Tag: Renaissance Hotels View All Tags
Tags: Deal or No Deal / New Orleans Hotels / Priceline / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
A Not So Jazzy Deal: Marriott and Harrah's New Orleans Casino Getaway
The Renaissance Arts Hotel in New Orleans is offering what their breathless press release describes as "the ultimate casino getaway." Using a promotional booking code available on the Marriott site, you can book a room Thursdays through Sundays from now until August 21, 2010.
The deal, such as it is, includes a $10 Harrah's Casino voucher (two whole antes!), $15 a night parking (discounted!), and "rates from $89-$339 per room, per night." We think you can tell from our tone that this isn't going to go well.
Tags: Reader Reviews / Renaissance Hotels / San Francisco Hotels / → All Tags
Inside The New Renaissance Stanford Court
Every so often we feature a hotel review from one of our readers that we feel should be shared with the rest of you dear hotel guests. These reviews are highlighted because they are timely, about cool hotels in cool places and are relatively level-headed. Think you can submit one just like this? Send it in.
Named after and on the site of the former mansion of Leland Stanford, a San Francisco railroad baron, The Renaissance Stanford Court shares Nob Hill with the Mark Hopkins InterContinental (next door), The Fairmont (across the street), The Huntington (a block uphill), and The Ritz-Carlton (a few doors downhill).
While Union Square is only a few blocks away, the short climb to Nob Hill is steep. Really steep. It had been a while since my last time in SF, and even though I stayed at the Mark Hopkins at the time, I do not remember it being that steep. For most people, it should not be a major issue, but if you are less able to walk or traveling with someone that is, then keep this in mind.
Tags: Hotel Bars / New Openings / Chicago Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / Marriott Hotels / → All Tags
Renaissance Chicago Launches Soft Opening for Swanky Bar Novo
It looks like theWit's hot Roof bar has some competition. As part of the Renaissance Hotel's rebranding effort, the Renaissance Chicago Hotel had a soft opening for its new upscale Bar Novo on Sept. 17 and the lounge will post an official "open" sign on Oct. 1. And like any good business these days, the Bar even has its own Twitter page.
Formerly a stodgy cigar bar—hello, the Chicago smoking ban made cigar bars so 2007—the new space is warm and inviting with reds and deep wood. But the pièce de résistance of the decor is an open chef's station that's the hub of the bar. The station uses an special induction style cook-top that eliminates the use of open flames and bulky hood systems so that you can watch the chef, who has traded in his tired toque for a sleek fedora.
Tags: Renaissance Hotels / Hotel Logos / Hotel Promotions / Hotel Rebranding / Hotel News / → All Tags
Hey Now, Renaissance By Marriott is Looking Pretty Good These Days
Last year, we toured the Renaissance Pere Marquette in New Orleans and we were a little shocked at what we saw. This was a Renaissance hotel from Marriott? B-b-b-but it was so chic and cool. And (gasp!) sexy.
Yes, it's true, we thought the Renaissance brand from Marriott Hotels was sexy. Back then, a hotel rep told us that it was all a part of the rebranding of Renaissance. Well, it looks like the rebranding has been completed. And as the NYT recently reported, even the logo got a little tweak too:
The unveiling is meant to call attention to the metamorphoses of Renaissance, which has spent more than $2 billion in recent years to move the brand away from bland, partly with sleeker interior design. Renaissance also has a new logo: formerly full of ornate, maroon flourishes, the logo has been edited down to a cleaner, modern letter: R.
While we agree with the Times that the upgrades are formulaic--flat screen, iPod docking station, simple bed linens--the Renaissance rebranding makes a great difference to folks who stay in Marriott hotels for loyalty program points but often find themselves a little underwhelmed by some of the Marriott flagship properties.
Tags: Hotel Packages / Chicago Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
See Chicago With Flair With The Blackstone's Wheel Deal
Forget renting a car during your trip to Chicago. If you buy The Blackstone's Bike Chicago package, you'll get a duo of collapsible two-wheelers to take your own tour of the Windy City. It's a win-win, since it's environmentally friendly and it sure beats the hotel's staggering $47 daily valet parking fee.
The Blackstone, a Marriott property, provides a bike map, which is good because there are tons of places to pedal to in this bike-friendly city. For a good ride, roll through nearby Grant Park to see the iconic Buckingham Fountain and then hop on the scenic, busy lakefront paved path and head north.
Tags: San Francisco Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / New York Times / → All Tags
NYT Reviews Stanford Court, Hotel Best Summed Up as "Meh"
Have you stayed at The Stanford Court lately? Let us know about your experience by commenting below.
If we had to sum up this week's edition of The New York Times' "Check In, Check Out" hotel review, it would be, "Meh." Not the review itself, that is, but the writer's hotel experience. There isn't a more evocative quasi-word out there.
The Times takes us to San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, where The Stanford Court's newly renovated digs offer nice views of the city skyline (sometimes). Caveat: that means a good amount of hilly hiking if you're planning on walking to popular tourist destinations like Union Square and Chinatown. The overhauled rooms are deemed decent, if derivative. Decor, which includes upgrades like LCD televisions and granite accents are described as "ripped from the Pottery Barn catalog with various elements lifted from the W Hotels chain and middlebrow condominium decorators."
