I recently visited Tiffany in Spokane for a couple of days, as she recently moved there. Spokane is a bit of an unusual hotel market. While I’m usually loyal to Hyatt or Starwood, neither brand has a hotel there.
However, while the city isn’t huge, it has four Marriott Autograph collection properties. I didn’t expect one, let alone four. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but they’re all related. The properties are called The Davenport Grand, The Historic Davenport, The Davenport Lusso, and The Davenport Tower.
The group of hotels has an interesting history. The Historic Davenport has been around for over 100 years, and has a lot of notable firsts as far as US hotels go.
Based on looking at pictures and advice from Tiffany, I decided to stay at The Davenport Grand, which looked to be the most modern property. While I sometimes like historic hotels, The Historic Davenport is supposedly haunted, so isn’t really up my alley. I don’t do bad juju well.
My nightly rate at The Davenport Grand was ~$150. I could have otherwise redeemed 25,000 points per night for the stay, though since I value Marriott Rewards points at ~0.8 cents each, paying cash seemed like the better value.
Now that Marriott has taken over Starwood, I was curious to see what the Autograph Collection experience was like, as this was my first stay with the brand. This is intended to be one of Marriott’s “independent” hotel concepts, where you get the benefit of a loyalty program while also getting a unique experience.
The Davenport Grand is located in downtown Spokane, just near the other Davenport properties.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane exterior
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane entrance
The hotel has a modern lobby that was nicer than I was expecting. It almost felt a bit kitschy (that’s true of the hotel in general), though it was still very nice.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane entrance
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane lobby
There was comfortable seating in the lobby, and even a fake fireplace between the seating zones.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane lobby
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane lobby
Reception was located inside the lobby and to the right. I was helped by a friendly staff member, who thanked me for being a Platinum member. She offered me a welcome amenity as well as breakfast vouchers. Within a couple of minutes I had a key to my room on the 16th floor. There was no mention of any sort of upgrade, and I also didn’t ask.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane reception
The hotel is near the convention center, and on top of that has a lot of conference space. There seemed to be two conferences going on — specifically, a cake baking conference and a “young beauty” conference, whatever those things are — so at times the lobby was very crowded.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane conference space
The elevators were to the left of reception, so I took one of them up to the 16th floor.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane elevators
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane hallway
My room, 1652, was located towards the end of one of the corridors.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane room exterior
I’m not sure if I received an upgrade or not, though the room was both nicely appointed and also sort of confusing. Inside the entryway the bathroom was to the right, and then the rest of the room was located straight ahead.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room entryway
The room featured an extremely comfortable king size bed.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room
Apparently Davenport has their own special mattress, and you can even buy it if you want, for the low cost of $1,699.
Buy the Davenport Grand bed
In the corner next to the bed were two leather chairs. While I appreciated that they added a splash of color to the room, they weren’t particularly comfortable, so this very much seemed like a decision to focus on style over substance.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room seating
Then across from that was a desk with two rolling chairs, which I guess could double as a dining table. There were several conveniently placed outlets by the desk.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room desk
Then across from the bed was a small console, and above that was a TV.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room TV
The room had great views of downtown Spokane.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room view
One thing I found a bit odd is that the sink area wasn’t in a separate room, but rather was part of the main room. Typically this is something I associate with limited service hotels, so I was surprised to see it here.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room bathroom
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane king room bathroom
Next to the sink was an in-room Keurig coffee machine.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane in-room Keurig coffee machine
Equally confusing as the bathroom setup was that the bath amenities by the sink and in the shower were in wall-mounted, reusable containers. That’s also something I typically associate with limited service properties. On the plus side they were L’Occitane branded, which is at least quite nice.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane L’Occitane toiletries
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane L’Occitane toiletries
The toilet and shower were in a partitioned off area with a sliding door.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane toilet
There was a fairly basic walk-in shower, though the water pressure wasn’t great.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane shower
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane shower
My biggest disappointment in the room was the Wi-Fi qualify, which was terrible. The Wi-Fi was so slow that it was almost unusable, which is completely unacceptable. That alone is a reason I wouldn’t stay here again, given how reliant I am on fast Wi-Fi.
Otherwise I found the room nice but a bit confusing. The room was spacious and had a comfortable bed. On one hand it felt luxurious, while on the other hand the reusable toiletry bottles and lack of privacy in the bathroom were what I’d expect from a limited service property.
