What happened to the Orycon Jantzen Beach hotel?

Apparently it was bought out by Thunderbird, who never used it. It is now in decay. The roof is moldy and falling apart. Everything is in disrepair. It is so sad to see it that way.





I know Orycon moved downtown. I heard it was a disaster, not enough space and parking. How is it doing now?





Does anyone know why Thunderbird abandoned it? Any info at all? Thanks!What happened to the Orycon Jantzen Beach hotel?
First to the question of OryCon; regardless of what anyone might have heard, my experience so far with the Marriott on the waterfront location has been quite positive. The ComCon accorded itself with aplomb, and so far the two Cons we've attended at that place went off well, considering the centrifugal pressures moving on short notice. Mind, that's not to say it was perfect 鈥?there were growing pains 鈥?but the new Marriott is a fun location and I rather like it overall. Cheap easy weekend parking is available at a ';Smart Park'; parking garage one block north, which is a very short walk in downtown Portland.





WRT the status of the old Red Lion Columbia River, my knowledge comes from a familiarity with Portland history and what I remember from reading The Oregonian on the subject over the last few years.





While the old hotel did change its name to the Thunderbird on the River, that's more of a reversion. The hotel was originally called the Thunderbird, part of a small Portland-based chain that was eventually absorbed by the Vancouver-based Red Lion Hotel empire, which was then absorbed by the Hilton imperium, which made the decision to gradually extinct the Red Lion brand until that actually proved to be a bad idea, which is why you still see Red Lions about.





The old Thunderbird was just that, though ... old. Red Lion decided to cut it loose, and the property was acquired by an interest calling itself Thunderbird Hotel LLC which returned the old name to the facility. But the company seems to be a holding company who acquired the property to develop it into something else. But the first attempt 鈥?an upscale luxury hotel 鈥?turned out to be wildly inappropriate for the location somehow, and the second attempt 鈥?a flirtation by the WalMart chain to build a store there 鈥?was just that, a flirtation, and came and went sometime last year, if memory serves correctly.





Once again, this info is drawn from memory, having read divers articles on it in The Oregonian over the years.What happened to the Orycon Jantzen Beach hotel?
%26gt;Any info at all?





Yes. I have info, but not about the hotel itself.








%26gt;I know Orycon moved downtown. I heard it was a disaster, not enough space and parking. How is it doing now?





While an attempt was made to relocate the hotel itself from Jantzen Beach to downtown, that effort ultimately failed, primarily due to geography.





In light of the Jantzen Beach Thunderbird remaining in Jantzen Beach, attempts were made to make sure that the Marriott in downtown would be the swinging sci-fi party we all know and love.





The first year, confusion was the name of the game. This is to be expected for anyone that has ever spent the first 3 days in a new house. Everything is different, from the location of the beer -- now in cool, pleasant bars and individual rooms-- to the best place to smoke -- outdoors under the huge awning. The bathrooms were in a different spot, and the food was new and exotic.





Parking was...interesting the first year, but has generally resolved itself. For those who insist on driving, there are a TON of parking options to choose from, some more expensive than the others. The onsite parking is valet, and rather handy, actually. As an added advantage, the new location is only 2 blocks off of public transport which allows for those who choose to not drive to get there.





Some things have changed: The previously mentioned locations of beer and smoking (Hospitality is now beer and smoke-free) standing out as the most obvious, but others have cropped up. Due to security, no masks are allowed in the lobby (Klingon ridges are encouraged, however.) Also, due to the vertical nature of the Marriott, there is no longer a ';party wing.'; It has evolved into two-story ';party floors.'; Children as still welcome at the Con and seem to have a good time, especially with the escalators. The Hospitality section is very large and spacious, with a cyber twist that has become very popular. The rooms are perhaps a few square feet smaller than before, but tend to have very nice views. Convention space is...erm...spacious. The staff has been extremely helpful and accomodating, even tho we supply far too few Klingons for their liking.





I believe that in terms of numbers, the new location is now bringing in the same amount of memberships that were attending the old location.





With the exception of what has come to be known as ';Elevator Hell'; it has been very successful.





You should join us!