By Jennifer Sperry
For Columbia Gorge News
THE DALLES — The Dalles is a town shaped by geography, weather, and history. The name traces back to the French word dalles, a term French-Canadian voyageurs used to describe the columnar basalt rock formations and the turbulent, narrow gorges of the Columbia River. The Rayland Hotel sits right in the heart of downtown The Dalles. Storms rolling in from the ocean release their last drops before the landscape shifts into something drier, brighter, and more dramatic. And this is how the Rayland Hotel was named: “ray” for the sunnier days and “land” to mark the unique geographical features.
Rayland is currently the only property of its kind in The Dalles, occupying a site with deep roots dating back to the Hotel Dalles, which was built in 1909. The hotel has evolved through several identities over the decades, more recently as The Dalles Inn. A few years ago, VIP Hospitality Group, started by the Lee family, purchased the property and completely reimagined its design. They updated all the rooms, installed energy-efficient fixtures and a full-building fire alarm system, renovated the elevator, and added a coffee shop and a restaurant. Each room has a desk, A/C, microwave, mini-fridge, and access to the fitness room. For the convenience of modern travelers, all guest rooms now feature additional outlets and USB charging ports. The hotel has an upscale, boutique style with rooms offering views of the Columbia River.
The Lee family is from Lincoln City, where they grew up with their parents owning The Coho Oceanfront Lodge. Over time, the family’s sons have carried on the legacy and now own and operate more than ten hotels in the Pacific Northwest. “The owners are here often,” said Greg, the front desk supervisor. “They bring beautiful art they find, and they seem to know where each piece belongs.”
In May, the hotel will open Bar & Bistro at Rayland, featuring Northwest-inspired lighter fare, made with locally grown ingredients and regional flavors. The hotel’s Caesura Coffeehouse opened just a few weeks ago. Caesura is a musical term meaning a pause in the verse. The owners designed the hotel’s interior to be just this: a place where visitors can slow down, take a breath, and enjoy the rhythm of their day over a cup of coffee. The space is inviting, with many windows, walls of green foliage, and a glass fireplace you can enjoy inside or on the outdoor patio. On a wall in Caesura, you will find a beautiful mural called “Passage” set as a tribute to the women who braved the Oregon Trail. A plaque below the art shares, “...where many wept in relief upon reaching the Columbia River, Passage [the mural] honors that moment of arrival-when survival turned into possibility.” “Passage” is among the many reasons the space feels more like a destination than just a hotel.
The hotel is excited to embrace the local community by adding two conference rooms that can either be configured as a classroom or in a roundtable style for a banquet. This unique, much-needed feature fills a gap in the Gorge. The conference rooms accommodate up to 35 guests, a perfect place to host local gatherings, meetings, and workshops.
Even with only being open for a brief time, the Google reviews are shining a light on the Rayland’s friendly and attentive staff. “For me, it’s about making sure the guest feels important and heard from the moment they walk in,” Guest Services Representative Shelby Long said. “You never know what someone might be going through, and if I can brighten their day, even just a little, that makes my job worthwhile.”
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Contact Rayland Hotel at 541-296-3002 or visit www.RaylandHotel.com for more information. The hotel is located at 112 W. 2nd St., The Dalles.
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