On a business trip, I had a chance to stay in the very contemporary and dare I say, ‘sassy’ Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel. This hotel had everything, except for an upgrade for a (then) gold member.
Location
On the banks of the Maumee River, the Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel is perhaps the premier property in the city. Conveniently located for downtown business access, walking distance from excellent restaurants and next door to the Imagination Station (Children’s science museum) there is something for everyone at this property.
444 N Summit St, Toledo, OH 43604
+1 (419) 244-2444
Room
At the time I checked in, I was a Marriott Gold, via match from SPG Gold (which I had received courtesy of my American Express Platinum card. I was conducting a Marriott Platinum challenge but was not yet a Platinum status holder and as such did not receive an upgrade above the room level I booked. That’s fair enough but I won’t likely be back to Toledo for some time so unfortunately, I won’t be able to report on what a suite looks like at this location.
The room was a little small in my opinion and I wish that they had found a way to make the rooms a little larger, though they were clever how they used the space.
Bathroom
The bathroom was clean and updated like the rest of the property. It had some clever sayings here and there, the mirror was too smart for its own good. I was pleased to see that the hotel didn’t use a shower over tub as I loathe them. The bathroom was a little larger than needed for the room, there was some wasted space in there that may have made the room feel bigger if better distributed.
Property
The property was contemporary and maybe even a little too cool for an old man like me (33 years old). I always found myself to be more comfortable at Andaz properties than W hotels, finding some of the kitsch to cheapen the experience. At this Renaissance, I think they did a good job of keeping their design clever but not too clever. It’s certainly a nice upgrade from the last Renaissance I stayed in. Some of it doesn’t make sense to me admittedly. There was a classic military Jeep in the hotel lobby that didn’t really make sense, but what do I know, I am just a paying guest, not an interior designer.
Lounge
I was able to make it into the lounge in the afternoon, though I had morning commitments that had me out of the building before sunrise and was not able to drop by for breakfast. In my experience, lounges either do breakfast well but not afternoon cocktails, do both breakfast and even cocktails well or are lacking at both services. With one exception, evening cocktails and food selection are not usually as good as breakfast offerings. I can therefore only speculate that breakfast will exceed these excellent offerings.
Have you stayed at this property? Is there a better hotel in Toledo, OH? Share it in the comments.
The military Jeeps in WWII were manufactured in North Toledo, hence the Jeep in the lobby.
Ah, a little local flair. Fair enough.
MASH. The whole thing, from the art in the room to the Jeep, is a reference to the tv show MASH. Klinger was from Toledo.
If you come back, we will take you to a Mud Hens game and Tony Packos! Toledo is making strides, and thank you for the review. (Just came back from Andaz Napa—Andaz is a great brand)
You bet, when work calls me back to Toledo, I’ll look you up.
I stayed here not long after it opened. The restaurant is popular with locals, which is a good sign. I thought the rooms were not well insulated from noise because you could hear everything in the hallways. The only other issue, which is somewhat expected, is there’s nothing to do in downtown Toledo except bars and an occasional sports game. Toledo’s downtown is otherwise empty with virtually no retail shopping or anything of that sort. As for upgrades, as a platinum premier I didn’t get one either. I stayed for two nights.
I am more and more concerned about the SPG merger given the challenges for Marriott properties with upgrades for top-tier members.
There is plenty to do in downtown Toledo. Next time you are in town check out:
-Shopping: Handmade Toledo, Jupmode, Libbey Glassoutlet, Floral Pursuit, Paula Brown Shop, Hensville. (Check out downtown Toledo’s webpage for more)
-Things to do: The arts scene downtown is dynamic. There are over 20 galleries. The Valentine Theatre, Toledo Art Museum, Village on Adams, and the Warehouse District