diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableCollection.h b/DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableCollection.h
index 3f69ffdd95491..abfffff6ed1d2 100644
--- a/DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableCollection.h
+++ b/DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableCollection.h
@@ -22,8 +22,18 @@ namespace traits {
     using CollectionType = PortableHostCollection<T>;
   };
 
+  // trait for a generic multi-SoA-based product
   template <typename TDev, typename T0, typename... Args>
-  class PortableMultiCollectionTrait;
+  struct PortableMultiCollectionTrait {
+    using CollectionType = PortableDeviceMultiCollection<TDev, T0, Args...>;
+  };
+
+  // specialise for host device
+  template <typename T0, typename... Args>
+  struct PortableMultiCollectionTrait<alpaka_common::DevHost, T0, Args...> {
+    using CollectionType = PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, Args...>;
+  };
+
 }  // namespace traits
 
 // type alias for a generic SoA-based product
diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/interface/alpaka/PortableCollection.h b/DataFormats/Portable/interface/alpaka/PortableCollection.h
index e7bd78e4c0023..8a081ea53e651 100644
--- a/DataFormats/Portable/interface/alpaka/PortableCollection.h
+++ b/DataFormats/Portable/interface/alpaka/PortableCollection.h
@@ -16,58 +16,21 @@ namespace ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE {
   template <typename T>
   using PortableCollection = ::PortableCollection<T, Device>;
 
-}  // namespace ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE
-
-namespace ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE {
-
-#if defined ALPAKA_ACC_CPU_B_SEQ_T_SEQ_ENABLED
   // Singleton case does not need to be aliased. A special template covers it.
-
+  //
   // This aliasing is needed to work with ROOT serialization. Bare templates make dictionary compilation fail.
   template <typename T0, typename T1>
-  using PortableCollection2 = ::PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, T1>;
+  using PortableCollection2 = ::PortableMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1>;
 
   template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2>
-  using PortableCollection3 = ::PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, T1, T2>;
+  using PortableCollection3 = ::PortableMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2>;
 
   template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2, typename T3>
-  using PortableCollection4 = ::PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, T1, T2, T3>;
+  using PortableCollection4 = ::PortableMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2, T3>;
 
   template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4>
-  using PortableCollection5 = ::PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, T1, T2, T3, T4>;
-#else
-  // Singleton case does not need to be aliased. A special template covers it.
-
-  // This aliasing is needed to work with ROOT serialization. Bare templates make dictionary compilation fail.
-  template <typename T0, typename T1>
-  using PortableCollection2 = ::PortableDeviceMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1>;
-
-  template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2>
-  using PortableCollection3 = ::PortableDeviceMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2>;
-
-  template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2, typename T3>
-  using PortableCollection4 = ::PortableDeviceMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2, T3>;
-
-  template <typename T0, typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4>
-  using PortableCollection5 = ::PortableDeviceMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2, T3, T4>;
-#endif  // ALPAKA_ACC_CPU_B_SEQ_T_SEQ_ENABLED
+  using PortableCollection5 = ::PortableMultiCollection<Device, T0, T1, T2, T3, T4>;
 
 }  // namespace ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE
 
-namespace traits {
-// specialise the trait for the device provided by the ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE
-#if defined ALPAKA_ACC_CPU_B_SEQ_T_SEQ_ENABLED
-  template <typename T0, typename... Args>
-  class PortableMultiCollectionTrait<ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE::Device, T0, Args...> {
-    using CollectionType = ::PortableHostMultiCollection<T0, Args...>;
-  };
-#else
-  template <typename T0, typename... Args>
-  class PortableMultiCollectionTrait<ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE::Device, T0, Args...> {
-    using CollectionType = ::PortableDeviceMultiCollection<ALPAKA_ACCELERATOR_NAMESPACE::Device, T0, Args...>;
-  };
-#endif
-
-}  // namespace traits
-
-#endif  // DataFormats_Portable_interface_alpaka_PortableCollection_h
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif  // DataFormats_Portable_interface_alpaka_PortableCollection_h
diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/test/BuildFile.xml b/DataFormats/Portable/test/BuildFile.xml
index ef2f6603f62cc..25a83ba4eebe0 100644
--- a/DataFormats/Portable/test/BuildFile.xml
+++ b/DataFormats/Portable/test/BuildFile.xml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<bin name="TestDataFormatsPortableOnHost" file="test_catch2_main.cc,portableCollectionOnHost.cc,portableObjectOnHost.cc">
+<bin name="TestDataFormatsPortableOnHost" file="test_catch2_*.cc">
   <use name="DataFormats/Portable"/>
   <use name="DataFormats/SoATemplate"/>
   <use name="catch2"/>
diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/test/portableCollectionOnHost.cc b/DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableCollectionOnHost.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from DataFormats/Portable/test/portableCollectionOnHost.cc
rename to DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableCollectionOnHost.cc
diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableMultiCollectionOnHost.cc b/DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableMultiCollectionOnHost.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..90192eb9e2bd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableMultiCollectionOnHost.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#include <catch.hpp>
+
+#include "DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableCollection.h"
+#include "DataFormats/Portable/interface/PortableHostCollection.h"
+#include "DataFormats/SoATemplate/interface/SoACommon.h"
+#include "DataFormats/SoATemplate/interface/SoALayout.h"
+#include "DataFormats/SoATemplate/interface/SoAView.h"
+
+namespace {
+  GENERATE_SOA_LAYOUT(TestLayout1, SOA_COLUMN(double, x), SOA_COLUMN(int32_t, id))
+  GENERATE_SOA_LAYOUT(TestLayout2, SOA_COLUMN(float, y), SOA_COLUMN(int32_t, z))
+
+  using TestSoA1 = TestLayout1<>;
+  using TestSoA2 = TestLayout2<>;
+
+  constexpr auto s_tag = "[PortableMultiCollection]";
+}  // namespace
+
+// This test is currently mostly about the code compiling
+TEST_CASE("Use of PortableMultiCollection<T, TDev> on host code", s_tag) {
+  std::array<int, 2> const sizes{{10, 5}};
+
+  PortableMultiCollection<alpaka::DevCpu, TestSoA1, TestSoA2> coll(sizes, cms::alpakatools::host());
+
+  SECTION("Tests") { REQUIRE(coll.sizes() == sizes); }
+
+  static_assert(std::is_same_v<PortableMultiCollection<alpaka::DevCpu, TestSoA1, TestSoA2>,
+                               PortableHostMultiCollection<TestSoA1, TestSoA2>>);
+}
diff --git a/DataFormats/Portable/test/portableObjectOnHost.cc b/DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableObjectOnHost.cc
similarity index 100%
rename from DataFormats/Portable/test/portableObjectOnHost.cc
rename to DataFormats/Portable/test/test_catch2_portableObjectOnHost.cc