Joyce Hotel

Inexpensive and ok
If I wanted the room a lot cleaner, I just asked for use of a vacuum and dust cloth and fixed it up myself. Brought my own washcloth and purchased a cheap bathmat for my two weeks or less stay. Was treated very nice and am still in touch (email) with one of the clerks.

Cheap -- for a reason.
Look, it's simple. This place is 16 bucks a night (as of Sept. 2007) -- the more legit hostels are 27 to 30. the Joyce is not a backpacker's hostel, most of the people you meet here are somewhat itinerant -- blue collar day laborer types, and yes, the occasional druggie. However, it is quite cheap, and you really can't beat the location. So I wouldn't recommend bringing your laptop and flashing it around, but if you kind of keep to yourself, nobody will bother you. I've stayed there on two separate occasions. I'm a college grad, I have richly traipsed around europe with my rich friends that style, but if you go into the Joyce with the right mindset it's really fine. Also, if you get your own room, which starts at 27 dollars a night, nobody can mess with you at all. So yeah you have to deal with the dirty hallways and the uriny smelling communal bathrooms, but your own room locks and stuff. I wouldn't recommend the hostel rooms to single women traveling around, but the private rooms are probably fine. It's easier to blend in as a random male as far as the hostel beds go. So it's simple -- with the right frame of mind, maybe the joyce is the right decision for you, if you can roll with a little bit more of a blue collar scene with the occasional druggie, and you want to save some money. If you're looking for a backpacker's hostel with euro-travelers, this isn't it. But staying here does not put your life in danger a whole lot more than, say, walking around downtown late at night. I mean, the Joyce staff doesn't want troublemakers and they kick them out and don't let them back. The Joyce hotel is one block south of the famous Powell's Books downtown. quite easy to find -- just go to Powells and look around -- ask if you are having trouble finding it.

Unless you want to live out your seedy, Charles Bukowski, Drugstore Cowboy fantasies, don't go nowhere near this s***hole.

i stayed here off and on for a few weeks while i was in portland this past august. i thought it was great. the staff was friendly. there is an older woman who works the front desk during the day who is very nice. i didn't really talk to the other guests while i was there since i stayed in a private room. the location is great. it's right downtown and within walking distance of clubs, bars, shopping, restaurants. the thing about The Joyce is that it isn't a luxury hotel. it's not even a nice hotel. in fact, it's sort of filthy and the hallways smell a little. but it's got a thick atmosphere. it's got a unique vibe. i'd stay there again in a heartbeat. i loved it but it isn't for everyone. as far as the people complaining about drugs, hookers -- if you aren't looking for it, you won't find it. i didn't see any of that activity going on.

this place is not unlike a lot of places in a lot of big cities. it is what it is. a cheap place to hang your hat. oh sure there are girls to kick it with. and thats not a bad thing. i was up for this place.

the joyce is a nasty place to stay me and a friend were traveling the west coast and stayed there. its truly a junkies paradise. it was funny to watch all the burnouts walk around and talk to themselves and fight . there is a really hot older woman that works there that is very nice. we payed $675 to stay a month and couldnt do it so we trashed it and left. dont ever go there.

I lived in the Joyce Hotel for eight months in 2000. The only good thing that I can say for this place is the bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean. Getting your drugs of choice is easy in the building. If you bought yourself a hooker, you know where to go for the night. The place was falling down. In some rooms the walls were peeling, and the paper had not been removed. The bathrooms are shared and it was not uncommon to find feces on the floor and in the tubs and showers. The place is rampant with drug users and prostitution. Several people were found dead from overdoses and one guy was stabbed in the chest. The blood was never completely cleaned up. In an emergency, this place will get you out of the rain.

I have stayed at this place and its sister hotel Kent (a block away), but I have never gotten into any of trouble some people talk about. I think those are largely unsubstantiated rumors and they got worse when the Portland Mercury did a feature article on the Joyce. It is a street away from the trendy Pearl District, next to Buffalo Exchange (look for the trash bin outside), Powell's Books, Whole Foods Market, the Portland streetcar, etc. Unless you take a hostel room (a friend of mine had $50 stolen while sleeping) you'll be okay. I agree they have the best price in town, plus the famous *cat* (who recently starred in a local indie film) called Rico!

Hey man! There is nothing to worry about in this hostel. Sure, maybe some people drink or do whatever here, but I assure you that it is done in private in their own rooms. The staff are all law abiding, and the police check the people every single night like anywhere else in the USA! Police check all hotel and hostel lists everywhere. Plus, the hotel itself has cameras, and the city of Portland has cameras. Unless you ripped off some drug dealers or cause a lot of trouble you have nothing to worry about in the whole town. The Joyce is going to be your most affordable bet in Portland! You will be safe here.

This place is nice and reasonably priced. You can visit all that Portland has to offer in its wonderful downtown area.

I have lived in Portland all my life (44 years). I also work in the part of town that this place is located. The Joyce is known as a "junkie hotel." This is a very dangerous place. Do not go anywhere near it. I can't believe it is even listed here.

This is a hell hole. I can't believe this place thinks it's a fun backpacker's hostel. This is a junkie, slum, homeless motel!

Advice to any European backpackers... don't go within a mile of this place!

This is a great place to live, especialy when your on fixed income and don't want to pay for a stupid ass apartment. Right here you don't pay utilities, etc. Now that I know all the staff at the Joyce, I'll gladly come back when I'm in Portland again.

It is great place to stay at if you like staying at a cheap hotel that is near downtown. The room is clean with clean sheets and that is all that counts. I really enjoyed my stay there. The staff are funny and courteous and professional.