Hotel Iconica

Architecture • Nature  • Design

Hotel Iconica photo taken from the corner witht the sphere statue at the very center

Hotel Iconica is an apartment hotel featuring 30 suites, including two-bedrooms, one-bedrooms, studios, and Penthouses. All suites feature full kitchens and contactless check-in & out.

Hotel Iconica's design blends art, sculpture, and utility, flowing together to reflect the natural environment, enhance the community, and create an authentic experience for those who stay.

Hotel Iconica photo taken from the corner showcasing the globe artwork

The exterior is a blend of corten steel and cedar. The internal breezeways feature lightwell openings designed to welcome the Columbia River Gorge’s iconic sun, rain and snow into the central core. The open-air rooftop invites guests to socialize while taking in the breathtaking, unobstructed view of Mt. Hood. And CLYZM Wines will host tastings on our ground level for guests and locals alike.

Wake up to

White Salmon

Tao Berman

Developer • Entrepreneur • Retired Pro Kayaker

Tao, Jamie, Violet (10), and Cole (9) family photo.
The small hut that Tao Berman was born in.

Retired professional whitewater kayaker, freestyle champion, and world record holder Tao Berman is a legend in his sport. Having been called “the world’s most extreme paddler” by Rolling Stone and “the best-known kayaker on the planet” by Sports Illustrated, few have achieved what he has in the world of extreme sports.

While Tao’s accomplishments have contributed to and define the person that he is today, Tao believes his childhood and upbringing define the man that he is today. Raised by a single mother in the mountains of Eastern Washington, Tao spent his earliest years living off the grid without running water or indoor plumbing in a makeshift underground hut. “We didn’t even own a car until I was around nine years old,” says Berman.

After graduating from high school, Tao spent the next 15 years pursuing his kayaking career with a focused goal of turning what he loved most into a sustainable and lucrative career. With that in mind, Tao pioneered over 50 first descents around the world and broke three world records – including the highest waterfall descent with a dizzying seven story vertical drop (98-feet).

Once he accomplished the ambitious goals he had set out for himself, Tao retired at the age of 31 with a new goal to push himself intellectually while prioritizing his family – Jamie, Violet, and Cole.

Towards this goal, Tao pursued an interest in real estate investment, purchasing everything from multi-unit apartment buildings, storage facilities, mixed-use commercial properties, duplexes, and even a mobile home park. “I enjoyed the analytical process of determining how to create more value from each of my investments while filling a need in each niche,” says Berman.

Tao breaking the world record waterfall descent. 98.4ft
Tao Berman and his wife Jamie

For the last several years, Tao has pursued development primarily in his hometown of White Salmon, Washington, where his family has built a custom ‘dream home’ and guest house overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. Their home has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

In 2023, Berman developed and opened the Hotel Iconica, an independent boutique hotel in the center of downtown White Salmon. The first phase, completed in the spring of 2023, includes 16 contemporary suites. An additional 14 suites will be added in phase two of the hotel development. He also owns ten vacation rentals under White Salmon Vacation Rentals.

For Tao, who loves “thoughtfully designed architecture,” developing in his hometown is just one way to give back and support the community where Tao and his family call home. “It gives me immense satisfaction to build architecture that brings people to our community and enjoy all that the area has to offer,” says Berman. “In the end, it’s building community that becomes our legacy.”