Friends, guests, and all those we have had the pleasure to serve and meet as we’ve made you coffee from our cafe in the lobby of the Woodlark Hotel - We wanted to write to share some changes ahead for our relationship with the Woodlark.
Early on in our journey with Good Coffee Roasters we met two people who became very dear friends of ours: Jen Quist and Doug Adams. Jen and Doug had formed a partnership and begun to bring to life a very special (and now cherished) hospitality experience on the ground floor of what became the Woodlark Hotel. In late 2018 Doug and Jen opened the restaurant Bullard, a cocktail bar - Abigail Hall and also invited us to open a Good Coffee in the middle of the Woodlark’s lobby. We agreed. Thus began an amazing partnership with the Woodlark Hotel and a shared vision of using the ground floor space as a place to host and care for people through food and drink - the ‘House of Welcome.’
Throughout the course of opening Good Coffee at the Woodlark we grew to know the hotel ownership group. We were privileged to build a friendship with the woman who was leading the development and ownership of the hotel - Lauren. We truly resonated with Lauren’s vision of the Woodlark being a place in Portland where inspiration, timelessness, care and thoughtfulness overflowed.
Over the years of working with very special people, and serving very special people at the Woodlark, we have built more incredible memories than we can count. There have been hard years and hard times also. Today in 2024, operating an independent hotel in Portland, Oregon has become incredibly difficult. A combination of working to rebuild our tourism base, the continued work needed to improve our downtown core and competing with the rewards networks and distribution channels of large hotel groups - the survival chances of a hotel owned and operated like the Woodlark are very slim.
With no other option, the Woodlark ownership group has decided to transition the hotel into Marriott Hotel’s soft brand collection. This decision is very much a final effort to keep a hotel as special and impactful as the Woodlark alive in the Portland market. We have known for some time about the need for the Woodlark to find a pathway to survival and have been entirely supportive of Lauren and her team finding a lifeline for this very special property.
As the details of the transition and the new operating partner have come together over the last weeks there have been ongoing and necessary conversations re: Good Coffee’s future at the property. While we support 100% any available chance for the Woodlark to stay alive (and one day thrive) in Portland, working with a national hotel operator was never something Good Coffee set out to do with this project. After a number of conversations with Woodlark ownership, along with the incoming hotel operators, we came to a mutual decision that it would be best for both parties to wind down what has been a very special partnership anchored in hospitality.
What does this mean?
In the very near future Good Coffee will cease to be the operating / license partner of the coffee bar at the Woodlark Hotel. It goes without saying that this was a very difficult decision (a deeply emotional decision) for us at Good Coffee. We have so much love for the Woodlark, the group of people we have come to know and cherish as a result of working together at the Woodlark and each of you - all of us connected through participating in the ground floor hospitality at the Woodlark. We will miss this project and we will miss serving you at 9th & Alder.
What can we all do?
The best thing we can do is to show love and support to the entire team working at the Woodlark. While the new operating format did not fit the needs and goals of Good Coffee’s future journey, we truly believe that this new direction for the Woodlark is an important pivot to make the hotel enduring as the special place it has become. It is our understanding that the new hotel operator wishes to continue some kind of cafe / coffee experience in the lobby. That being the case, if you love the lobby room as much as we do, make sure you continue to find time to hang out at the Woodlark. I’m sure we’ll see you there. We absolutely don’t plan on the fact that we’re no longer involved at the Woodlark to hold us back from enjoying such an amazing lobby, hosted by such an amazing team.
I wish we had more to say. Ending a chapter is hard. The years of memories at this property have been flooding back these last weeks. The only thing we would close with is that people are the important thing. Let’s not forget that. We were given an amazing gift to experience working with (and meeting) so many amazing people on this property over the years. I know that the Woodlark Hotel - House of Welcome - will continue to hold this promise and this gift for many others well into the future. For that we are grateful. And for all of you.
Our best and until next time,
The Good Team
