Downtown
Choose downtown for the shortest walk to Oak Street, breakfast, shops, breweries, and dinner. Compare on-site parking, elevator access, room size, and street noise in older buildings.
Where to stay
Downtown rooms, waterfront access, or west-side Gorge views
Stay downtown to walk to Oak Street and dinner, choose the waterfront for river paths and Portway Avenue, or look west of the core for gardens, Gorge views, and a self-contained hotel setting.
The main tradeoff
Downtown cuts evening drives; waterfront hotels put river paths nearby.
Downtown guests can walk to Oak Street breakfast, shops, breweries, and dinner. Compare room size, street exposure, elevator access, and parking in older central buildings. Waterfront stays are closer to parks and wind-sport viewing but farther from much of the downtown restaurant cluster.
Waterfront
Choose the waterfront for river paths, the Event Site, Portway Avenue breweries, modern rooms, and easier access to I-84. Expect a longer walk or short drive to upper downtown.
West of downtown
Choose the west side for hotel grounds, Gorge views, and a more self-contained stay. You will drive to most Oak Street restaurants, so compare that tradeoff with downtown walkability.
Hood River lodging
Four stays in four different settings
Hood River Hotel is the downtown choice; Hampton Inn and Best Western sit closer to the Columbia; Columbia Gorge Hotel spreads west of town across gardens above the river.
Stay picks
Where To Stay
Best Overall Stay✓
Hood River Hotel
Hood River’s oldest hotel sits in the center of downtown, with updated historic rooms, suites and bunkhouse options, and Broder Øst off the lobby. Choose it for the shortest walk to Oak Street shops, breweries, and dinner.
Upgrade Pick✓
Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa
A historic hotel west of downtown with river- and garden-facing rooms, seven acres of grounds, a spa, and Simon’s Cliffhouse dining. Choose it for a self-contained property setting; most Oak Street restaurants require a drive.
Stay
Hampton Inn & Suites Hood River
A practical chain stay near the Columbia waterfront, with straightforward parking and quick access to river paths, downtown, and I-84. Compare room size and view category if you expect to spend more time at the hotel.
Stay
Best Western Plus Hood River Inn
A riverfront hotel at the east edge of town with Columbia views and direct access to the waterfront path. It trades central Oak Street walkability for water-facing rooms and an easier start toward I-84.