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Renaissance Hotels and Resorts
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Great Hills
9721 Arboretum Blvd
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 343-2626
9721 Arboretum Blvd
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 343-2626
- Price Range:
-
$$$
20 reviews for Renaissance Hotels and Resorts
This is in regards to their staff and facilities for events:
We had our wedding reception at the Glass Oaks Ballroom. Everything was set up well, and the staff was great. The event went well, and all of our guests seemed pleased with the service. The bartenders were great and remembered what everyone was drinking, which sped up the service.
I would recommend anyone looking for a venue in North Austin to look into the Renaissance. They were easy to deal with and really did a good job that evening, which means a lot to us. Additionally, the food was exactly as it was during our taste-test there. All of our guests commented on how good the food was.
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Two stars (versus one) *only* because the staff is excellent. Honestly, every single employee I interacted with was courteous and seemed genuinely happy to help.
But, oh, goodness the rest.
I only stayed here once, for a conference, and while I generally enjoy travel for work, one of the perks is usually staying at a fancy hotel! Not a hotel that just charges a lot but fails to deliver.
So, my issues:
The rooms are dark. Even with all the lamps on, it just felt dim.
The rooms smell weird. You know when you walk into a room, and you know it's non-smoking, but it still kind of smells like smoke? And it's just kind of the scent of the weird industrial soap they use? It smells like that.
They! Have! Bugs! Okay, just crickets, but honest-to-gosh there is a sign by the front desk that just basically says, "Austin gets swarmed by crickets this time of year. There's nothing we can really do about it, and they won't hurt you." I could hear crickets chirping the entire time I was there.
The walls are paper-thin. Tissue-paper thin. I heard someone sneeze, I heard my neighbor hanging things up in the closet, I heard a cell phone alarm at 6:30 am.
There was a special event with a band that was directly below my room, so after work I got to listen to country music for four hours. After the first two, I called and they said it should end at 10 pm. At 10:30 I called, and they said it should end at 11. Really, they have 463 rooms. They just shouldn't rent out the ones directly above that ballroom if they're having an event there, because it wasn't just the dull thumping base of loud music. I could hear the drums, bass, lead guitar, and singer clearly and distinctly. Or they could just rent those rooms to the people organizing the event.
I'm not sure where other reviewers stayed but I was not in a room with two flat screen tvs, I was in one with one small, old television.
The mattress was too firm. It wasn't comfortable for me.
The room didn't have a refrigerator or microwave.
I hate how mid-range hotels offer free wifi but the pricier hotels charge for it. This one charges $13 a day.
The water pressure was not great, and the light in the bathroom buzzed.
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Stayed here last week for a business trip and the room setup is perfect! There's two large flat screen lcd tvs - one in the bedroom and one in the work area. I love the work area - there's a huge desk that you can work on and the large tv is right next to you for your viewing pleasure. Even tho I didn't have time to watch tv, this is the exact setup I would want for my place back home. :)
It was a huge room also with a very comfortable bed. If you get lucky and get a 9th floor room, you can free access to the bar/lunge and it has free breakfast and snacks all day. :)
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I stayed here for a business conference. The facilities were top notch and the service was awesome. The conference rooms were large enough to suit our needs. The rooms themselves were fine, but with no refrigerator. There is an excellent restaurant inside as well as a snack bar for people short on time. Would definitley stay again.
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Beautiful hotel, especially the huge atrium and lobby. Parking valet and bellhop were wonderfully attentive and even took our bags up to our room so we could check out the bar first :)
The bar was also beautiful, drinks were fast and heavy-handed. What more could you ask for?
We went up to room to get settled and change for dinner. The room was also very large, with a king size bed, desk, sitting chair, and still plenty of room before the large windows, which overlooked the lush landscaping surrounding the hotel.
They have an indoor pool and hot tub AND an outdoor pool. The outdoor deck has a beautiful view also. There are menus poolside but said you need to call room service for orders. But only after a minute, a waiter came down with a delivery and stopped to take orders from several groups. Looks like lots of folks were drinking and chillaxin poolside.
