The Mark Spencer Hotel hosts meetings, training days, receptions and weddings for about 20 to 150 guests, in six spaces that range from a boardroom to a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop open for private events in summer. The hotel stands on Southwest Eleventh Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon, where the West End meets the Pearl District.
Seminars and company events
The Mark Spencer Meeting and Event Center is built for small and mid-size groups that want a downtown address. Each space includes audiovisual equipment, and Wi-Fi and table and chair rental are part of the offer. The hotel keeps a list of preferred vendors for decor, entertainment and technical needs, and a dedicated request form handles meetings and group bookings. The hotel also runs a local business rate program for companies based in the city. A typical format is a plenary in the Nortonia Ballroom with breakouts in the Pearl Room and the Boardroom, followed by an evening reception on the rooftop in summer.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel sells social events as well as professional ones and states that its spaces can welcome a wedding of about 150 guests. The Nortonia Ballroom, with its large windows, suits a seated dinner or a reception, and the rooftop adds an open-air option during the summer months. Guests can stay in the hotel the same night.
Rooms and capacities
Nortonia Ballroom: 2,040 square feet, floor-to-ceiling windows, divisible into two sections. Nortonia Room: 1,200 square feet. Pearl Room: 840 square feet with natural light. Hospitality Suite: 900 square feet with natural light. Boardroom: 357 square feet. Rooftop: 800 square feet, available for private events in summer. The hotel publishes a capacity chart with figures by layout for each space.
Accommodation
Guest rooms and suites, including Double Queen rooms and a Master Suite, are on site, so speakers and out-of-town attendees can stay in the same building as the meeting.
Catering
Event catering comes from the hotel's preferred caterers, who work with fresh, local ingredients. Organisers who want another restaurant or caterer can arrange it for a fee, which gives room to match a menu to a theme or a budget.
History and setting
The building opened in 1907 as the Nortonia Hotel and became a favorite address for touring theatre performers, given its position near the city's theatre district. It took the name Mark Spencer Hotel in 1966, and two of its event rooms still carry the Nortonia name.
Getting there
The hotel is at 409 Southwest Eleventh Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97205, in the downtown grid between the West End and the Pearl District. Portland International Airport is the nearest airport, and the surrounding streets put restaurants, galleries and theatres within walking distance for evening plans.
