The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland boasts a modern look, a notable library of signed books, and surprisingly affordable rates — though standard rooms start small

The Heathman Hotel is an iconic, spirited hotel in the heart of the city with a long history of celebrating arts and culture. Guests will like it for its prime location, chic and inviting public spaces, convenient bar and restaurant, and affordable prices, especially when compared with similar hotels in the area.

The hotel is known for exceptional attention to detail and personal touches, which I experienced firsthand. The impressive, cozy library is an excellent place to nurse a cocktail while skimming through favorite reads, and the vast array of personally signed books by noted literary figures is worth a visit alone for book lovers.

Entry-level rooms start small, and those on lower levels can be dark and lacking any views, so splurge on a roomier suite or high-floor corner room if you can swing it. That said, it's beloved by many return guests and I look forward to being one of them.

Who stays here: A solid mix of savvy tourists and business travelers, well-heeled couples (many with dogs in tow, since the hotel is pet-friendly), and the weekend I visited, an extended family celebrating a wedding.

We like: The genuine hospitality and over-the-top personal touches extended to all guests.

We love (don't miss this feature!): The stunning library lounge filled with personally autographed books and collector's editions, as well as a notable art collection with 250 original paintings, photographs, and works on paper. The emphasis on Northwest artists, plus a cool collection of Andy Warhol lithographs, are also standout additions.

We think you should know: This is a historic-hotel turned boutique-hotel. If you are seeking large rooms and serious luxury, book elsewhere.

We'd do this differently next time: I look forward to returning when not on a book-tour budget and springing for a corner room with ample light and views.

On Trip Advisor, the Heathman earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and is ranked 9 out of 154 hotels in Portland. However, it is head and shoulders above some of the other budget hotels that are listed above it in terms of decor and amenities. On Booking.com the hotel has an overall rating of 9 out of 10 and is among their top-recommended properties.

Feedback consistently praises the hotel for its beautiful and unique ambiance, its attention to detail, warmth, and hospitality.

Negative feedback has to do with the small room and bathroom size, which many reviewers found to be cramped at the entry-level size, as well as lack of sound-proofing, as is often the case with older hotels. Finally, as noted above, there are additional resort and service fees upon checkout that some guests weren't aware of ahead of time and found disappointing.

The Heathman has a great downtown location and is especially well-suited for art lovers. It's in the midst of Portland's designated Cultural District, just down the block from the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and adjacent to the Portland Center for the Performing Arts as well as the Portland Art Museum, which is particularly worth a visit.

There are many notable restaurants within walking distance, and coffee addicts will find a Café Umbria right down the street. Shoppers are near a nice mix of flagship department stores and boutiques.

A bit farther afield, don't miss Powell's Books, Portland's legendary independent bookstore, or the city's alluring Japanese garden.

By far my favorite space was the striking library. On my first night, I grabbed a Negroni from Headwaters and settled in for some reading. One quibble: there is no bar service in this beautiful space, so if you want to order drinks you must carry them in from the adjacent bar. As a result, there is little service either and the night I was there, empty cocktail glasses and teacups littered the tables. That said, I loved the soaring, two-story space with sleek sitting areas surrounded by rich wood paneling from the 1920s, and contemporary floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined with books.

Most of the books are available for guests to peruse (or check out for in-room use), and I spent a memorable evening pulling out volume after volume, finding my favorite writers, and reading their whimsical notes, drawings, and inscriptions, made out personally to the Heathman. It's a fantastic collection and for word-lovers, worth a stay at the Heathman for this experience alone.

There is a small on-site gym with Pelotons, weights, and treadmills. Guests also have access to free bikes and in-room wellness kits with yoga mats. Be aware there is a resort fee of $30 per night per room to cover the cost of these amenities.

Headwaters is a spacious restaurant and bar conveniently located on the Heathman's ground floor.

