Review: Renaissance Hotel – Boston Waterfront

After the delay in Washington and the gate debacle upon arriving at Boston, I was just happy to leave the aircraft. Unfortunately, the wait to retrieve my baggage and catch a taxi added another 35 minutes the trip.

Booking

I booked the hotel for $127/night.  By paying with my Marriott Rewards credit card, I was able to earn 5 points per dollar for 635 points and 1,644 points (1,315 base points + 329 bonus points/night-for being a Gold elite). I actually made another rookie mistake on this trip. I wanted to stay at the Marriott Longwharf (which I overlooked as I was searching through the Marriott app).

Arrival

After a 15 minute taxi ride, I arrived at the hotel around 1:40am. This meant that every bar, restaurant was closing in the next 20 minutes. Being unfamiliar with the waterfront area, I was resigned to stay in my room.

Check-in

The lobby was nicely appointed. The check in desk followed the curvature of the building, something that I appreciated.

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There was some seating in the lobby.

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This hallway did not disappoint either.

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Since it was so late, I was the only one in the lobby.  I received a breakfast voucher for the restaurant, that I never used. I am not particularly fond of breakfast. Two complimentary bottles of water were also provided at check-in. My check-in was done within minutes. The late night crowd was returning from the bars as I tried to enter the elevator, I let them have it.

Room

I caught the next elevator and made it to my room on the 21st floor. Upon exiting the elevator, I made a quick right and the room was on my left.

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The room felt small when I entered, but it quickly grew in size.

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On the right was the bathroom.

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On the left was water, coffee, and a mini fridge.

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The tv and desk were to the left when you entered the main room.

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While the bed was on the right.

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At the far wall was a chaise.

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The huge windows were also on this wall. I was able to get some pictures the next morning.

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Dining

As I mentioned above, complimentary breakfast was offered due to my Marriott Gold status. I was also offered a late night delivery option from a local restaurant. The food was what I would describe as delivery, bar food (so I will not put the food or the menu on here).

There was a market and gift shop in the lobby. A host of things for available for purchase.

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The lobby had a lounge, where you could order a drink, read a book, and hold a business meeting. It was a strange space. When I say strange, I felt like the bar area and the lounge were too close together.  The areas were vastly different.

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There was a lobby restaurant, but I wanted to cover it in the next post. I did not have Concierge Lounge access, when I called to the lobby to verify, the agent told me ‘unfortunately, not’.

Fitness

The fitness center included a gym and a spa. I could not get a picture of the gym because it was being used EVERY TIME I tried to take some pics.  Picture this, a long room…some cardio equipment along the left wall…some total gym machines on the right, and open floor space straight ahead on the far wall. That is it, nothing more, nothing less. It was definitely small but it got the job done.

Final Word

 I enjoyed my stay at the Renaissance Boston, even though I did not intend to stay there. It was close to Harpoon, Union Oyster, and Sapore restaurant is definitely a highlight of the property.

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