Simon Benson, the Portland lumber mogul and hotelier, opened the Columbia Gorge Hotel 2 miles west of Hood River, OR, in 1921, spending more than $500,000 in the construction process. The hotel had a white plaster exterior with green shutters and a Spanish tile roof at that time. A 5-story tower with balustrade jutted from center of the building. Benson, who also owned the grand Hotel Benson in Portland, built the Columbia Gorge Hotel on the site of the Wah Gwin Gwin Hotel, which operated from 1904-1920. New owners transformed the hotel into a retirement facility between 1952-1977. Another new owner, Boyd Graves, bought the Columbia Gorge Hotel in 1982, and returned it to its original purpose. A luxury hotel, it closed for economic reasons in 01/2009, but reopened on Labor Day 2009.

The hotel overlooks Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, a waterfall measured at 207 feet (or 208 feet depending on your source) in length. In 2009, the hotel featured 39 rooms, 7 of which had fireplaces, 2 gas, 5 electric.

PCAD id: 13805