As a Marriott Platinum member I received breakfast vouchers for both mornings. The vouchers didn’t make clear what was included, other than saying I would get a “continental breakfast.” So I went to the hotel’s restaurant and was told that I’d get coffee and a pastry. Ugh, Marriott sure sucks at elite breakfast. The server also told me I could instead have breakfast in the espresso bar. I don’t need to be in a sit down restaurant to have coffee and a pastry, so decided to do that instead.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane Platinum breakfast vouchers
The espresso bar was located in the lobby next to reception, and was a cute space.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane espresso bar
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane espresso bar
The lady working at the espresso bar seemed to have a different impression of the voucher. She explained that it could be redeemed for $10.50 towards the cost of breakfast in the restaurant or the espresso bar, which is different than what the guy told me. Still, I decided to just have “breakfast” here.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane espresso bar
Most of the food available was junk food, though now that I read the above menu, it looks like I could have had a yogurt parfait.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane espresso bar
I ordered a large coffee and lemon poppyseed muffin.
The Davenport Grand Hotel Spokane espresso bar “breakfast”
I didn’t check out the hotel’s gym, which is really the only other amenity. The hotel doesn’t have a pool, though guests at the Davenport Grand can use the pools at The Historic Davenport or The Davenport Tower.
The Davenport Grand Spokane bottom line
For a city with just a couple of hundred thousand people, Spokane has quite a selection of hotels. While the Davenport Grand was impressive for a fairly small city, I can’t otherwise say I was terribly impressed. The room was nice enough, bed comfortable, and staff friendly, though the Wi-Fi was excruciatingly slow, the room was designed with a focus on style over substance, and the hotel has a cheap breakfast benefit for Platinum members. Maybe that last thing is just something I should get used to with Marriott.
Thanks for this review. We always stay at the historic when in Spokane and I was thinking of trying the grand but I think we'll stick with the historic.
Meant $500 GC's on sale for $450...
Currently staying at the Davenport Tower. I'm Gold and got auto upgrade to a gorgeous suite, without asking. Great location, great hotel. Love the Africa theme!
Currently they have a promo for the Mattress. You can use up to $249 of the room charge towards the purchase of it. Also the pillow top on 40% sale AND $500 GC's on sale for $50. Stacking it all up and paying with my CSR at the...
Currently staying at the Davenport Tower. I'm Gold and got auto upgrade to a gorgeous suite, without asking. Great location, great hotel. Love the Africa theme!
Currently they have a promo for the Mattress. You can use up to $249 of the room charge towards the purchase of it. Also the pillow top on 40% sale AND $500 GC's on sale for $50. Stacking it all up and paying with my CSR at the front desk... Finally an amazing matress for $1,450 delivered to my home after discounts and savings!
Ha, lounges at GEG? There isn't even a coffee shop pre-security. My SO lives in Idaho, and I fly in/out of there pretty frequently. It's a bit annoying to not have somewhere to wait with people who aren't travelling, if you have time to kill before you have to go through security. Though it is nice to be able to park pretty easily right in front of the entrance.
Given such a choice, I would ALWAYS take the historic option. 99% of hotels are bland and identical - the historic hotels are unique and evocative
The hotel looks like it has been renovated judging by the rather fresh paint job and decor, which seems in good condition.
Ben: Your reviews have been slacking of late. No mention of arrival points, complimentary water, fitness center or pool, and so forth.
The communal (is that the word?) dispensers are sick. What's to stop some deviant from urinating in the container?
@Nick - The Grand hotel is new construction, it opened just two years ago.
As for the dispensers, I don't mind them at all - they are really high quality product, you don't run out, and you don't have to bend over or reach outside the shower to get them. They are also way less wasteful.
Spokane isn't really a "destination" to visit specifically, but it has a pleasant, walk-able downtown area and the unique Riverfront Park which spans a couple islands between waterfalls in the Spokane river.
Spokane GEG ("Geiger Field") is the nearest airport to the resort destination of Coeur d'Alene, which is gorgeous and worth a visit.
Sorry, there aren't lounges of any kind at GEG, but it's a very efficient airport served by every major domestic...
Spokane isn't really a "destination" to visit specifically, but it has a pleasant, walk-able downtown area and the unique Riverfront Park which spans a couple islands between waterfalls in the Spokane river.
Spokane GEG ("Geiger Field") is the nearest airport to the resort destination of Coeur d'Alene, which is gorgeous and worth a visit.
Sorry, there aren't lounges of any kind at GEG, but it's a very efficient airport served by every major domestic airline, so you won't be spending more than a couple minutes arriving or departing anyway.
Wow, surprised to see my hometown show up on OMAAT!
