Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel

Even though this Historic District hotel is only a couple blocks away from The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall - it needs some work. I stayed here for my son’s wedding since there was a block of rooms reserved for wedding guests. The bathroom had peeling paint on the ceiling, a toilet that wouldn’t flush properly, and the tub would not drain well as you showered. The furniture in the room had marks and worn spots - seemed old and outdated. And apparently the furniture was similar in the suite that the wedding couple had. We had one family member whose toilet flooded their bathroom. There’s a textured wallpaper in the bathroom that collects hair and lint - not appealing.
The service was great - especially housekeeping. We had the beds made and bathroom cleaned, as well as fresh towels each day. I requested a late checkout and they were very accommodating since we had to drive family members to the airport and had to come back for our luggage.
Convenient area but needs a little sprucing up.

Location

Location was great.

La ubicación

The location of this hotel is great and the valet and check-in staff were both friendly and efficient. But our room was not clean. The couch was stained and the walls are painted a very dark charcoal color which shows every splotch, splatter and lint in the bathroom, which felt gross. Paint on ceiling was also unfinished. We also had issues with hot water ……..none in the sink and shower never got hotter than a very lukewarm. We were in a rush to get to an event so couldn’t ask to move rooms (though from other reviews, it sounds like this is a common issue). Bed, however, was extremely comfortable!

The property was clean and had a great location. The staff was amazing too.

As I write this, it’s 3 AM with a raging party with around 100 people in the suite next door, yelling, and chanting in the hallway. We have called downstairs three times and yet, the party continues. This group is also part of a large party in the hotel’s lobby. Knowing this group had booked that party and this suite, hotel management should have blocked all the other rooms on this floor and not have any other guests be inconvenienced. Hugely disappointed with Marriott.

We are generally forgiving when it comes to minor inconveniences or incidents in a hotel but this place went well beyond that. It is in a wonderful location in the Historic District and is walkable to all the famous sites. What a shame that maintenance is so poor that a great location cannot cover for the poor services.

After arriving in the late afternoon, we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant, First Daughter and Oyster Co. Service was quite slow but food good. The booth had a lot of stains on the cushions.

When we went to shower later that evening, we noticed there was no hot water coming out of it or the sink. We called down to the desk, they said they would let maintenance know. One hour later still no hot water, called again and staff said they were still working on the problem. Another hour and the sink finally had some lukewarm water but the shower water remained cold. Not sure how the plumbing works that two water sources in such close proximity would have a variation of temperature.

During our three-night stay, we never had hot shower water! Sink water not particularly hot either. We wondered what temp the hotel laundry and kitchen water were. This issue definitely wasn’t just with our room. We talked with other guests at the hotel. Same problems. Some guests moved out of the hotel to another one, which was much further away (eight weddings in the area, hotels booked). Read other reviews from late Feb to early March, plus Oct 2025; they mention the same problem. It seems as if the plumbing system needs a major overhaul.

The room lighting was very poor. We had a large corner room with a wonderful view of Independence Hall. In addition to the bed, there was a sofa beneath one of the windows and a desk beneath another. There was zero lighting near the sofa and there was definitely room to put some sort of standing lamp there, but there was none. Basically impossible to see or read from there at night. On each side of the bed's headboard, there was an attached gooseneck-style lamp which if aimed just right could give you a bit of nighttime light aimed onto the bed. However, lamps such as those did nothing to light up the main room. The desk had a lamp, but again, that did nothing to add to the main room lighting.

Our first morning, we went downstairs at 7am for the scheduled opening of breakfast. No one was there. We searched for a hotel staff member who told us there were no restaurant workers, plus there had been a “problem” so it would not be opening. We never did hear an accurate reason as to why it was not open. Being unfamiliar with this area, we then had to roam the neighboring streets in the cold early morning hours looking for a place to eat. Thankfully, the following morning the restaurant was open for breakfast.

After complaining to a desk person about the water issue, we were told that we would be compensated for our first night. Other guests told us they'd be compensated, too. Since our stay was paid with points, we were told management would have to approve the comp. Did not hear from hotel for several days so we called to inquire, but were told the person responsible for this was not in for the day. Our name/phone number was given but they never responded. No voice mail, no email. So much for customer service. Eleven days after our checkout, 20,000 “bonus points” were added to our account. Less than half of the 45,000 points spent for that first night with hot water problems and much less than the total of 155,000 points spent for the entire visit of no hot shower water. It appears that guests paying by points do not get the same full compensation as people paying by credit/cash. Not a good message for Rewards members.

We do not recommend this hotel. It does not live up to what we consider Marriott Bonvoy standards.

We were very excited to stay here for a wedding that I was in for two nights. Unfortunately our stay was absolutely terrible. From the tv not working, which did eventually get fixed, to having absolutely no hot water the whole wedding day, and my wife having to deal with the fire alarm blasting multiple times during the the day. I can say I wouldn’t come back even if it was free let alone what we paid for the hotel. Extremely disappointed

If the utilities are working and the hotel is fully staffed this is a good choice for location, dining and comfort. Unfortunately, we and a number of other guests were without hot water the first morning, and when we went down were breakfast - an included perk with our Marriott status - we learned they weren’t open because the gas wasn’t working.
They were able to move us to another room which thankfully had hot water, but only after getting a runaround. The food in the restaurant the next couple of days was pretty good, but twice (once in the morning, once in the evening) we found it understaffed, which resulted in long wait times for our food.
Location is really good but we probably won’t take the chance on staying here again.

11:30pm I realize the heat doesn’t work. An “engineer” came to look at it and recommended I switch rooms. Called the front desk to arrange a new room. Packed and waited for them to come back. They didn’t. By midnight the power in the entire building went out: no lights in rooms or hallways, no heat, no running water, phones not operating - can’t communicate with the front desk. I decided to sleep in my dark cold room as I had no other choice. Very disappointed and I feel uncomfortable and concerned for the lack of power in this building. I would hope they comp the room charges for the night, but somehow I doubt that will happen.

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

We recently stayed at the Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel and had a mixed experience.

On the positive side, the room was a really nice size, the location is fantastic. Great view

However, the bathroom lighting was very dim, which made getting ready difficult. The mattress wasn’t the most comfortable, and we could hear quite a bit of noise from neighboring rooms, which took away from the overall comfort.

Overall, it’s a solid option for the location and room size.

Our room had no heat and we had to wait hours to change rooms . Although the room is large and modern, the lighting is bad and it’s especially hard to read in bed the way the bedside lighting is set up. . The closet is tiny, if you even call it a closet, and the bar to hang clothing is situated at the bottom, so dresses and coats hang on the floor. Food in the restaurant was bad. I wouldn’t stay here again.

Cleanliness

The staff was friendly and professional, and the location can’t be beat.

Breakfast very good

I know it's urban, but this left a lot of room for improvement. Location was fine and easy to get to, lots of local sights to see. The gym smelled horrible, the room itself was minimal without even a comforter on the bed in November (we had to request one at the front desk).
Dining was not an option after finding mice in the bar area in the AM. Thankfully the local area has many an option for eating, and a 10 minute walk in any direction will yield you many good dining options.