KEX: the Cool Icelandic Youth Hostel—Now in Portland

 The sun-filled dining room at Dóttir (Photo by Mikael Lundblad)

These days, it seems like a new hotel opens in Portland every week. I wrote about the latest one—which has a fabulous ground-floor restaurant/bar—for Conde Nast Traveler.

Portland, Oregon, might seem like an unlikely destination for the second location of an Iceland-based hostel. After opening the first Kex hostel in Reykjavik in 2011, Kex owner Kristinn Vilbergsson moved to Vancouver and began taking exploratory train trips to Seattle and Portland to figure out his next hostel location.

Vilbergsson enjoyed Seattle, but it was the Rose City that stole his heart. “It’s close to nature, outdoorsy—very similar to Iceland that way,” says Vilbergsson, who goes by Kiddi. The same day he arrived in town, Vilbergsson began fantasizing about a Portland outpost of Kex. A food writer had given him the number for chef Greg Denton (of Ox and Bistro Agnes), and before long Denton had put Vilbergsson in touch with Portland power player and restaurant backer Kurt Huffman. The two met for coffee, and discussed the proposition of partnering on an upscale hostel.

Seven years later, Kex Portland has opened at the Burnside Bridgehead, an area in the city's lively Central Eastside. The four-floor hotel has stylish accommodations that come with exclusive access to a basement sauna, as well as a splashy new restaurant and bar, Dóttir, helmed by top Icelandic chef Ólafur “Óli” Ágústsson and Ned Ludd alumnus Alex Jackson. (A rooftop bar will open in spring.) All of this is sure to be a hit with locals in this formerly industrial neighborhood, already a destination for its restaurant scene

The 15 shared rooms—some with bunk beds that sleep eight, others that sleep 16—don’t skimp on amenities, and much of it is locally designed. Mattresses are made by Suite Sleep (the same ones used at the Ace Hotel), pillows are filled with down, and each bed comes equipped with canvas privacy curtains and nifty storage bags (both handmade by local Portland craftsman Leland Duck at Revive). The industrial-looking bunk beds, designed in-house, were fabricated by Black Mouth Design in Seattle. Each bunk has its own electrical outlet and a sliding drawer where guests can securely lock their belongings. But for those craving a more traditional hotel experience, there are also 14 private rooms with queen or king beds. The whimsical wallpaper in the hallways is hand-drawn by Portland artist Melanie Nead.

                                                                                The whimsical wallpaper by Melanie Nead (Photo by Mikael Lundblad)

Kex's restaurant/cocktail bar, and killer design make it an appealing destination for locals. (Jeremy Fenske)

 

“This is not the first property of its kind,” says general manger and partner Sean O’Connor, referring to the popularity of design-forward hotels that merge a youthful hostel-like vibe with luxury amenities. (The Society Hotel, Freehand and Generator are just a few examples.) “But this style of travel is becoming more popular. And Americans are embracing it.” Couples who spend $38 per person on their bunk room at Kex (the winter rate in the 16-person room) may be scrimping on their lodging so they can splurge at dinner; say, the five-course tasting menu at Le Pigeon, a short walk away. “It’s about experience first,” says O’Connor.

 

Speaking of experience, Dóttir, on the ground floor, has already become a social hub for travelers and Portlanders alike. Icelandic designer Dáni Pedersen, a former Hollywood set designer, took great care to use repurposed items from the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. As a result, the space has a worn-in feel with bookshelves, a refurbished Douglas fir floor (salvaged from a train station at Fort Vancouver), and the façade from an old bakery in Cairo. There will be live music in the evenings, and much thought (and expense) was put into adding an acoustic sub-ceiling so that no sound will spill into the upstairs bedrooms.

 

Drinks maven Lydia McLuen (formerly of the Hoxton Portland’s Tope) has put a Scandinavian stamp on the seasonal cocktail list with drinks like Lady of the Mountain (raspberry-infused Reyka vodka, hazelnut orgeat, lemon, and skyr) and the Dagsson (George Dickel rye, Cocchi Torino sweet vermouth, Gammel Dansk—a Norwegian bitter—and Cynar). But don’t miss the wine. Because of O’Connor’s deep connections in the wine industry (he used to work at Antica Terra and Le Pigeon), he has access to some Oregon wines that you won’t taste anywhere else from gems like Cameron, Bow & Arrow, Ovum, Pierce, and Holden Wine Co.

 

As in Iceland, Kex brews its own beers in Portland. Pro brewer Carston Haney is collaborating with Stumptown on a “lactose porter,” with Gigantic on a “Viking Juice,” and with Mikkeller (the acclaimed Danish brewery that’s had a Portland pop-up since June) on a sour pale ale for the hotel. The Nordic-meets-Northwest menu at Dóttir is accessible—with plates small (chicken liver mousse, shrimp smorrebrod with caramelized root veggies) and large (roasted trout with sauerkraut, mushroom, and bacon; roasted duck breast and leg confit with roasted Brussels sprouts and smoked leek). It remains to be seen if the kitchen will offer a take on the kex—an Icelandic biscuit that's the hostel's namesake—for dessert.