Our wedding was in downtown Spokane last year, and virtually everyone stayed at one of the Davenport hotels. As everyone else said, the Historic Davenport is far and away the best of the bunch, followed by the Davenport Tower (which is right across the street). There's no reason to stay at the weird, bizarre, ugly Grand Hotel unless the other two are full. The...
Wow, surprised to see my hometown show up on OMAAT!
Our wedding was in downtown Spokane last year, and virtually everyone stayed at one of the Davenport hotels. As everyone else said, the Historic Davenport is far and away the best of the bunch, followed by the Davenport Tower (which is right across the street). There's no reason to stay at the weird, bizarre, ugly Grand Hotel unless the other two are full. The last Davenport is the small "Davenport Lusso" which is very small and doesn't even have double rooms.
The Historic Davenport is gorgeous - I hope you at least walked over and took a look at the outstanding turn-of-the-century lobby, or the Peacock Room bar. As far as room features go, it is pretty similar to the Grand - many rooms have sinks outside the closed shower/toilet room, and the toiletries are shared bottles on the wall (which I've never minded). But the beds at all the Davenport hotels are super-comfortable, the service and restaurants are great, and Spokane has a very charming downtown to stroll around (except in the winter).
The Historic Davenport was actually closed and all-but-abandoned for a couple decades, and nearly torn down. Now it's the best hotel in Eastern Washington.
I'm curious.. when you say unusable wifi how bad does that mean? I'm currently writing this in China without a VPN (just from a regular home connection) and it's slow.. very slow. Be curious to know how it compares.
Yeah, Lucky and other travel bloggers have ruined me for CDA- insanely beautiful (forget Tahoe), and my plan was to vacation there as often as possible... but then I heard about Kauai and Maldives and more and I haven't had time to go back since.
@Lucky (& Tiffany!)-
I grew up in the Spokane area, so this brought back some memories. My Dad and several other family members still live in the area, so get back there from time to time. Add me to the list of people recommending the Historic Davenport as well as the Tower. I've stayed at both, and both were exceptional.
Your 'view of downtown Spokane' photo shows the building where my orthodontist was as...
@Lucky (& Tiffany!)-
I grew up in the Spokane area, so this brought back some memories. My Dad and several other family members still live in the area, so get back there from time to time. Add me to the list of people recommending the Historic Davenport as well as the Tower. I've stayed at both, and both were exceptional.
Your 'view of downtown Spokane' photo shows the building where my orthodontist was as a kid. Not sure if the Grand had river/Riverfront Park views, but that would have been far better.
As others have nodded to, I'm hopeful that Tiffany and her husband took you to Coeur d'Alene - gorgeous there.
The lobby looks nice, the room on the other hand just baffles me with it's design quirks. It seems a little hodge podge in terms of what their going for, like the Mirror headboards or 90s lounge chairs. Along with no floor to ceiling windows which would of given a much "grander" vibe to the place.
It works well for what it is as an convention center hotel and that's fine in my book....
The lobby looks nice, the room on the other hand just baffles me with it's design quirks. It seems a little hodge podge in terms of what their going for, like the Mirror headboards or 90s lounge chairs. Along with no floor to ceiling windows which would of given a much "grander" vibe to the place.
It works well for what it is as an convention center hotel and that's fine in my book. Though the Historic to me, seems to have more of that luxury vibe in comparison to the Grand in my opinion
We've visited Spokane twice in the last two years and have stayed at both the Grand and Tower. While we didn't dine at the Grand, the safari themed restaurant at the Tower had great food for breakfast and dinner. Both hotels were clean and comfortable. Unlike yourself, we applaud the use of dispensers for quality L'Occitane products (even at the expense of not being able to take some travel sized containers home like at the...
We've visited Spokane twice in the last two years and have stayed at both the Grand and Tower. While we didn't dine at the Grand, the safari themed restaurant at the Tower had great food for breakfast and dinner. Both hotels were clean and comfortable. Unlike yourself, we applaud the use of dispensers for quality L'Occitane products (even at the expense of not being able to take some travel sized containers home like at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel!).
Spokane is a beautiful city and it's a beautiful area of the Northwest (i.e Coeur d'Alene). We found Manito Park to be a gem and watching the Spokane river run in spring was impressive. It should all be even better after the renovation of the riverfront is complete. The Blackbird restaurant near the river has unique and tasty food (mac and cheese heaven) and as a cheesehead originally from Wisconsin I love that there is a Rocky Roccoco pizza joint downtown - a definite outlier for this chain. Best wishes in your new digs!
hi Lucky,
It is really nice to read about all your travels.
