Cake and Celery Root Apple Salad, and a Grilled Ribeye Steak with Kale, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and Porcini Butter. On the lighter side we have a new Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Chives and Olio Verde as well as a new Grilled Radicchio, Bacon and Goat Cheese Pizza.

Reservations can be made today through Open Table.

Cocktails and Craft Beers to Pair with Panache

Two new seasonal craft beer handles have been selected by gentleman barkeep Nathaniel Stout to spearhead our fall beer offerings. The first is a Hopworks Urban Brewery Survival Stout. This beer is a creamy, organic, multigrain coffee-forward stout. That was a mouthful. Try a pint with our grilled leg of lamb dish and see if it is true that charred lamb and stout are a perfect match.

Our second new offering is from Redmond Oregon’s Wild Ride Brewery and it is named “Mount Up” Maple Brown. This is a delicious Brown Ale with rich dark undercurrents of chocolate and maple flavors. Be adventurous and pair it with our Tiramisu Bombe and let the cards fall where they may.

Bar manager Nat and his talented crew of young mixologists: Peter, Bryce and Molly have authored a new cocktail list that shifts away from the lighter easy-drinking summer spirits to darker more mysterious and complex ones. Two of my favorites from the recent tasting session are the Vieux Carre made with Old Overholt, Courvoisier Brandy and Carpano Antica and Autumn Leaves made with Makers Mark Bourbon, Averna, Apple Cider and Fresh Lemon Juice.

Tuscan Winemaker Dinner Announced for November

Join us for a very special evening with Diana Lenzi, Tuscan Chef & Winemaker from Fattoria di Petroio Winery on Tuesday November 4^th at 6:30pm .

“Last spring I traveled to Tuscany with Nel Centro General Manager, Daren Hamilton and our Wine Director, David Holstrom as guests of the Lenzi Family, owners of Fattoria di Petroio Winery. There we met Diana Lenzi, their young chef & winemaker who we invited to come to Nel Centro this fall to cook a traditional Tuscan Dinner to complement her delicious wines. This is a terrific opportunity to enjoy the authentic recipes of traditional Tuscan family cuisine along with the stellar wines of this famous region. We would be honored to have you join us.” David Machado, chef/owner

The cost is $95 per person inclusive of reception, dinner, wine & gratuity.

Seating for this intimate dinner is limited. Please call for reservations at 503-484-1099

Announcing Altabira and Citizen Baker at The Hotel Eastlund

You may have heard the rumors about a new Eastside hotel/restaurant project near the Convention Center. The time has finally come to announce the two new restaurants that we will be launching in May of 2015 at the new Hotel Eastlund. The first establishment will be a ground-floor bakery/cafe and wine bar named Citizen Baker and the second will be a top-floor, beer-centric, casual American concept called Altabira City Tavern. The upstairs restaurant will feature stunning views of downtown Portland from the dining room and bar as well as an incredible outdoor patio. The design work has been a collaboration with the wildly talented gang at Holst Architecture. We could not be happier about this project so far. Stay tuned for more information.

Nel Centro Wins Oregonian’s Best Downtown Happy Hour

On September 5th, the A&E section of the Oregonian selected Nel Centro as one of Downtown Portland’s Top 10 Happy Hours. Thanks for the shout out and recognition (as if we didn’t already know). But wait, there is more to the story. Just four days later, The Big O announced the results of its reader’s poll and Nel Centro was voted by the people as Downtown Portland’s Best Happy Hour. Now that is more like it. Thank you, Portland.