The new boutique hotel in the Columbia River Gorge’s cultural capital sits smack-dab in Hood River’s downtown. But the real draw lies under the hotel, in Lightwell’s subterranean spa.

The Lightwell Hotel, located in downtown Hood River, opened in a historic building at the end of 2025. Brick storefronts, tasting rooms, and cafés cluster within a five-minute walk revolving around Hood River’s Oak Street.

The Lightwell Hotel just opened, but already it’s poised to become a hub of tourism in the Columbia River Gorge. Built in a historic building in downtown Hood River, the 69-room boutique hotel offers tourists a wealth of comforts packed between its rooftop deck and its stone-walled underground soaking pool.

Hood River continues to expand its lodging offerings, including the exciting addition of the new Lightwell Hotel. The full-service downtown property is housed in the restored 1904 Waucoma Hotel, and features an in-house Mediterranean restaurant and a lobby coffee shop and bar. A subterranean spa complete with a soaking pool, dry sauna and massage treatment rooms is the perfect recovery antidote to a long day recreating outdoors.

There are plenty of reasons to head to Hood River right now—the new Lightwell Hotel & Spa...

If you're an outdoors junkie or 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.

Why it's notable: A landmark 1904 building reborn with Hood River's only rooftop bar and a spa built into its original basalt foundation. Type of traveler who will love this hotel: Adventure enthusiasts, the culturally curious.

Come for the outdoor adventure and scenic drives, stay for the seasonal restaurants in this majestic Pacific Northwest landscape. Where to stay: Lightwell Hotel & Spa. It has 69 rooms and suites, a rooftop bar, and a spa with a hot tub and sauna open to all guests.

Lightwell Hotel & Spa has officially opened its doors, introducing a new era of hospitality to downtown Hood River. Set within the restored 1904 Waucoma Hotel, the property marks downtown Hood River's first full-service hotel in over a century, and features a sunlit atrium, rooftop bar, Pacific Northwest-Mediterranean restaurant, subterranean spa, all thoughtfully designed to reflect the Columbia River Gorge's natural beauty and community spirit.

Whether you’re looking to recharge in the mountains or chase adventure through the Columbia River Gorge, a new hotel in Hood River could be your next perfect stop. The Lightwell Hotel and Spa brings the restored 1904 Waucoma Hotel into the modern age with a sunlit atrium rooftop bar and a new restaurant and spa.

"The reconstruction of the hotel—which will be operated by Portland, Ore.-based VIP Hospitality Group and founded by local outdoor sportsmen—was some three years in the making. With a commitment to stewardship of both the building and surrounding Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, hotel ownership achieved status on the National Register of Historic Places as well as sustainability."

Lightwell Hotel & Spa in the original 1904 Waucoma Hotel building is at the center of downtown Hood River.

"After three years restoring the historic Hotel Waucoma in downtown Hood River, Lightwell Hotel and Spa is slated to open this November with an on-site sauna, postcard-worthy views of the Columbia River Gorge, and four on-site restaurants and bars (including a rooftop cocktail lounge)."

"The central architectural feature and namesake of the project is a four-story light well that was formed in 1910 when the second owners of the building added onto the original with an L-shaped annex."