JA
Jason Kragerud (The Ambassador)
Feb 14, 2026
I'll share my two positives first:
1) Octavia at the front desk was helpful, courteous, thoughtful, and kind. All the things you would expect when calling a property and checking-in.
2) The breakfast kitchen staff was efficient and discreet, quick to ensure the food was always stocked, the chef's counter always clean, and assisted guests with dietary restrictions.
How the property and Best Western 800-line failed:
*After making my reservation with the front desk, I asked for the confirmation to be sent to my gmail address. Over the course of three days I had to call five times to finally get it.
*Upon checking-in, I asked what was the difference between a Best Western and an Associate Property of a Best Western (apparently this property is an Associate Property). The clerk at the front desk quipped, "I don't really care, and why do you care?"
*When I asked for a glass (for ice and water), the same clerk told me, "Plastic cups are in the room." Clearly there were glass cups at the front desk, and I pretty much had to beg for one.
*My room eKeys weren't working, and I ended up having to get three separate eKeys issued until one finally worked.
*The room had no towels and there was only half a roll of toilet paper.
*I found a dead pocket mouse under bed (which I later buried in a garden on UO campus).
*There was a cigarette burn on shower curtain.
*There was a blood stain on one of the armchairs (I cleaned it up myself as I always have Latex gloves on hand).
*If you upgrade to a room with a "river view," please note, it's not a river; just a charming but dirty creek but with some friendly ducks and geese. But still, it's a creek, not a river, and there's a big difference.
*There was a long piece of hair in my breakfast omelette; and the tables in the breakfast lounge are unstable (and unstable tables make for risk management nightmares, plus, you know, people get injured).
*When I noticed someone smoking on the property he replied, "I'm staff, we're allowed." Really?
*When I called BW 800-line to express my dismay, the call agent told me that I was being "fussy and should just ask for a new room." She also informed me that if would take 3 to 4 weeks for the leadership property to review my grievances and get back to me. Weeks!?! Unacceptable, but the call agent didn't care, and she didn't care that she didn't care. Quel dommage.
For the record, I travel for work, and when I travel local, I prefer Best Western. This is the first and only Best Western where I have had concerns that were never addressed or simply dismissed. At the end of the 800-line call, when the agent asked what Best Western could do to make things better, I said, "I would like an apology and a full refund." She chortled and said, "That's never ever going to happen." Another quel dommage.
I'll still book Best Western, but this particular property has lost my business and has soured, slightly, my experience with the brand as a whole. People will forgive and forget, but people will also remember how you made them feel. Best Western New Oregon made me feel like I was intruding on their space and wasting their time.
For anyone reading this review, do book with Best Western, but be wary of this property. And to sign off, as we say at the Disney Parks, "Have a magical day!"