Renaissance Edmonton Airport, Canada [Master Thread]
Jan 6, 2020 | 4:42 pm
Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel
Renaissance Edmonton Airport, Canada [Master Thread] (16 Photos)
Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel
I wish all airport hotels in North America were as nice as Renaissance Edmonton Airport.While we were only there for one night, I found the property to be quite impressive in a number of ways and I can highly recommend it.In all my hotel reviews I try to present a balanced picture with strengths and weaknesses but at this hotel I have found very little negative to say.
Location
The other airport hotels in Canada which connect to the terminal (Marriott in Montreal, Sheraton in Toronto for example) are typically much more expensive than alternatives that require a shuttle bus and more often than not I end up picking the cheaper options.In Edmonton the price premium of Ren over other hotels was modest and especially in the winter I appreciate just walking to airline check-in rather than the hassle of taking the shuttle bus in the cold.
Room
I booked the entry level room and was upgraded as Marriott Ambassador Elite to a very spacious suite at the end of the hallway which means we did not have noise disturbing us from neighbors or foot traffic in the corridor.The room looks very good relative to North American hotel standards.The hardwood floors give a clean feeling to the room which I much prefer to some hotels with old carpets, the bathroom was bright, furniture in excellent condition, the stand-alone shower was very large, and the bed comfortable.There was also a small nook near the entrance with a sink and mini-fridge in addition to another mini-fridge in the bedroom.The living room had a sofa-bed and could be separated from the bedroom via a door so its a proper suite rather than a junior suite, therefore it can easily host four guests.Most of the room was white including several pieces of furniture with white tops; perhaps too many walls were white especially in the living room so maybe a bit too bland, but was absolutely fine for me this is an airport hotel after all.
Dining
Happy hour in the lounge was 5:30pm-7:30pm.The lounge was quite small but the dcor attractive and it was not crowded at all when we visited so it was a nice place to spend time in the evening.In general I am not a fan of food in most North American lounges; at Renaissance YEG the options were limited but at least the offerings were nice with vegan and chicken tacos which is much better than fried stuff I usually see.They also had soft drinks, fruits, crisps, cookies, and alcohol was available for purchase.
When we arrived in the lounge for breakfast at 9:30am I was surprised to find out that it was already over and food had been taken away the closing time was 9am.Perhaps most guests at this property have an early flight and they found it unnecessary to have breakfast later than 9am, but personally 9am seems too early to close breakfast.When we asked at reception at what time breakfast ends in the restaurant we were told its 11am and as a special favor they gave us vouchers for free breakfast in the restaurant.
If there is one thing I do not like much about Marriott legacy hotels, its that the free elite breakfast for Platinum guests (or above) is normally only in the lounge when there is a lounge, rather than having the option of having breakfast in the restaurant.After all if we eat a breakfast buffet it should not matter much to the hotel whether we eat from the restaurant or from the lounge.However at Renaissance YEG I can see why limiting breakfast to the lounge as the free perk is realistic: there is no buffet in the restaurant; its a la carte only so what you get is much higher quality than a buffet which means they are justified to normally charge for it.The menu had interesting options and we enjoyed our crushed avocado sandwich and the smoked salmon eggs benedicts, which they served along a bowl of fresh fruits.
Sometimes I prefer breakfast in the lounge despite a more limited menu because its more quiet than busy and chaotic restaurants.However in Ren YEG the restaurant looks great and we were all alone in there.
The only minor hesitation I had about booking at Ren YEG was having breakfast in the lounge only and no restaurant, but given how events unfolded we got the best of both worlds : quiet restaurant, creative a la carte menu, and hotel staff giving us a special favor due to the time we came down to breakfast.
Service
Regarding service, during our brief stay all our interactions with staff were all very good.First of all I saw the upgrade was granted proactively in the Marriott app the day before check-in, upon arrival we had a friendly welcome and staff assisted us bringing luggage to our room, they were generous with the breakfast voucher, we had good service in the lounge during happy hour, good service in the restaurant for breakfast, etc.
Gym
The gym had a decent number of machines in good working condition except for a couple of treadmills which only had the image for the TV, no sound.The gym is in front of an indoor pool, both of which were empty when we visited early morning.
Overall
Overall this is a solid hotel which punches above its weight with high marks in almost every category I can think of: nice room hardware, proactive elite upgrade, quality breakfast, above average happy hour in the lounge, good service, location connected to the airport that cannot be beat, and all of this for a reasonable price.
2 questions
Jan 6, 2020 | 9:47 pm
I was comparing cash rates in my review above, not points. Scanning various dates, Fairfield seems to be in the range 100-150 CAD. At Ren rates can spike on random dates and I might not stay there when it's 250 CAD or more, but there are plenty of dates below 200 CAD, and if booked a few months in advance, almost every day is below 150 CAD. Personally I booked one month in advance and paid 140 CAD. Even if Fairfield was at the bottom of the range that day, there is no doubt that I would pay 40 CAD more for Ren. The better location, better room, I would assume better breakfast, plus you get a lounge with happy hour, most likely better service, etc. this is all worth something.
