Renaissance Denver Hotel & Conference Center

My overall hotel stay was very pleasant, and I want to be clear that my complaint is not about the hotel itself. The front desk staff was excellent, the property was clean, and I have stayed at this hotel more than 10 times without ever having a major issue. Historically, I have had good experiences here, which is why this particular stay was so disappointing. During my most recent stay, everything on the hotel side was fine, but the restaurant service was unacceptable. I waited approximately 1 hour and 23 minutes just to receive a glass of water and place a food order. The restaurant did not appear to be busy, and despite giving clear signals that I was ready to order, I felt ignored for an unreasonable amount of time. When my order was finally taken, it was incorrect. The food was then delivered cold and not properly cooked. This was especially frustrating because I eat at this restaurant regularly and usually order the same meal, so this was not a matter of confusion or unfamiliarity with the menu. I have had good food here in the past, which makes this experience stand out even more. What made the situation worse is that, during a previous visit that same week, I charged my meal to my room and did not write in a tip on the receipt. A few days later, the service I received felt noticeably different and, frankly, it felt retaliatory. I understand that tips are important, and I have worked in the restaurant industry myself, but service should never depend on whether a customer writes in a tip on one specific receipt. The most concerning part is that after I checked out, it appeared that the tip section was filled in without my authorization and a tip was added that I did not approve. That is extremely serious and completely unacceptable. I do not have an issue leaving tips when service is provided properly, and in many cases my stay is paid through corporate arrangements, but no employee should ever complete a tip line on behalf of a guest. This was one of the worst restaurant service experiences I have ever had. Even lower-rated restaurants generally provide better attention, better communication, and more respect toward guests. Again, I do not want this to take away from the hotel staff, because the front desk and property experience were good. My concern is specifically with the restaurant staff and the service standards in that area. I also noticed what may be a change in management or staff, because this experience did not match my previous stays. I strongly recommend that management review this matter carefully and make sure staff are not encouraged, allowed, or overlooked when providing poor service based on gratuity expectations. Guests should be treated professionally whether they leave a tip, charge to the room, pay by card, or pay another way. This is not personal. I am leaving this review because the experience was bad enough that it affected my willingness to stay here again. I have always liked this property, but this restaurant experience made me consider staying elsewhere near Gateway Park in the future, where I have consistently had positive service. I hope management understands the seriousness of this complaint and takes it as an opportunity to correct the issue. The hotel itself has many positives, but the restaurant service during this stay was unacceptable and should not be repeated with any guest.

We have stayed here in the past, and that experience was great. Friendly helpful staff, beautiful rooms, and awesome amenities. Our second stay was just as nice, the only thing that we were disappointed in was the pool; it's always hit or miss with pools and hot tubs. During our last stay the pools were well maintained and heated. This time around not so much, the pools were cold, and when we asked we were told they would speak to the engineer. Hopefully, our next stay will be better, because really love this hotel when we visit Denver ❤️

Pros: Great location, staff was friendly and professional. Fresh fruit-infused water in the lobby. Lots of comfy seating and outlets. Housekeeping was excellent. Room was good temperature. Safety was great since you have to have a room key card to access any floor in the elevators. Gym was easy to use and clean, lots of machine options. Cons: the pool could’ve used more frequent skimming of the top (bugs, leaves, etc), right outside the elevator smells like feet. The open concept/layout, while giving a great view down to the lobby, means you can hear all the noise/conversation from your room. Wish they had given an option to have a quiet section for those who go to bed early to not have to hear everything into the night. there is a staff member who smokes right by the entrance every day, so we had to rush through with our baby. Right next to an Avis/Budget so very easy to rent a car if you need it!

Nice hotel for the most part. Has some cool family friendly amenities. We stay for 3 nights and 4 days. Our room smelt gross when we first arrived so we had to open the door to the balcony to air it out assuming it was probably from cleaning. Our blanket had burn holes in it. A pillow case had stuff on it. We asked for new bedding instead we got a hospital style blanket. Then had to ask another 3 times for new bedding and didn’t get it until the the night before we checked out in the am at 7 at night because someone had come to our door asking if we needed towels. They also charged my card two times without my knowledge. One was for $21 for “expected parking fees” that I was due to pay at the end of my stay. That is suppose to be returned after check out. Then I got the $150 damage deposit fee charged as well without even being told they were charging it. I was just told they needed a card on file. Never once did she say they were going to charge either of these to my card until I checked out. Nor was it written in anything. The hotel itself is decent. Not in a good area at all but it does look nice. Was just disappointed with the lack of transparency and bedding issue.