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The Ritz Carlton, nestled in downtown Portland, was established amid a backdrop of civil unrest and rising homelessness. As protests and civil disturbances rocked the area, the overall condition of downtown Portland began to deteriorate, similar to trends observed in other major metropolitan areas like Seattle and San Francisco. Having positioned itself as a beacon of luxury in a historically troubled locale, the Ritz Carlton’s decision to take residency in Portland seemed ambitious at best and ill-conceived at worst.