HotelChatter

Check-In
One of our two rooms was ready several hours ahead of the 4 o'clock check-in. It was the room that looked the harbor. We hung out there, visiting while we waited for our second room. The front desk said they'd call when it was ready.

We'd given them one of our cell phone numbers. When we saw the $4 price tag on the bottle of water on the desk, we decided two of us would head out and stock up on provisions. The concierge referred us to a grocery store seven blocks from the hotel. When we got back, still not call on the second room. It was close to five.

We called again. The room was ready. That, the front desk not letting us know our room was ready, was the only major slip in our entire stay. Coming and going, the doormen were friendly and helpful.

Room Reaction
Our two rooms were nearly identical save for the views. One of the waterfront. It was particularly spectacular at night. One of the hotel's atrium. When we peered down, we could see the escalators in the mall.

The decor was under-stated elegance. Both rooms had queen size beds with white comforters and sheets and taupe-colored runner as opposed to a bedspread, at the foot of the beds. The beds were rest-your-bones comfortable.

The TV wasn't a flat screen, but we don't care about such things. It worked. We watched it.

The bathroom, recently renovated, felt new: squeaky clean and possibly slippery when wet. Large tile floors. An oval sink. A decent supply of soft towels. The soap and bottle amenities were from Lather. We liked the lemon grass soap.

Lobby
The space, newly renovated, exudes a restrained hip vibe. The colors are harvest autumnal, deep browns, with orange leather couches and long tables with computer outlets. Quite a contrast to the oppressive heat wave outside.

We ended up recuperating from that heat in one of the long leather couches. The hotel provides quality, and not inexpensive, reading materials, coffee table books from places like Johns University Press. We especially enjoyed The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake.

Location
As noted above, tops. The hotel is connected to the mall, with an Ann Taylor and a Bebe. That came in handy as we needed to pick up some last minute items. There is also a walkway to the waterfront where, if there hadn't been a heat wave, we might have taken a tour on a water taxi or visited the museums and The Aquarium on foot.

Room Service
Decent. Between the two rooms, at different times, we ordered a turkey sandwich with fries, two spinach salads, a half bottle of white wine, and, the morning we checked out, one bagel with lox.

Service was prompt, faster than the estimated time each time. Though we suspect overshooting the E.T.A. might be a trick. The food was fresh, flavorful. We especially liked the fries. The second spinach salad larger than the first. We would not have been happy if it were the other way around.

One minor lapse: The server only brought one wine glass when we'd asked for two. When we noticed, he dashed out to get a second. Prices were reasonable. The trays did not linger too long in the hall.

Pool
The small indoor pool in a solarium on the seventh floor was filled with families with young children the one time we visited. Crowd or no crowd, better for floating than doing laps. There was an abundant supply of navy-and-white striped towels.

There's also a hot tub. We never tried it. When we were there, it was filled with a group of Japanese women. In bikinis. We didn't want to crash the party. The exercise room was serviceable.

This and That
1.) Talk about local color: The Do Not Disturb Signs in the shape of crabs. When we checked out, we asked for several as souvenirs. The woman not only obliged. She confessed that she had one on her bedroom door at home.

2.) We appreciated that they let us store our bags at the hotel after check-out. No hassle, no time horizon. We checked out at 10 A.M., picked up the second set at seven P.M.

3.) If you ever find yourself touring with a rock band and want to keep the groupies at bay, this is the place. We were in town the same weekend as the Virgin Festival. When we saw three buses out front, we asked doormen and the concierge who it might be. They only dished after the buses pulled away. It was some band we'd never heard of.

For Future Reference
We hadn't checked out Trip Advisor before our stay. The reviews are somewhat mixed, dragged down in part by inconveniences caused by the renovation and expectations that the hotel would be a touch swankier than it actually is.

People love the location. The Renaissance Harborplace ranks 10th out of 57 Baltimore hotels. When we reviewed the top nine, and several others in the mix, we couldn't find one that would have met our needs to the degree the Renaissance had.

That's the sign of a good stay. We would return. Oh and in case, you're wondering we paid $289 for the Harbor view room and $212 for a standard room which we got for a senior discount because we were traveling with our mom.

[Photo: Ankitapril]