In other cities the hotel connected to the terminal is well over 100 CAD more expensive than alternatives on a regular basis. In YEG there are some dates Ren is less than 10 CAD more than FI. The choice would be a no brainer.
To answer your other question, I do not think parking is free although I did not use it. My purpose of staying there was specifically to save one day of car rental.
Jan 7, 2020 | 6:26 am
Probably not very high occupancy in early January indeed.
Dec 12, 2021 | 7:36 pm
This was my first stay at this property. I selected it simply based on its in-airport terminal location. The points showing for the basic room (2 Queens) was 20,000. I felt the cash rate was better value for me.
I did not see any clear signage for the hotel when I arrived (flight arrivals requires escalator down and then a different escalator back up to the departure level). Since it was a cold but gorgeous day, I walked outside to look.
Ah, there it is. Now I could head back inside.
Once you are past the WestJet, Flair and KLM check-in counters, you can see the entrance to the hotel and doors.
I love this walkway, partly due to the changing mood lighting but mostly the cool carpet with the giant boot/shoe prints
Inside there was some artwork on the walls.
There was a Starbucks, the hotel restaurant, the Halo Bar Bistro and then the large check-in with multiple stations.
This is one of the sitting areas at check-in. I love the colors and design.
Behind is another area called The Library.
Here are photos from the room, end of a hallway on the 8th floor.
Depending on time of day and winds, some plane viewing and wheels up in front of the window.
I love this mirror art.
Washroom.
When I was in the lobby area, a staff member walked by with this plate. I asked if I could take a photo as I thought it was fabulous. He said it was for a VIP guest and I was sure you could also order it off the menu.
Early December 2021 stay
For this stay, I was upgraded to this suite on the 5th floor. By my standards, it was extremely spacious and would be great for a longer stay with family or friends.
To the immediate right of the sliding glass door is the bathroom/shower. Around the corner on the left is a very large closet and storage area with slippers, bathrobes, iron, rug sweeper, and some other items.
And yes, another bright, sunny day in Edmonton.
Part of the reason I stayed here again is I liked it and therefore, also booked an evening get-together here for 10 people. A number of us also booked rooms as we flew in.
I met the Director of Food & Beverage and he and his team arranged the table at the Halo Bar Bistro. We were also lucky to have outstanding service. Food and drink were great to excellent.
We ordered a variety of appetizers
Nachos
and dips
Beef short ribs & pancetta poutine
Perogies with hot bacon onion truffle dip
Yam fries and chipotle mayo
Spiced beef tikki with mango mint dressing and pickled red onion
A few in the group also ordered some mains
Pan-seared salmon with crab and green onion potato cake, spinach, roasted corn succotash
Fish & Chips
The next morning, One of our group invited me to join him for breakfast. He said his Platinum breakfast benefit was offered in the restaurant. (I don't recall if the lounge was open during our stay.)
I chose this and It was excellent.
Other comments:
For stay #1, I called a few days in advance to request some extra items for the room (e.g. towels, duvet, foam pillows). When I arrived for check-in, the person who took my call was working at the desk. She told me that she had requested the items and to let her know if I needed anything else. She also explained a few features in the rooms and about the hotel.
As my status does not include lounge access/breakfast etc, I did not inquire what facilities were open.
A short while after getting to my room and taking some photos, the phone rang and it was the person from check-in asking if everything was ok, or as per my request. I was so impressed.
***
Overall, I found the hotel to be bright, spotless clean, well maintained, and had great food and drink.
I noted in the survey I received after the first stay the staff who were outstanding. Now that I've done 2 stays in 5 weeks, I can say that the majority of the staff I met were exceedingly friendly, helpful and provided excellent service. There were a couple who seem to not focus and provided answers that were incorrect, which I mentioned to the manager on duty as I'd met him twice. And while the breakfast items were excellent, the 2 staff working that morning were not really service oriented.
While it might not be the location of choice if one were needing or wanting to be in the city - or closer to it, I would absolutely go back there for a stay.
Highly recommend.
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Dec 13, 2021 | 12:08 pm
Dec 14, 2021 | 1:57 pm
Thanks!
I have no idea.
On both of my stays, I saw a lot of airline crews (mostly WS but others as well), plus there were quite a few people I spoke with from MSY who were there on business.
***
I forgot to mention in my post above.... while we were having dinner and drinks at Halo Bar Bistro, we saw 2 RCMP officers fly by on Segways. We just laughed, not so much that they came into the hotel, zoomed to the check-in area, spoke to staff and them zoomed out, but it was the speed at which they were zooming that was hilarious.
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Apr 1, 2024 | 3:06 am