Tags: Hotel Carpets / Snapshot / Manhattan Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
It's a Fugly Carpet Renaissance in Times Square
Where: Two Times Square, 714 Seventh Avenue at W. 48th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10036
Hey! We haven't giggled about some fugly carpet in a while. And this one comes from the center of the universe, NYC, and perhaps we may one day get lucky enough to unearth enough fugly carpets to declare this place the Fugly Carpet Capital of the World.
Also, it's Friday afternoon and we want to end the week on a smiley note. This shot comes from eryoni on Flickr, and it's from (we're pretty sure) the Renaissance Times Square, where rates start at about $299 these days.
And it sort of reminds us of an 80's arcade game, no? Meh — at least it won't show too many stains from the touristy sneakers trudging all over it if New York sees another soaking wet week like the one we just had.
[Photo: Eryoni]
Tags: Hotel Art / Washington DC Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
DC's Renaissance M Street Hearts the Local Arts
In these oh-so-shaky economic times, you’ve got to feel sorry for graduating college seniors. And when you consider the fates of art students — you know, those creative kids who have pretty much always looked forward to uncertain job prospects — things might seem particularly dire.
In Washington DC, the Renaissance M Street Hotel is doing its part to skip the pity party and celebrate the accomplishments of local aspiring artists. A new exhibit showcases the works of contemporary art works from graduating seniors of DC’s Corcoran College of Art + Design. The artworks will change quarterly, each time featuring 8 to 12 student works in the hotel’s M Bar lobby lounge and restaurant with the goal of introducing guests to “a new generation of modern American artists.”
Tags: Hotel Contests / YouTube / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
Spike Lee and Renaissance Hotels Want Your YouTube Masterpieces
Spike Lee and Renaissance Hotels have teamed up in the search for the "next big filmmaker," YouTube-style. (But, you know, in a marketing-branding sort of way.) The concept is pretty straightforward: Renaissance wants budding filmmakers to create short films to be entered in an international advertising competition sponsored by MOFILM, the self-professed "world's biggest global mobile short film festival."
The catch? Why, films must focus on Renaissance, of course, with the film that "best exemplifies the brand" to take top prize.
Schilling for a corporate brand aside, the prizes are pretty sweet. The winning film will be showcased at the Spike Lee-hosted Cannes Lions film festival to be held June 21-27. That alone is pretty good exposure for a budding film type, but it gets better: The winner will also receive a 7 day/6 night trip to a major film festival of their choice (options aren't too shabby: Paris, New York, London, Hollywood, Toronto, Miami, or Sydney) and be invited to join Spike Lee at the ad festival, where the film will compete for the festival's $12,000 grand prize (plus an apprenticeship with Spike Lee himself). Second and third place winners nab cash prizes ($750 and $500, respectively).
Contestants have until June 8th to submit their videos on the MOFILM website. You can find full details here.
[Photo: Jim Cooper / AP]
Tags: Hotel Openings / Marriott Hotels / Pink Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
The New Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Does Pink Tastefully
Some of us here at HC are fans of pink. Like, big fans of pink — to the point that one of our most indulgent (and fairly unrealistic) hotel fantasies is to live in the Schiaparelli Suite at the London May Fair for all eternity.
So it is only fitting that we're just a wee bit more excited than usual to report the opening of a new hotel in Paris — from a chain/brand we already know — due to the apparent (tasteful!) touches of pink incorporated into the guest room design. The ideally-located Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe opens in the City of Light today, complete with super-funky, modern design elements — and enough pink to calm and satisfy everyone.
Tags: Killer View / Toronto Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / Baseball Hotels / Hotels-Near-MLB-Stadiums / → All Tags
Renaissance Toronto's View Will Keep You There Extra Innings
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
A couple seasons ago, we gave you a pretty comprehensive look at all the hotels near MLB stadiums — but this one, excuse the atrocious pun, is sort of the Grand Slam of MLB stadium views.
Behold the view of the baseball field at Toronto's Rogers Centre (formerly known as the SkyDome), home of the Blue Jays, from the Renaissance Toronto Downtown Hotel. No, seriously. This is for reals a view from a room.
Tags: Art Hotels / Hotel Packages / Boston Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
'Hope' Poster Artist Drops Into Renaissance Boston Waterfront
Artist Shepard Fairey (right) with David Keamy, Renaissance Boston's Director of Marketing.
Shepard Fairey, a name we recognize as the now-famous LA street artist whose claim to commercial greatness is the ubiquitous Obama "HOPE" poster, is in Boston for the opening of his new exhibit at Boston Institute of Contemporary Art. The exhibit, "Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand," opens today and runs until mid-August and features his "screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages, and works on wood, metal, and canvas."
And where does one of the most famous living artists stay when hitting up Beantown? Apparently, the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel — and, in celebration of the exhibit opening, the hotel is offering the full Shepherd Fairey experience (well, short of meeting him) to guests.
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
