I recently returned from a conference in Portland, where I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. I’ll have a full review coming up in a bit, but wanted to share something that happened while I was there. I’ve already talked about how I was “upgraded” to a “view room” while staying on a Guest of Honor award, but there was something else that I thought was interesting.
Checking out my room
When I got up to my room on the 11th floor, the very first thing that I did was check out my AMAZING view, that was so amazing that they sell these “view” rooms for $130 / night more than “standard” rooms
(actually, it’s just a hotel scam so they can give “fake” upgrades to elite members). But after that, I noticed something else unusual
No Mini-Fridge in the room
What I assume was the mini-fridge in the room had a big sign on it that said “not for medication storage”.
I have never seen that on a fridge before, so I made a note of it. I went back downstairs to my conference, and afterwards, I braved the streets of Portland to walk down to Walgreens and get a 12-pack of soda.
On my return back to the hotel, I stopped by the front desk to ask about what that was. The front desk said that what I assumed was a mini-fridge was NOT, in fact, a mini-fridge, but instead a “cooler”. Sure enough, they even list “beverage cooler” on the list of amenities on their website.
But Why Does the Hyatt Regency Portland Not Have Mini-Fridges?
The front desk attendant was very pleasant about it, and told me that for something that didn’t HAVE to be cool (like the 12-pack of soda that I was holding) it would be fine, but they just didn’t couldn’t guarantee it for things that HAD to be cold (like medication that needed to be refrigerated). That seemed odd to me, especially since it felt cold to me (and in fact, my beverages remained chilled throughout my stay). That’s when he dropped the money line
But we do rent refrigerators that we can bring up to your room, for $40 / night
Oho! Now we see what is going on!
I don’t know if it’s an actual hardware issue where they chose to install coolers that don’t keep things as cold as mini-fridges do? Or maybe it’s a setting on the device where they don’t turn it as cold as it could be? Or maybe an electrical thing where they can’t guarantee it will stay cold so they don’t want the liability for ruined medication and things like that?
Or maybe it’s just a cash grab to get extra money out of guests
The Bottom Line
This was not the only thing that confused me about my stay at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center, where despite all of this I did have a good stay. It did remind me once again why I hate “nice” hotels – everything always feels like they are trying to nickel and dime you for everything. Installing “beverage coolers” instead of “mini-fridges” like every other hotel in the world and then renting you a “real” fridge for $40 / night seems particularly egregious. But buyer beware if you’re staying here – make sure to bring your own fridge (or some extra cash)
What do you think of the mini-fridge vs. “beverage cooler” debate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at
A lot of times these “coolers” dont work well so thats why they want you to pay for the mini fridge.
I think it’s more about power consumption, and resulting utility savings. Disney Vacation Club does the same thing (but they don’t offer an upcharge for a proper refrigerator).
I don’t know if it’s scam or just poor management but at least your 12 pack of soda wasn’t frozen in the morning 🙂
If the power goes out, doesn’t a mini fridge get warm pretty quickly? Now, if they wheel in a fridge the height of a 12 yaer old, thats a real fridge …
INFURIATING! Hotels also often offer to store my medication. My meds are personal and private. If my own friends don’t know what meds I take, why would I let the hotel know? I pay good money for a room and I only choose rooms with minifridges or where I know they will bring one–free. Some of the best hotels do this, and with a smile. As a Globalist, I know which hotel I on’t be visiting. Thank you, Dan!
Next time in Portland stay at the Hyatt Centric. Much more walkable area and while the rooms are a smidge bare bones (I prefer closets with doors) the rooms are fine and you can easily take the nearby tram to the Hyatt Regency.
I’ll definitely consider that. In this case though, I was there for a conference at the next door Convention Center so the location was hard to beat