One last note, all of the staff and especially the managers were very friendly and attentive. After unpacking I realized that a strap on my favorite dress had been snagged. The guest book of services said they provide dry cleaning and minor alterations. (Wow!) So we dropped off the dress at 8pm Friday night and had it back before 10am Sat! Great!
family and i stayed at the Renaissance Arboretum over the 4th of July weekend.
i had decent expectations per the reviews and they were mostly met. the hotel lobby and atrium areas are quite lovely.
not sure if there has been renovation above the second floor. our room was on the second floor and i immediately noticed it was a bit "dated" in decor. the bathroom wallpaper was not very current, and the vanity marble looked like it had seen better days. no flat screen tv for this room. also what's up with the limited channels in hotels anymore?
the beds at marriott are always comfy and dressed nicely. no complaints there. requested a double queen room in our reservation and were initially given a room with a king. the bellman was super helpful by calling down and requesting a different room for us. does make me wonder if they pay attention to those requests in the reservation, as the hotel was not sold out, we should have been accommodated from the get go.
we dined at the restaurant on friday evening. hubby and i both enjoyed the tortilla soup. it was quite tasty! the best part is the presentation. they bring your bowl to you with the servings of chicken, avocado, pico de gallo, grated cheese and tortilla strips inside the bowl, accompanied by a tureen of the actual soup base. thick, rich and flavorful goodness poured hot tableside!
(7$bowl)
the husband ordered the spiced salmon. two lovely thick filets served atop a bed of spinach(small bed), served with sauteed/grilled(?) mushrooms. the salmon was incredible. the seasoning used tastes moroccan in flavor. highly recommend!(19$)
i also had the asparagus in brown butter(8$) cooked lovely, but the portion for the price was not worth.
the AustinBytes cafe in the Atrium has some of the kindest workers there. i wish i would have gotten their names. a young man working on Saturday a.m. was more than helpful with accommodating "that one's" picky needs. went out of his way! he also made a fresh pot of coffee for me(without me asking) as he didn't know how long the coffee had been sitting before me ordering. very nice!
we like this hotel because of the freeway access, but you do have to know where you are going to find the hotel itself. kinda hidden/nestled amongst the shopping area.
not sure about the front desk, they all seem self absorbed from the outside looking in. not once did anyone extend service, unless they were approached. i know for sure that is not a marriott standard! in fairness i must report that i called housekeeping to request 2 extra washcloths and the front desk called me back 35 mins later to confirm my request had been accommodated, that was nice.
we will stay there again when we need to be in this part of austin. the rate was 99.00 from the marriott website. oh and they are pet friendly(50$ nonref deposit) we didn't need this time, but certainly appreciate!
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I've always been a Marriott and a Hilton rewards member but over the past few years I've primarily stayed in Hilton Hotels. I find the people to be much more helpful. The Renaissance concepts are an example of what Marriott has always loved to do. Build big expensive [looking] hotels with lots of fancy decor especially in the lobby....and that''s about it. The room was a decent size but absolutely nothing above average. This is an "atrium style" hotel which usually means that unless you are on the top floors its going to be noisy. This was a huge hotel but there was usually only one person at the front desk, and a line. Internet Service was a ballsy $13.95 a day and they actually had the nerve to double charge me the first day because I arrived slightly before Noon (a little gimmick to make extra money). Parking was also a joke. They did have plenty of parking but they closed most of it off for "Valet Only" even though it was empty (another greedy Marriott way to make extra money). My last day there I returned from breakfast and could not find a parking spot so finally I just pulled into the Valet Only lot and self parked. Of course the Valet Boys confronted me and I told them where to go (gotta fight for those $1.00 tips huh boys?). There was no buffet breakfast just overpriced $15 omelets. No newspaper delivery to the guest rooms in the morning either.
If you are there for a convention and get about a $100 rate it's worth it. Nice area of town with lots of shopping. But otherwise you can get much better value for your money.
