Provenance and Woodbine form Partnership to Purchase Portland’s Governor Hotel

150 150 Daniel Fountain
  • 0

Provenance Hotels of Portland and Woodbine Development Corporation of Dallas today announced their joint acquisition of The Governor Hotel in Portland from The Royal Bank of Scotland for an undisclosed purchase price. Provenance, an expert in the region’s boutique hotel market, will become operator of the hotel, effective immediately. Woodbine will serve as developer and asset manager for the partnership, which plans to update/renovate the hotel and transition it into the Provenance Hotels collection. Acquisition financing is being provided by Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Holdings, LLC. Hunt Realty Investments, Inc., Woodbine’s financial partner, also is participating in the capitalization of the project.The landmark, 100-room hotel between 10th and 11th avenue in downtown Portland features almost 23,000 square feet of function space, including a 10,000-square-foot grand ballroom, and the popular Jake’s Grill. A true Pacific Northwest architectural treasure, The Governor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features elegant historic aesthetics, spacious guest rooms and dramatic penthouse suites with open-air rooftop terraces.

The purchase of The Governor is the first joint endeavor for Provenance and Woodbine, the seventh property under Provenance management and the 12th hotel in Woodbine’s development/asset management project portfolio. Both companies bring extensive experience in historic renovations to The Governor repositioning project.

“We are thrilled to partner with Woodbine to acquire this landmark property and delighted to continue to expand Provenance’s presence in our hometown,” said Bashar Wali, President of Provenance. “We see fantastic opportunities in both this asset and the overall Portland market and look forward to charting an exciting new path for The Governor.”

CBRE’s Chris Burdett and Matthew Behrens marketed the hotel for The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Woodbine was selected from multiple buyers in late 2011 to begin negotiations. The acquisition effort was led by Gordon Sondland, chairman and CEO of Provenance, and Dupree Scovell, who recently launched Woodbine’s West Coast investment/acquisition platform in Los Angeles.

“Provenance’s local market knowledge and expertise in boutique hotel renovations, combined with Woodbine’s nearly 40-year history of hospitality development and investment, have come together to create a dynamic team that can take this magnificent historic property to new levels,” Scovell said.

Sondland added: “As a Portland-grown company and long-time investor in the local community, we are delighted to collaborate with the highly skilled hospitality team at Woodbine, and together we will provide exemplary stewardship of The Governor.”

Provenance and Woodbine are assembling the repositioning/renovation team and will announce a project schedule at a later date.

Daniel Fountain / 10.05.2012

Editor, Hotel Designs

Share

  • 0

Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

Fun fact: I’m a keen cyclist and will happily bore people with copious amounts of cycling chat. My top cycling experience (so far) would have to be riding in the spectacular mountains of Crete.

Work highlights: Charles joined Forum Events in 2022. With a background in publishing, editorial media and events, Charles brings a wealth of experience to his role as Senior Production Manager. Having being involved with SPACE from the outset, he is excited to see the brand grow and develop.

Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

Together these platforms offer a comprehensive 360-degree service encompassing digital media, print publishing, and live events – providing unparalleled value to advertisers, partners, and readers alike.