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A work event had me in Columbus a few weeks ago. It was held at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel and I stayed in the same venue. While the hotel rooms feel dated, the hotel has made some updates to the common areas and the convention space is great.
Anthony’s Take: This hotel worked perfectly for me since I had an event in the same space. The Club Lounge is a nice addition and was good for grabbing beverages and snacks throughout the day. Elite benefits were otherwise lacking and I could not even get an “upgrade” to a room with a king-sized bed.
Booking
I booked a 2 Queen Beds, Guest Room on a “Member Flexible Rate.” It cost $567 plus taxes and fees for a two-night stay. This was the only room type available at booking and even though I requested a room with a king-sized bed, this was not able to be accommodated. Marriott did away with award charts a few years ago, but standard rooms range between 25,000 and 40,000 points per night if you’re using Marriott Bonvoy® points.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
I took an Uber Comfort from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) and back two days later. This cost $49 for the 7.1-mile drive and took a little more than 10 minutes. Heading back was a bit more expensive and took closer to 20 minutes.
Location
The Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel is located near the Ohio Theatre, German Village, and the Greater Columbus Convention Center. It’s a great downtown location with lots of restaurants and stores nearby.
The lobby has a good amount of seating spread across several rooms.
There is also a coffee bar found here.
Check-in
Check in is located straight ahead when entering from the valet. I arrived around 3:00 PM and my room was ready. The agent was friendly, but informed me that there were no upgrades available. She also did not ask about late checkout, but told me about the Club Lounge. I requested a 2:00 PM checkout and this was granted. I also requested points as a welcome amenity. She then printed my keys and I was off to my room.
The elevators were nearby and worked well throughout my stay.
The elevator lobby and hallways on my floor were clean and in good repair.
An ice machine and microwave were near my room.
2 Queen Beds, Guest Room (1814)
The Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel has 376 guest rooms and 32 suites.
The room opened with a small foyer.
The bathroom was immediately to the left upon entering with a small table and mirror immediately upon entering.
The bathroom was small. It contained a vanity with a single sink, a toilet, and a glassed-in shower.
A bar of KEVIN.MURPHY brand soap was on the counter.
The toilet was wedged between the vanity and the shower. I thought the wallpaper was fun.
The shower was a standard size. Water pressure and temperature were both fine.
More KEVIN.MURPHY toiletries were mounted to the wall in the shower.
The door to the bathroom was the same door for the closet. This was an odd design. It held a luggage rack, an iron, and an ironing board.
The bedroom was to the side. It held two queen-sized beds, a nightstand, a chaise lounge, a desk with chair, and a TV.
The desk filled most of the wall across from the beds. The TV was mounted above it.
A mini-bar area was to the side with water for sale.
A refrigerator was empty for guest use.
A coffee maker, coffee pods, and condiments were on the counter.
The safe was also found here.
The chaise lounge was near the windows.
The windows were filthy and blocked the view.
Club Lounge
The lounge is located on the 21st floor and serves breakfast, snacks, and evening appetizers.
A desk to check access credentials was near the entrance, but was not staffed when I visited.
The lounge has plenty of seating throughout.
Bottled water and some snacks were near the entrance.
Some computers and a printer were available for guest use.
Coffee is available throughout the day. I wish there was a coffee machine.
Snacks were available when I visited.
Soft drinks were available. Beer and wine are offered for purchase later in the evening.
I liked the orchid.
The views were much better from these cleaner windows.
Public Areas & Amenities
Amenities include a fitness center, an outdoor pool, a restaurant, a coffee bar, the Club Lounge, and a mini market next to reception (pictured above).
I did not have the chance to check out the fitness center or pool.
Overall Impression:
The hotel served the need I had while attending an event in the space. I’m not a fan of rooms with multiple beds and found the space dated. That said, it was fine for two nights and I will return in the future for other events held there.
(Hotel Exterior, Pool, and Fitness Center Image Credits: Marriott.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
