Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area's newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, you may unsubscribe here.

• Deals: Portland Perks Up Spring — $75 Gift Cards for Early Birds
• Green News: Two More Portland Hotels Earn Green Seal Certification

Travel to Portland this spring is all about savings. The new Portland Perks program (formerly the "Big Deal") packs a lot of added value into Portland hotel stays booked through the Travel Portland website. The offer includes complimentary parking (an average savings of $25 per night at downtown hotels), continental breakfast for two each morning, and a whole lot of discounts at dining, shopping, arts and entertainment establishments. The Portland Perks coupon book, which is given to guests at check-in, encompasses a wide range of discounts, including:

• Two-for-one entrees at Saucebox restaurant and Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro
• 20 percent off purchases at Columbia Sportswear
• A complimentary chocolate-tasting kit from Cacao
• Two-for-one admission at the Oregon Historical Society, Pittock Mansion, Portland Classical Chinese Garden and Portland Art Museum
• Two-for-one tickets to Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Oregon Symphony and NW Film Center
• And more than 30 other offers

For a limited time, visitors who book a hotel room (minimum two-night stay required) at select hotels through the Travel Portland website will receive a $75 American Express Gift® Card at check-in. The gift card can be used at any business that accepts American Express. To receive a gift card, visitors must book a room at a participating hotel before May 28, 2009; gift card offer valid for travel through May 31, 2009. For more information on the Portland Perks program, visit www.travelportland.com.

Media Contact
Deborah Wakefield, Travel Portland, 503.275.9795, deborah@travelportland.com

Portland's getting greener every day. Recently, two Portland hotels — the Hotel Monaco and the Marriott City Center — announced that they have been awarded Silver Tier Green Seal certification. Three other Portland properties had previously achieved Green Seal status: the Doubletree Hotel Portland, Marriott Downtown Waterfront, and the Hilton Hotel & Executive Tower. The addition of the newly certified hotels puts Oregon in second place — behind Illinois — on the list of states with the highest number of Green Seal properties.

An independent, nonprofit organization, Green Seal gives its stamp of approval to lodging properties that meet stringent environmental standards for waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, wastewater management and environmentally responsible procurement. In addition to achieving Green Seal certification, the Hotel Monaco, which is a Kimpton property, participates in Kimpton's nationally recognized EarthCare program and offers such eco-friendly guest options as on-site bicycles and a "Car-less Vacation" package. The Portland Marriott City Center helps create more sustainable events through its Green Meetings program and honors guests driving hybrid vehicles with complimentary parking (a savings of $29 per night); the hotel also plans to launch an eco-friendly guest package in April.

Media Contact
Deborah Wakefield, Travel Portland, 503.275.9795, deborah@travelportland.com