Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel

We stayed at the hotel from June 19th leaving June 22. We are frequent visitors to Philadelphia because our son lives there. We have generally stayed at the Marriott or the Notary (a Marriott property) both by City Hall. We decided to try the Renaissance this trip because the price was much better this trip than our usual places and the location was also very good. First, we like the location very much. It was very walkable (as everything in Center City is) and Chestnut is a pretty street. Lobby was fine and check in a breeze. So far so good. Not for the not so good. The room looked fine when we walked in..a pretty nice size for a King room...,until we started looking around as we wanted to unpack. There was no dresser or drawers of any kind in the room. We have never seen that. There was one small drawer in one nightstand which is hardly enough. There was a closet with a barn style door..that was broken (off the racks). we alerted the desk and were told maintenance would be by to fix it. It was never fixed properly during our 3 night stay. My wife, thinking it might be storage, opened up what was actually the vent/filter for the A/C and was grossed out as it looked like the filter hadn't been changed in years. Other than that, the room was fine. We checked out Sunday a.m. and had our bags held for a few hours. When we returned to get our bags, no one was at the check in to give our bag tickets to so my wife went around the corner where a woman was sitting at the Marriott Bonvoy desk. She did not get her name but, if the hotel manager is reading this it was around 10:30 a.m. Sunday June 22nd. My wife, who is ALWAYS pleasant to everyone asked if there was someone who could retrieve our bags. The woman pointed to a room and said something like "you can go get them" in a nasty tone. The room was unlocked which makes one wonder how secure your luggage is. My wife said to her "Don't you need to check my bag tickets?". "NO" she replied again in a very nasty tone. "Just take them!" My wife literally could of walked off with anything including what looked like a nice set of golf clubs. No idea what this woman's job is there if she is concierge or what, but, she represented this hotel horribly. It left a very sour taste in our mouth about the hotel as we departed, enough so that we aren't sure we would stay there again. We have stayed many times in the Midtown Atlanta Renaissance and this hotel falls fall short of that one.

I have stayed at the Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel many times for work and personal travel. Most recently we used the hotel as the home base for our June 2025 wedding. As always, staff was accommodating, helpful, and friendly. You can't beat the location! Plus Joe was even able to upgrade our room. One addition I noticed this year was the rebranding of the downstairs restaurant and lounge. I didn't get a chance to eat at the restaurant, but we really enjoyed the live music in the lounge on Wednesday evening. It was a great stay and I look forward to returning!

The property was not up to the standard that I’d expect. The room was large, but some of the wood panelling was missing in the room. Additionally, the air conditioning was incredibly loud. A minor point was the layout as you enter the hotel, everyone seemed to have the same issue of not really knowing where to check-in. A big disappointment was the permanent swimming pool closure. No one warned me of that and it was one of the reasons for booking.

Checked in and went to room. Floor reeked of marijuana so bad it made us sick. Tried other rooms on other floors, all the same. The entire hotel reeked of marijuana. Explained we were Platinum Elite Bonvoy members and asked them to cover room in another hotel under the Marriott Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. Told they would not. Do not stay here unless you like the odor of marijuana.

The carpet, chaise lounge, and cloth chair are stained and look disgusting. The staff were exceptional - very friendly and courteous. Check-in was a breeze.

Great location for walking around Philly

Great

Stayed one night during a holiday weekend to attend a concert. The stay was fine but I would not stay again. The hotel did not have a market, and the restaurant always seemed to be closed; the area did not seem safe after dark; there was a homeless man sleeping in the hotel planter just outside of the front door; and our room Air Con made weird noises. The Good: The location was nice, located in the heart of walkable, historic Philadelphia. Second, our uber tide to Lincoln Financial Field was relatively short and convenient. The Bad: The hotel offers valet parking that is paid separately through a text message. However, the process of retrieving and paying for your car is inefficient. The Ugly: Homelessness in the area. I used to live in Philly so I was reluctant to walk around the neighborhood late at night. Also, a gentleman was sleeping in the hotel planter just outside of the main entrance.

The Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown is my new favorite hotel in Philly! Literally one block from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell as well as top restaurants like the exquisite Buddakan. Front Desk Manager, Rachel was a true maestro in getting my two rooms upgraded...check the attached pic of the view out of our corner room! As a lifetime Bonvoy member, I travel extensively for business and pleasure...and this property is special. Ask my friend Rachel G. to help you...she's the best!

Pool was empty and under repair. That should be publicly announced and room rate discounted. Shower faucet was loose from the wall. No room service. No lobby market. This was just a very basic hotel that was painted to look nice.