As part of our route, we made two stops in Oregon - once on the first day of the road trip and the other on the last day as we were coming home. For these two stops, we stayed at different hotels and because this is a blog about discovering the Pacific Northwest together, I wanted to do a special post on these two locations in Oregon and this week, we’ll focus on our night at Eugene, Oregon.

We didn't do as much exploring as we normally would at both of these stops. Since we visit Oregon pretty frequently, we mostly just drove through the state (with one planned stop at Crater Lake). Our plan was to stay at areas we hadn't been to before to, at the very least, get a taste of the area and anything we might be missing out on. There were a few hikes we were hoping to do if we had time, but we ended up not being able to. We look forward to doing some of these hikes in the future!

EVEN Hotel in Eugene, Oregon

• Type: Hotel (4-star)

• Pet Fee: $25/night

• Suite Available: No

On the first day of the road trip, we started in Vancouver with our destination at Eugene, Oregon. We drove down the I-5 pretty efficiently, only stopping a couple of times every 2-3 hours so we could do a bit of shopping and so Markus could stretch his legs out. By early evening and with about 5 or 6 hours of driving, we were in Eugene.

I thought Eugene was familiar, but it wasn't until we got to the city that I realized why. Eugene is known as the home of the University of Oregon Ducks. The EVEN Hotel in Eugene where we stayed was about a 5 minute drive (or 30 minute walk) from the campus and it had a college vibe to the room.

But what does that even mean?

The College Vibe

Well, this was the first time I've been to an EVEN Hotel and they're quite unique in their offering. The rooms at the hotel are all equipped with workout gear (called their in-room fitness zone) and other things that college students would need like whiteboards and working desk. If students were hoping to stay around campus for exams or, let's say, to play the home team, this hotel would give them the space to not just stay the night, but workout and study inside their room.

As part of the workout equipment, all the rooms had an exercise ball, resistance bands with hooks and notches on the wall so you can adjust the level, a yoga mat and block, a foam roller, a mirror, a water bottle and Lysol wipes to wipe down everything after you're done. There was also a small binder with exercises using the provided gear.

If I were a student, I would've had a greater appreciation of what this room was offering. Since we were only staying the night and leaving early the next morning, we didn't end up using any of the equipment except for the desk. The itself room was fine for what we needed and the space was quiet and rested well that evening. 

The Hotel Building and the Area

The hotel building looked fairly new with a clean design to it. Throughout the hotel and the room, they had a theme of white with colourful lighting. The stairs and the elevator were accessible for dogs, so we didn't have any issues getting up and down, which is great for reactive dogs.

Outside the hotel, there were plenty of grassy areas down the street for Markus to find his spots and relieve himself. The only negative is that the hotel is located in the middle of nowhere, so unless you're walking all the way to the campus, there's not much else going on.

All in all, we enjoyed our stay here. While the room was fine, we would likely pick another location the next time just because of what's within proximity of the hotel. That said, cost is always a factor and their rates were competitive, which was one of, if not the biggest, reason why we chose hotel in the first place.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

Even though the room was a little bit smaller, Markus didn’t have any issues with the outside noise. It felt not as busy and quieter when we were there, so it’s possible that the hotel had put us in a room in between two empty rooms since we had requested a quieter room if possible since Markus tends to bark at voices or doors slamming on the other side of the door.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.