It is nice that you will always weight the actual cost of the product be it hotels or flights against how much you think the points or miles are worth.
I am super interested in the amount of program you are enrolled in and also the points or miles that you have. It will be nice if you could share it.
I think it will be really interesting.
Agree with Brad. If you go back, stay at the historic.
It's not your usual style but any advice on Spokane in general? It has been on my list due to proximity to Seattle and some genuinely nice people I know from there... I mean AS pilots
You really missed out not staying at the old Davenport. One of the best hotels in the NW. I've never heard anything about it being haunted.
FWIW prices jumped significantly once they became "autograph collection" a few years ago. Used to stay at the old Dav regularly for $109/night, amazing value.
@Lucky - Just stayed here last week (8/9/17) . Room was identical to yours. No mention of upgrade to me, as SPG/Marriott Gold. They don't have a lounge, so I took offer of extra points. Definitely interesting hotel - showers have no doors, but are huge! Decor, is a bit W trying too hard. Comfy beds, and big rooms. Hope you enjoyed your stay in Spokane, I'm up there quite often for business. Hope I run into you or @Tiffany when I'm there the next time!
I've stayed here a few times since these hotels are category 5 and you can stay for free with your certificate. The breakfast sucks though for a platinum. They act like it's NYC. And they don't know what an upgrade is
For what it's worth, I'd rather see more hotels go with reusable toiletry bottles as long as it's a decent quality product. I think its better than the millions of partially used shampoo and conditioner bottles that end up in landfills each year.
I got the exact same breakfast voucher cards as a Platinum member when I stayed at the Marriott Montreal Airport on a Friday night a few months ago, given that the club lounge was closed on the weekends. I got access to a continental buffet with pastries, muffins, meats, cheeses, yogurt, bread/bagels, salmon, cereal, etc. and you could also order any made to order egg dish. I think it depends what hotel you stay at...
I got the exact same breakfast voucher cards as a Platinum member when I stayed at the Marriott Montreal Airport on a Friday night a few months ago, given that the club lounge was closed on the weekends. I got access to a continental buffet with pastries, muffins, meats, cheeses, yogurt, bread/bagels, salmon, cereal, etc. and you could also order any made to order egg dish. I think it depends what hotel you stay at in terms of the quality and quantity of those breakfast vouchers.
Looking at photos of the Historic Davenport, it looks really stunning and in my opinion looks nicer than this hotel. I have stayed at tons of historic, supposedly haunted hotels and have never witnessed any haunted activity. I think you should give a historic hotel a try, they really are unique and quite beautiful.
I always just stay at the Northern Quest casino. My ave Room rate is around $130, free valet, better amenities and a free town car service to down town for my business dinner meetings. I am a Marriott Platinum, but I would not stay at the davenport. I have stayed at them all and I like the casino. Oh and they pick you up from the airport for free! unlike the davenport!
What? You were in Washington and didn't stay at the Great Northern? Shame on you! Ben Horne would surely be disappointed.
*CDA resort
I guess you've gotten used to being stepped on and not speaking up.
"There was no mention of any sort of upgrade, and I also didn’t ask."
"She explained that it could be redeemed for $10.50 towards the cost of breakfast in the restaurant or the espresso bar..."
I have never checked into a hotel without asking if there was a chance for an upgrade--whether I have any status or not. When I definitely DO...
I guess you've gotten used to being stepped on and not speaking up.
"There was no mention of any sort of upgrade, and I also didn’t ask."
"She explained that it could be redeemed for $10.50 towards the cost of breakfast in the restaurant or the espresso bar..."
I have never checked into a hotel without asking if there was a chance for an upgrade--whether I have any status or not. When I definitely DO have status I EXPECT it. Not to ask and then walk away confused or feeling slighted is quite frankly stupid.
Learning that your vouchers were possibly worth $10.50, you still chose to remain confused and have coffee in a paper cup and a muffin you didn't want. Why didn't you go back to the restaurant, or inquire at the front desk? It's not like you were running late and needed to catch a flight.
Paying hard earned money and gaining status is one thing, but getting the full benefits of that status is another. Unfortunately as we've all discovered it requires vigilance and speaking up sometimes. Through improper training, cheapness, laziness, confusion or whatever, there are a myriad of ways to keep us from our expensively acquired perks. It's always so frustrating to read about your hospitality shortcomings when very rarely do you ever try to rectify them.
Interesting. Lived in nearby Coeur D'alene for awhile. Surprised someone on your team moved out that way.
Would love to see a review of CRA resort.
Big mistake staying at Grand. Historic and tower are much better with great restaurants.