Headed by chef-owner and James Beard award-winner, Vitaley Paley, it showcases locally-sourced Oregon ingredients and serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast menu is fairly basic but offers everything from healthy to hearty (organic oats to Mimosas and Dungeness crab omelets), while lunch gets going with inventive local offerings (steelhead tartare to crab cake BLTs), and dinner sources heavily from streams and the sea, with entrees like local steelhead and Pacific Northwest paella.

Even in my suite, the bathroom was tight by modern standards. But it was clean and functional, with a white-tiled shower (no bath), black-rimmed standing sink too small for a toiletry kit, and wooden shelves mounted above for my personal items.

All rooms come with the same amenities and include an honor bar, 24-hour room service, set up for French Press coffee and tea, a plush white robe, and slippers.

I slept well in the extremely comfortable bed despite the fact my room, located on a lower floor, was dark and looked at a neighboring wall. As a coffee addict, I thought the French press and coffee grounds were a nice Portlandian touch but would have preferred the convenience of an espresso machine.

Premiere Kings (located on the 5th through 10th floors, most with views of Broadway) and Corner Kings (on the 4th through 10th floors) are the next levels up after entry-level Deluxe Kings and offer better views and more light than even my suite, but I was content with my lower-floor King Suite, though there are additional tiers of suites available including Studio, One Bedroom, and Grand. The Heathman makes up for the entry-level rooms' sometimes small-feeling spaces with abundant verve and style, along with wallet-friendly rates.

For future stays, I would book a suite for the additional space despite the higher price point, and would even upgrade to a Corner Suite on a higher floor so I could ditch the dark wall and enjoy views of the city. However, it's worth noting that many reviewers on Trip Advisor were also upgraded at check-in, so it could be worth booking a room at a lower rate and gambling on a possible upgrade possibility slower months.

The 520-square-foot suite featured pocket doors dividing the space from a compact living area containing an L-shaped couch, coffee table, and vestibule with a complimentary mini-fridge and French Press. I greatly enjoyed the additional space and was glad I'd been upgraded since my original room would have run just 230 to 360 square feet.

All the Heathman's 151 rooms were renovated in 2018. My upgraded King Suite contained the exact same decor as a standard Deluxe King but included the addition small sitting area. A comfy bed was made up in white linens, a navy throw, and navy-herringbone sham offset by a caramel-leather headboard. Stone-white walls were hung with mirrors and terrific modern art added dimension and lightness to the space. Wood floors were warmed by swirls of navy and a tan floral rug.

Every guest is offered a complimentary microbrew upon check-in, but I was also handed a sealed envelope. I opened it in the elevator and was nearly brought to tears. The Heathman is well known for its glorious two-story library lounge containing some 2,700 books — most of them personally autographed for the hotel by a book-lover's lineup of literary rock stars, Nobel, and Pulitzer Prize winners.

My letter informed me that the hotel had taken the liberty of ordering a signed copy of my book from a local independent bookstore (how did they even know I was a writer?), and would be honored to add it to their library. I thought this was extraordinary, but from comments gleaned from other guests, discovered the Heathman is known for its uncommon attention to detail.

Before unpacking, I rode the elevator back down to check out the striking library, of course, and make the most of my Heathman literary moment.

The Heathman won me over from the moment I pulled up in front of its classic facade lit by the Art Deco Schnitzer Concert Hall marquee down the block.

The Heathman has an ideal location in the midst of Portland's cultural center, and since the night was rainy — not unusual for this Northwest city — a bellman appeared to valet park my car. (Portland is so walkable I didn't need a car the rest of the weekend and was relieved to be rid of it.)

I've stayed in lots of small luxury boutique hotels over the years and found there's a certain formula to them. Typically, an older hotel or historic building with great bones is transformed to play up a fresh-faced lobby, with updated rooms, a cool vibe, and ideally, a lively bar and restaurant scene. Unfortunately, the boutique formula frequently misses the mark and disappoints.

But the Heathman was a home run.

The hotel set itself apart starting with kind and genuinely friendly front-desk attendants. I originally booked a standard Deluxe King but was delighted to discover that because the hotel wasn't full, I'd been upgraded to a King Suite at no extra charge.