McMenamins Old St. Francis School - Bend, Oregon

Christina G.

Staying here is definitely an experience. Check in was quick and easy. The hotel front desk staff were professional and friendly and very knowledgeable. After we checked in and got our stuff into our room (#6) we went to have dinner at The Pub. The music playing over the speakers was a bit loud, which made having conversation during dinner a little difficult. The waiter was nice but not very helpful when it came to my questions about items on the food and drink menu. The food was decent, we had a pizza and Cajun tots. After dinner we went exploring. We walked across the parking lot to the other buildings to find the hidden rooms and bars. That was a lot of fun. I liked that they allow you to take your drink from building to building on the property. After a visit to the Broom Closet (no cleaning supplies in this one) we went back to our room and enjoyed the double bathtubs in our room (yes, you read that correctly, two separate bath tubs). After a nice soak, it was time for bed. The mattress was awful. So old and uncomfortable. You could literally feel every spring in this thing. I even tried laying on the couch in our room half way through the night to get comfortable. My back hurt for two days after we stayed here. In the morning we door dashed some coffee and then my husband walked down the hall to The Pub and ordered us breakfast to take back to the room. The breakfast was pretty good, I had eggs Benedict and hash browns. Overall the property was nice. It’s not a 5 star luxury hotel, it’s more of an experience. The only thing I would change is the bed, they really need to update the mattresses. Price was very reasonable ( we stayed mid week so not sure what weekend prices are).

Aarika

Location was perfect, not serving lunch until 2pm was a bit weird. Service at the outdoor area right next to the entrance was not the best but was average. Food was ok, drinks were good, atmosphere was wonderful. Once we found the cigar lounge area all was significantly much better. Love that it was dog friendly through the majority of the location.

Holly H.

Loved this place and all it has to offer!!! Great area, 4 bars, food all over, comfy rooms, and lush landscaping. I never knew about these hotels and now I want to see them all!! Secret rooms, theater, and soaking pool are all added bonuses. Right in the heart of downtown where you can walk to everything. It's a must stay for all. 😊

Morgan C.

It was really cool how it used to be a school, and the soaking tub was awesome, for those who don’t know what it is, it is basically a big hot tub, just a little bit cooler, perfect for kids. The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the rooms were really dark and we could not see a thing. We had to use a flashlight a lot to get around our room when all the lights were on. But the coolest thing about the whole trip was there were SECRET ROOMS! The kids loved finding these, and us adults did too when we found one of the secret rooms was a secret bar which was so cool!

Michael B.

This place would be great! The history, architecture, and layout were unique, compared to other hotels I’ve stayed at. Throw in multiple great restaurants/bars, a couple secret rooms, a speak easy, a beautiful soaking tub (with cool tile and an open skylight!), friendly staff and a welcoming environment for dogs, and you got yerself a great little weekend getaway!

Kriya G.

Closing time on website at 11 PM, Shortly after receiving our food, I asked for a second drink, we were told that they were closing at 10 and the bartender didn't want to make another drink, but did But the quality was not the same as the first one and did not seem to have any liquor in it. Food items that we ordered didn't have all the ingredients as menu described, when we asked why , We're told that they were out. given. Then the staff proceeded to Vacuum next to us and how large garbage cans full of trash passed us as we were eating our dinner.
I would've been OK with being told that they were closing soon and didn't want to serve us... would've been ok going elsewhere rather than get poor quality of service and food.

Kearl H.

We had pizza & Brussel Sprouts and it was really yummy. Service was good and I like eating in dark restaurants. Also they are open late. I highly recommend McMenanamins if you ever find yourself hungry for a good meal in Bend, Oregon.

Jamie S.

There are things I like about my stay here but I will get the bad out first which is why I left 2 stars for this place.
The price of the room is extremely expensive (we stayed in a king double bath room) and the main thing you want in a hotel room is a decent bed. I left 2 stars for this reason because for us it carries the most weight. This bed is so bad you can’t even buy a bed this bad now, they don’t make them. My husband and I woke up more stiff than ever, it is just awful.

We dined at the fireplace pub for dinner and were completely ignored for a long time before getting seated despite lots of open seating, and we have mcmenamins passports but after we paid the check, no one was to be found to help us get stamps for that despite us hanging around and walking around trying. We eventually gave up and decided to try again later.

Parking is a nightmare. When I filled out my pre check in it asked for our license plate number so there was some assumption that parking was available. Unless you are one of 20 lucky people who were able to get in the lot you probably had a miserable experience like we did driving around in circles finding no street parking, and ending up having to pay $25 per day for a different lot.

Good things:
We love mcmenmains oddness and theming, and they did a good job with it in our room. Definitely never stayed in a room like this but we personally enjoyed the uniqueness.

The front desk staff was very helpful and nice unlike the restaurant staff, but that was a good experience for us.

If you’re a mcmenmains passport holder, there are 5 stamps available for this place including for a speakeasy which is one of the things we love about mcmenamins, there’s a lot of fun behind the hunt.

Location: walking distance to a lot of happening things downtown.