Eugene, Oregon: Inn at the 5th; hotel review

Inn at the 5th  

205 E. 6th Ave., in the Fifth Street Public Market, (855) 446-6285, (541) 743-4099.  70 rooms.  Most rooms have a fireplace.  Restaurant; bar; room service.  Fitness room.  Valet parking $15/day; no self-parking. 

lobby of the Inn at the 5th in Eugene, Oregon

Located on the west side the market, this luxury boutique hotel is under the same ownership.  Guests are greeted to the Inn at the 5th by a spacious lobby featuring a white-washed oak floor and furnished with a large big-leaf-maple-burl coffee table made from a rescued city cut-down (a miniature stump coffee table from the same tree is in each guest room), comfortable seating, and a rectangular fireplace that is flipped on in the evening.  A dramatic amber-tortoise shell-style hand-blown chandelier hangs here, and locally-made sconces and glass lamps are found throughout the hotel. 

Instead of having its own gift shop, the hotel has partnered with several boutiques that are just off the lobby.  They include a garden decor shop, a high-end jewelry boutique, a serene Aveda day spa (hotel guests have complimentary use of the dry sauna and can arrange for some in-room services), and a winery tasting room that sometimes schedules live jazz.  A Mercedes car and van are used as free shuttles within a four-mile radius and for airport pick up and drop off.  An adjustable Bike Friday is available to borrow and especially nice for riding the local river trail.  A van excursion to King Estate Winery for lunch and tasting can be booked on weekends. 

General Manager Erik Cole says, “We sell sleep, so we make sure it’s very quiet.”  Indeed, double sheet rock was used to assure sound-proofing from the trusty town train.  Also, ice is pre-bagged and kept in a silent, energy-efficient freezer on each floor.  Decor in each guest room is different, but each has a Sealy Posturepedic pillow-top bed made up with made-to-order 400-thread-count white Italian cotton sheets. 

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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers