JBord

It's been about 3 years since I've stayed there as well, and I've always had a good experience. The lounge hasn't been a problem for me. Good appetizers and drinks in the evening. But like you, I go out of the hotel for real meals.

Blumie

As noted above, I cancelled my last two nights at the Renaissance and moved around the corner to the Klimpton DeWitt. I am so much happier here; it is a much nicer hotel, and is equally well located. There’s no lounge access here (as many have written, Amsterdam probably isn’t a city where you want to be wasting your calories in a hotel lounge in any event), but the room (although equally as small as the Renaissance) and the public spaces are much much nicer and brighter and welcoming. IMHO this is a far superior choice at a similar price point.

rstidolph

Are all the Amsterdam Marriott hotels bad, or is it the Renaissance ? Staying just one night in July pre-cruise, so location is important.

JBord

None of them are bad. Obviously, there are some new mixed reviews on the Renaissance, but it's nowhere near "bad". It's a nice hotel, in a great location.

Based just on personal observation though, I'd say more people here prefer the FS Marriott over the Renaissance, with many people mentioning that they get better upgrades and a nicer lounge there. If those things matter to you, and you like the location, it may be a better choice. But the Ren is not a bad choice, and personally I love the location.

rstidolph

Thank you

i will compare prices between both as it is only one night it should be fine. Any experience, as a Titanium, which one might get us into room earlier. We are arriving around 10:00 AM

JBord

I don't recall ever having an early arrival in Amsterdam, so I don't have any insight. Hopefully others here will.

Blumie

If you read upthread you’ll see that I arrived at 12:00 noon last week, and even though my room was already vacant it took them 2-1/2 hours to clean it for me. That said, I’ve never in 30 years of travel had a hotel object to an early check in if the room is available. But irrespective of your status, if there’s no room available for you there’s nothing they can do.

Blumie

I just checked out of the Klimpton after two nights, which followed three nights at the Renaissance. The Klimpton is a superior hotel in every regard, and is just as well located as the Renaissance, an easy walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station. IMHO the only reasons ever to stay at the Renaissance again are (1) your Bonvoy program addiction is such that you’ll stay at an inferior hotel to get the Bonvoy “benefits”; (2) lounge access is really that important to you; or (3) there is a considerable price difference.

An aside: Café Del Mar, a tiny little coffee shop just down from the Renaissance, is excellent. And Café de Klepel, a 10-15 minute walk from either the Renaissance or the Klimpton, is a wonderful dinner spot. It’s a very difficult reservation to get, so book early. But even if you can’t get a reservation, if you show up at 22:00 or later (we showed up after 23:00 on Sunday night and didn’t feel at all rushed as we shared a bottle of wine, cheese plate and dessert), as the dinner guests begin to leave, you can grab seats at the bar for wine, cheese and dessert. I did that twice during my five nights in town, and snagged a dinner reservation when someone canceled on my last night. I had a wonderful meal (at a very reasonable €120 for two, with a three-course menu and five glasses of wine between the two of us) and highly recommend this place.

vaitape

My wife and I have stayed there multiple times (maybe 5 or 6) since 2014. We agree with the OP. Love the location. Staying again in December for 6 nights on points. We've only been upgraded once, but we find the standard rooms to be just fine - we aren't in the room much anyway. We also have found the CL to be crowded at times but have always enjoyed having it available. Will report back on our experiences for our upcoming trip.

Granted, if we were paying ourselves, we would be staying at the De L'Europe.

twa777

I've been staying at the Renaissance a few times a year for the past five years or so, and it has been my go-to play to stay in Amsterdam. Great location, excellent staff, and a comfortable and nicely stocked lounge. In fact, my stay last fall was amazing, including being invited to a complimentary class in the restaurant on making tiramisu.

However, my stay last month was pretty disappointing. The mattresses were worn out and uncomfortable, and my room smelled of cigarette smoke. And since the hotel was fully booked, they couldn't move me to another room. The explanation was that "it's Amsterdam" and that people smoke in rooms regardless of the rules, but that didn't cure the headache I got from the smoke.

I recognized some of their staff from before, and they are still excellent and tried their best to fix my problems and to make my stay pleasant. Unfortunately their newer staff don't seem as engaged, to the guy at check-in who seemed put-off when I asked how long it might be until my room would be ready.

It's a shame that things aren't as pleasant there as they used to be, but it rather feels like whoever is managing the property no longer feels the need to maintain those standards.

The Amsterdam Marriott was extensively renovated a couple years back. While they made some "interesting" design choices in the rooms, overall I think it's the better option of the two these days.

If you're just looking for a place to stay before a cruise, have you considered the Sheraton at Schiphol Airport? It's directly connected to the train station there, so on cruise day you'd be just a short train trip to Amsterdam Central station.

nldogbert

There was nothing done to compensate you on this and you just accepted it? Not that I am saying we should take every opportunity to fleece, but for me this is one definite no no - as you mentioned yourself, getting a headache from it is certainly not nice. This is why for me when I feel/detect any hint of cigarette/pot/cigar leftover smell in a room - I will not accept anything but an alternative (even a downgrade if it comes to that) as it will just ruin my day.

Re: Service - Sadly, this is how some of the service sector in Amsterdam is these days - the city is just too crowded with tourists and therefore I guess this is the consequences of it. However in general most are still friendly and service oriented.

I also saw your comment on the lounge offerings (in the Marriott Amsterdam thread) - sadly this is the case these days - not only in Amsterdam, but also at these international chain properties in the Hague, Rotterdam, etc...getting Febo quality food is considered these days quite good, as I believe some might not even be up to that quality.

Cheers!

twa777

You're right there -- I should have found some reasonable compensation. Unfortunately any alternative room truly may not have been an option. I was there over the peak of Amsterdam Dance Event, and given the crowds of people waiting in the lobby and lounge I can believe they were fully booked if not overbooked. Also, the front desk staff member trying to help me is someone who's been there for a while, and she seemed sincerely frustrated by the situation and by not having any other rooms she could move me to.

Beyond that I was just so disappointed in how things had become that I suppose other compensation wasn't on my mind -- I just wanted to be able to enjoy my stay. I did document my concerns pretty directly when I received a post-stay survey, but I never heard anything back from that.

Thanks for the comments on the trends regarding service and lounge offerings. I know some of it is also that I've become a bit spoiled from past experiences that have been so good. And despite the changes, the lounge offerings are still regularly better than what I find at pretty much any Marriott in the US.