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My husband stays here often (every other month) for work, and once I traveled with him. While he was at work, I hung out at the Renaissance. The atrium was nice, and the outdoor pool was lovely to relax by. The indoor pool was nice and warm. The gym is nice too, except it got very humid in there and I found that made the wood floor a bit slippery when I was trying to do some exercises. We stayed in a corner room that was bigger than my apartment, yet was considered a room. It had a giant table and a couch with multiple chairs. Really nice for me when I was going to be hanging out so much at the hotel. Within walking distance are a lot of shops and restaurants and even an AMY'S! I've stayed at nicer hotels before, but for the price and location, this Renaissance is a keeper.
Stayed at the Renaissance for the second time for a conference. The hotel itself is extremely nice inside. The hotel is built atrium style with all the rooms encircling it and a glass elevator that takes you up to your floor. It kind of made us want to moon the people down in the atrium when we were in the elevator, but since we were at a work conference we wisely resisted the urge. The room itself was nice with a large flatscreen TV, soft comfy beds and pillows, and one of those rounded shower curtain rods to give you more room while showering. One thing I didn't like is that the bathroom had the sink/shower/toilet all in the same room instead of separating out the sinks so that more than one girl could work on getting ready at a time. The room had the coffe maker, the blow dryer, and a nice touch with a lighted makeup mirror. As a side note, one of our colleagues was in the Presidential suite and that place was PIMP. Full living room, bar area, the works. Good place to party for sure.
Conference facilities were good although I attended as little of the actual conference as possible. They provided breakfast and lunch - both were adequate. The fitness center was surprisingly awesome. They have an indoor pool (as well as outdoor), a sauna, a jacuzzi, etc. The actual workout room had elliptical machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, rowing machines, free weights, weight machines, exercise balls, and oh pretty much anything you wanted. Each cardio machine had a towel and headphones conveniently placed on them and your own personal tv. Fruited and regular water were also provided. Hell, this was nicer than my gym at home.
As for the area, the Arboretum is ok if you are there during the week for a conference, but it is a long way away from downtown ($30 cab ride). However, you will not want for restaurants or retail therapy because the place is surrounded with places to eat and spend money. Overall a decent place to spend a couple of weeknights.
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Beautiful hotel- the other reviews tell you that.
One of the ballrooms here is the Wedgewood Room, decorated in Wedgewood blue (you know, that pretty English pottery that's usually blue and white?). We scheduled a visit so that we could check it out in person and talk to a manager about having our wedding reception there. Of course, she insisted on a certain day and time for our appointment... when the room was booked. And she kept calling it the "Wedge Room." Perhaps there's a different room I didn't know about. Maybe they have ballrooms named after all the seven simple machines. Collect 'em all!
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As I was leaving the Four Seasons on Fri night I mentioned to a local that I was staying at the Renaissance. His response: "you must not know many people in town if you're staying all the way over at the Arboretum." And this is true because this hotel was sooo far from downtown Austin; a $30 cab ride!!
So yeah, the location wasn't exactly ideal for my visit during SXSW, but it was the only hotel room I could score just a few months before the biggest week in Austin.
Besides the location I was a fan: huge rooms, down comforters, FREE parking, and a FREE gym with brand spanking new equipment. There's also a high end outdoor shopping mall nearby where you can shop til ya drop at neimans, barneys co-op, david yurman, etc. And the people who work here are so nice and helpful! Even the visitors are friendly, perhaps a bit too friendly. I'm all for chatting, but sometimes I just like to ride the elevator in a little peace and quiet- and that's not ever happening at this hotel.
I probably wouldn't stay here again since I'm a big fan of both the Hilton and the Hyatt right in downtown Austin, but if you're looking for a hotel in this area you can't go wrong with the Renaissance.
