About Autograph Collection

Autograph Collection Hotels is one of Marriott’s upscale luxury brands, but unlike many other hotel brands with a clear, consistent design language—think Ritz-Carlton’s refined elegance or JW Marriott’s understated minimalism—Autograph Collection takes a more individualistic approach. There’s no single standard style. Instead, the brand has brought together more than 100 one-of-a-kind independent hotels around the world, each with a distinct personality, while giving them plenty of freedom to preserve and reinterpret their original character. From a fairy-tale castle near Walt Disney World in Orlando, to a 19th-century Neoclassical palace in Prague, to a massive 3,000-room luxury hotel in Las Vegas, every property feels like a unique work of art. No wonder Autograph describes itself as an “ensemble of exceptional independent hotels.” That’s also the essence of the brand’s tagline: “Exactly like nothing else.”

In China, Autograph Collection is translated as “傲途格精选,” but I’ve never liked that translation. “Autograph” literally means a signature or handwritten manuscript. Rather than transliterating it, I think something like “private selection” would actually fit better—it conveys both uniqueness and the care of a personal touch, and honestly, it just sounds better too.

Anyway, this review is about the world’s 82nd Autograph Collection property: The Press Hotel. At the time, I was in an extended Marriott Platinum Challenge period. Originally, the challenge required 9 paid stays within 3 months, but I called in and got an extension, so mine lasted 4 months. The deadline was the 31st, and I was still short one stay. I checked a few nearby cities and found that The Press Hotel—an Autograph Collection property I’d been wanting to try—was unusually cheap on the 30th at just $150. Normally, during this season, rates are usually $300+. I also had a gift card I bought at 15% off, so booking it was an easy decision. For an extra $2, I selected a Marriott Rewards Member Exclusive Offer that came with an additional 1000 Marriott points.

About The Press Hotel

The Press Hotel was formerly the office of the Portland Press Herald. This 7-story brick building, built in 1923, was known to locals as the newspaper’s home all the way until 2010. In 2015, the historic building reemerged downtown as a boutique hotel. Not only does the exterior retain many of the newspaper’s original features, but the designers also tucked plenty of old publishing-related details into corners all throughout the property. It feels especially fitting for a rainy autumn visit, when the whole place leans fully into its vintage atmosphere.

I arrived at the hotel at 8 p.m. Street parking is free from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., or the hotel offers valet parking for $29 per day. At that hour, I couldn’t really appreciate the exterior anyway, so I headed straight inside. My first impression was: wow… it’s really dark in here. Maybe that was intentional to emphasize the vintage mood, but nearly every part of the hotel felt dimly lit. I almost missed the most distinctive feature of the front desk: a backdrop that looks like an engraved printing plate, telling the story of both the city and the hotel. If you look closely, you can spot the word “Resurgam” in orange lettering. It’s Latin for “I Will Rise Again,” the motto of this old city that has survived the British, pirates, and fire.

I found an official photo online, so here it is:

Seven Floors, So Many Stories

The hotel has 110 rooms in total. At the very top is a Penthouse Suite, which can only be booked by phone or email, and it comes with an outdoor ocean-view terrace.

Everywhere in the hotel, you can feel the influence of printing and publishing. The main color palette—inky blue and orange-yellow—further reinforces the vintage atmosphere.

The lobby is divided into four parts: meeting rooms, a bar/cafe area, a restaurant, and a central lounge space for guests.

All the tables and chairs in the central area were designed and made by local artisans, recreating the kind of workspace newspaper editors once used here: a long wood-grain table, a clacking typewriter, a notepad within reach, a dim old-fashioned lamp, and favorite photos tucked beneath it. I really loved this area.The bar/cafe occupies what used to be the editorial room. It’s tiny—probably enough space for only five or six people. Coffee by day, bar by night: honestly a classic business model. It also has a wonderfully literary name: Inkwell. The hotel’s moody darkness made me want to sit down at the bar for a drink, which, again, feels like another classic business model success. The drink menu was charmingly presented inside the table of contents of an old book, though the book itself was pretty beat up. It was about the Yangtze River. I ordered an Old Port and a Sichuan screwdriver—vodka topped with black pepper…

Black pepper…

Pepper…

Kind of a trap.

Friends, this is yet another classic business model at work.

Downstairs from the lobby, there’s a sculptural installation made entirely of typewriters along one side.

The first floor also displays works by local artists, almost like a gallery.

The fitness room is on this floor as well, and it’s about the size of a motel gym. Still, you can tell the layout was carefully designed. There’s also an old paper scale left over from the newspaper days, once used for weighing paper during production. Rusted and worn, it could easily be mistaken for a body-weight scale.

The hallway walls are covered with printed newspaper headlines—real headlines from this city’s past. Even the carpet uses letterforms as a design element, as if the letters had slowly fallen off those headlines and scattered to the floor.

Sleepy Town, Smells Vintage

I booked the most basic room category, called the Superior Room. Because of Marriott Gold status, I was upgraded to a slightly larger Deluxe Room, though the entire hotel only has three suites anyway.

Even though it wasn’t a suite and measured only 30 square meters, it felt surprisingly spacious when I first walked in. Straight across from the door was the bathroom—a huge bathroom. Very minimalist, and honestly pretty close to suite-level standards, haha.

The Press uses C.O. Bigelow bath amenities, a long-established New York brand. I’m not an expert here, but it seems to be positioned as a luxury brand. Supposedly it first supplied amenities to a famous New York seaside hotel, and only later opened wider retail sales because it became so popular. The packaging looks pretty nice, too.

The bedroom was laid out in three sections, with a small coffee table paired with a leather newspaper bag, a wooden desk with the TV, and one large bed.

The coffee table and long desk were styled after 20th-century newspaper offices.

The bedroom itself was really small—so small that I could barely photograph the entire bed properly.

The most distinctive feature, though, was this leather chair. The phrase engraved on it was a common expression in the publishing industry at the time. Because it contains all 26 letters in a compact sentence, it was used to test typewriters: if a repairman typed out that sentence, they could quickly identify any problems with the machine.

Throughout the hotel, you’ll see quotes everywhere—on little notes attached to objects, on the “Do Not Disturb” card, and more—all echoing the property’s own motto: “Beyond Words.”

My room was on the fifth floor, and I really liked the view outside the window. Good night.

Later, I realized why the room felt so much bigger than it really was even though it wasn’t a suite: the bathroom was designed to be as large as the bedroom, or maybe even larger.

Resurgam, I Will Rise Again

When I woke up in the morning, a newspaper had already been placed outside my door. It was printed using the press machine kept in the hotel’s meeting room. When the building was converted into a hotel, that machine was preserved, and it still produces a small batch of newspapers today.

Because of Marriott Gold status, breakfast was complimentary. There were four very basic (cheap) set options to choose from. I picked a meat-and-eggs breakfast and added a cold lobster dish on the side.

Oh, and the restaurant is called Union. The color scheme feels youthful and works well in the morning.

Rebirth

So yes, as you can probably tell by now, this hotel is actually pretty small.

Overall, The Press Hotel surprised me in a lot of ways. I think beauty is a real competitive advantage, and more importantly, I love hotels with a story behind them. I’d absolutely recommend it—especially if you can find a good rate.

That said, the hotel really is too dark at night, which makes it hard to take photos. But then again, that dim vintage atmosphere does pair nicely with the kind of rest you want while traveling. One more downside: the follow-up service didn’t seem especially strong. I had booked a rate package that came with bonus points for the stay, but I still hadn’t received them after a week. In the end, I had to contact customer service twice before the points were finally credited.

Finally, one more label for The Press Hotel: Rebirth.