PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Condé Nast Traveler recently revealed their list of the most exciting hotel openings in the fall of 2025 — naming one stay that’s found in one of Oregon’s “best kept secrets.”

Describing their list, Condé Nast explained, “From Montana to Mexico, and plenty of stops in between, a range of global brands and independently-owned newcomers are proving that hotels are often destinations themselves.”

Among the most exciting hotel openings is Lightwell Hotel + Spa in Hood River, according to the outlet.

“If you’re an outdoors junkie or a PNW aficionado, then Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge are on your radar—and a hotel of this level has never really existed here. Thanks to a group of local outdoors lovers, this once-abandoned building is entering an exciting new chapter,” Conde Nast explained.

“Each of the 69 rooms and suites features cloud-soft bedding (ideal for resting up after a day of adventures), as well as local touches like original artwork from regional artists. The restaurant PNW Mediterranean brings a level of international flair to the town’s culinary scene, and the rooftop bar offers panoramic views, as well as fire pits for relaxing and swapping stories with your fellow adventurers,” the outlet continued. “Don’t skip the subterranean spa with sauna, hot tub, and cold plunge, all complimentary for guests. In a word: Gorge-ous.”

The outlet also lauded the hotel’s location, crediting Hood River as “the windsurfing capital of the world,” and “one of the Pacific Northwest’s best kept secrets.”

Before transforming into the Lightwell, the building was home to the Waucoma Hotel.

“Built in 1904, the Waucoma Hotel was one of the few brick buildings in town, standing tall along the waterfront. Designed by architect C.J. Crandall, the original hotel featured 27 guest rooms across three stories, each with verandas with big views of the Columbia. Its ambitions were bigger still, aiming to attract elite travelers, but competition was heating up,” Lightwell’s website says.

In 1909, the Waucoma rebranded to Hotel Oregon and expanded to 100 rooms before a period between 1920 and 1950, when travel habits shifted and the hotel’s ownership changed hands and “the hotel began to fade into the background,” according to Lightwell.

“By the 1970s, time had taken its toll. Floor by floor, the building was shut down until the whole thing closed in 1973,” Lightwell says. “For decades, it sat mostly untouched, less a few small business leases. Quiet and boarded up, the hotel sat waiting for someone to bring it back.”

That was until 2023, when Lightwell was established.

“After decades of quiet, a group of locals recognized the building’s potential, and embarked on an ambitious hotel restoration project to bring it back to life,” Lightwell explained. “Preserving key architectural details and updating the rest, to create something rooted in the past but completely reimagined for modern travelers.”