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They should give you a bit of cheese at check-in since finding this place amongst the layers of impenetrable suburbia that surround it is quite the chore. It's snuggly nestled between 3 major freeways converging into intricate clover patterns, up inside of an arboretum that only has so many entrances, and is surrounded by large chains like TGI Fridays and Olive Gardens acting as sentinels who ward you off from entering.
So, yes, a bit of cheese, or perhaps a holy grail would be an appropriate check-in gift. Other than the odd location (about 15ish minutes away from downtown Austin in the best of traffic, which Mopac is not known for) the hotel is pretty darn nice in the way that large hotels often are when they specialize in holding sales meetings.
It was one of the only spots available during SXSW so one shouldn't really complain if they are spared sleeping in a ditch during mid-March.
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A last minute trip to Austin for the night meant we had slim pickings for a room, as there was a golf tournament that weekend, and ended up at the Renaissance. Now, the only real problem with this hotel is the distance to down town. However, it truly is a fantastic hotel. I love the Marriott chain, and for good reason. I basically live at the JW Marriott in Houston, and the Renaissance definitely lived up to the quality I associate with the Marriott brand.
The hotel is huge, and beautifully designed. Everything is spotless and the service is phenomenal. We managed within 24 hours to check out pretty much everything except the pool and fitness center.
- The room service: everything from the steak and blue cheese pizza to the 3 am caesar salad was fantastic.
- The rooms: huge and spacious, with big windows, clearly cleaned very thoroughly.
- The lobby - amazing and huge, beautiful.
- The bar downstairs: for sure try the basil fruitini, one of the best cocktails I have ever had. The scallops are amazing, and the quesadilla is very good too. I wasn't an enormous fan of the calamari (it's teensy rings, no tentacles).
- Service everywhere and all time: amazing. Even the gift shop guy recommended we not buy a lighter but ask for matches. Anyone else would gladly have made the sale.
I would love to come back here, especially since I plan to avoid Sixth Street next time I come to Austin anyway!
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Like everyone else said: It's a very pretty hotel, and it's the level of quality you'd expect from a 4-star hotel. It was clean, it was well-kept, and it was home to the EMACS conference.
I took Kate M.'s advice and booked through Priceline and got the room for $85/night. I felt a bit guilty about it since it was listed at $269/night, but that guilt washed away when I paid $10.95 + tax for 'net access each day and almost $50 on a room service dinner. They made their money off me just fiiiiiiiine.
My only complaint was that the room was really loud, meaning, you could hear conversations from rooms above and around you, and especially conversations several floors down in the restaurant. The open atrium architecture is very pretty, but also unbelievably loud. Bring earplugs. All rooms face the atrium (I believe), so there's kinda no getting around this.
A random rant: I'm sure you've all noticed that when you pay more for a hotel, you have to spend money on the small things; things that would be free at a cheaper hotel. Forget your toothpaste? At the $105/night Holiday Inn you'd ask the front desk and they'd hand you toothpaste. At the $269/night place, they direct you to their boutique which sells travel toothpaste for $3.50. Grrr.
Anyway, their room service steak was super-tasty, their chipotle sweet potato casserole side was also quite yum, but their decaf was burned to crap... but then again, it was probably from the Starbucks in the lobby.
Considering I'm always doing business at Mopac & 183, I'll stick with the Springhill Suites.
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My family came up here to visit for a weekend and this is where my mom chose to stay. She booked it at a pretty good price! The interior of the room is extremely clean. The hotel lobby was very nice too.
They have an indoor and an outdoor pool and they were both medium sized. They have a sauna as well!
In the morning we went further than the outdoor pool and the outdoors is connected to a really great trail with plenty of gardens and even a small lake. This place seems fancy schmancy but it turned out to be a lot of fun for my 4 year old nephew as well.
Give it a try :)
The only reason why I only gave it four stars was the lack of a fridge and microwave.
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Pretty decent, clean, convenient. Nothing to write home about, but does the trick if you have business up Mopac/Parmer way.
Service was friendly but spotty. I never once had anyone at the front door greet me or ask if they could help me with my bags. Don't these guys want tips? Duh.
I recommend using Priceline. I've been able to get a $90/night room rate for this hotel twice, although it's a blind bid and all I knew is that I'd be getting a 3- or 4-star hotel in the Arboretum area.
Room service was only so-so quality food, which is what I pretty much expect from chain hotels. One nice plus is that you can order fairly good migas for breakfast.
Also handy is the Starbucks right in the lobby.
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So, this is a nice hotel. My main problem was the service here, which was surpisingly bad. In fact, it would probably get fewer stars if I'd had to pay for the room myself.
When I checked in, I was given a room with 2 queen beds, even though I'd requested a king. Not a big deal, but the clerk non-chalantly mentioned it when she handed my key, and when I asked about it, she disinterestedly said, "oh, we process that as a request, and there wasn't availability." Okay then. Not a big deal.
The room was very nice, but after I got back from dinner, I could clearly hear music coming from what sounded like a nightclub downstairs. After a couple of hours of that, I decided I really wanted to go to bed, and I wouldn't be able to sleep with the noise (yes, it was that loud). When I called the front desk, I was again, non-chalantly, told that there was a party in a room downstairs, and when I asked, they said it would end at 1 am. I was never offered a solution or an opportunity to switch rooms, or even a simple apology! Besides the shoddy service, a hotel this nice (and expensive) should have better soundproofing than that, or otherwise not allow parties to go on so late. Ugh.
I did end up getting to sleep, since the music ended around midnight, thank goodness, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. If I want to deal with that kind of stuff, I'll just stay in a Motel 6 next time.
That said, although the experience did have many strikes against it, the room was very nice, the bed was comfy, and the hotel lobby is pretty. And my breakfast (pecan pancakes) was tasty. I'd be angrier if it was on my dime.
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This is a very beautiful hotel. The room was very clean and well kept. The bed was very comfy. The Lobby was huge and very impressive. The room service was prompt and had a nice presentation. The food was moderately priced and very good quality. The workout room was nice, a good but not large variety of machines but all of it was up kept. One nice feature was all the treadmills had their own television with headphone jacks. There were aromatherapy chilled towels available for after workout as well as strawberry infused water inside the workout room. The staff was very helpful. The hotel is located in the arboretum area of Austin and there are plenty of restaurants and stores in the direct vicinity.
The Hot Tub looked a bit dirty, so we avoided it. My only problem was the same as another reviewer, the walls felt very thin, and there was a constant rumble noise. May have been the A/Cs outside.
Also, it looks to be cheaper if you stay more than 1 night. We stayed for 2 nights and it was the cost of 1 night.
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Stayed here 3 nights for a meeting. Place is beautiful. Interior views are great. Rooms are real spacious and clean. Staff were generally very helpful when we were splitting room bills (esp since each one of us came at different nights). Parking is plenty. Hotel is pretty huge compared to other Renaissance properties I have stayed at. Oh, there are plenty of options for food nearby , if you find the hotel too expensive to eat in.
Pretty average as hotels go. If it were any other chain I probably would have rated it 4-stars but, compared to other Renaissance locations, this wasn't that impressive.
The room was clean and comfortable. The restaurant was only average and overpriced. I didn't have any trouble with the service, but I travel enough that I have priority status with Marriott hotels so I may actually get more consideration than the average traveler.
My complaint was with the parking. The hotel offers free self-park or $14/day valet parking. The problem is that, rather than parking the cars in their garage, the valets simply park the cars in the open lot in front of the hotel and block the lanes with "Valet Only" signs. The number of lanes they block varies depending on how many suckers opt for the valet parking, reducing the number of self park spaces available. Can we say "racket?" Reducing the number of self park spaces means more people will have to use the valet and they make more money. Actually, the more I think about this, the angrier I get ... and the review just went from 3-star to 2-star. Either do what the city hotels do and charge everyone for parking or make it free. If you're going to continue with the charade of valet parking being worth charging for, at least park the cars in the garage so it's worth the added cost.
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