jason8612

Heres what I got offered as an upgrade.

Choice of 24hr unlimited internet or 24hr unlimited movies
Choice of continental breakfast or full English (thats not a choice - full English of course!)
Upgrade to a executive room
executive lounge access (yes they are open on the weekend)
All this for 40GBP

BTW my rate is a priceline for 65USD.
I declined this for a few reasons. 1. I got internet through Boingo. its Ibahn provider here and 2. I was scheduled to fly out early tomorrow before breakfast, but I changed that just now, and I got a reservation in Covet Gardens for lunch, so I'll be fine. Also I'm very tired so I won't be drinking much.

Room is nice. Bigger than the standard rooms I saw in other parts of London (including my HI I just stayed at) clean, new, nice king size bed. got my trouser press. No view of the runway - Sheraton is in the way (oddly as I was planning to stay there)

Getting to the hotel was easy with the bus. It took a good 1.5hrs from LGW to LHR bus station.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update.

Cheers.

stc

Actually don't the buses from LGW show up at the Central Bus station at LHR?

SkiAdcock

Yes, as I mentioned a few posts above. Cheers.

jexelot

Any experience on the Renaissance? I am a GE member. Its seems xpdia is cheaper than home website. Will I get the points and benifits if booked on a 3rd party website? Thanks!

SkiAdcock

What's a GE member? Marriott has Platinum, Gold, Silver as its tiers.

No you won't get points/bennies if you book via 3rd party website.

Ren LHR is a basic biz hotel; nothing fancy. It was a Radisson in a former life. Depending on when you're staying there you can usually get some decent rates. You may also want to check some of the publicly available codes in the stickey above & see if that brings the rate down for your stay. I know on weekends you can get really inexpensive rates.

Do not take the Hoppa bus to the Ren. You can catch the public busses at the Central Bus Station in Terminal 2 (#105, 140, 185) & the Ren is the 2nd or 3rd stop. On the return to LHR, the Ren is the last stop before Heathrow. The Ren is in the 'free' zone, so no charge unlike the Hoppa, which is 4GBP.

If you want additional information re: the Ren, I'd recommend doing a search on Renaissance Heathrow in this forum. Search is in the upper right section of the forum.

Cheers.

cyberdad

Stayed here in November, and agree with everything Sharon says.

I paid 55 GBP on a Sunday night, but haven't seen that rate recently.

Rooms are smallish for those used to North American standards, but otherwise, clean, well-maintained, and comfortable in every regard.

Definitely take the free bus from the airport. Not only do you save the 4 GBP versus the "Hoppa", but its quicker and more reliable.

Not easy to find much local flavor or charm in a rather standard big airport hotel area, but there is a nice pub with excellent food and atmosphere about 5-10 minutes' walk away. "The Pheasant".

I also don't know what "GE" is (other than my old dishwasher), but I'd think you should have no problem getting points if you book through Expedia.

glg

I'm guessing he means "Gold Elite"...

Okay, here's a bus question. I did the 23 hour transfer trick on the way to EDI 2 summers ago. Stayed at the Marriott, took the bus there, then to Hatton Cross to go sightsee, then tube back to Heathrow and the bus again in the evening. Had a 6AM flight to EDI (there was one more before 24 hours was up, but it didn't have availability), so I took the Hoppa since it I had to leave at 4:45 and was fine to pay to have them pick me up at the door. That said, there was a big divider railing running down the middle of the road. I didn't see an easy crossing point to get the bus back to Heathrow. If it hadn't been so early, which way should I have gone?

xooz

You're right, it is often a trek to find a crossing. From Marriott, I think you have to go right then up the street a fair distance before you can cross near a traffic light.

SkiAdcock

Actually it's not that far. It's almost equidistance between Ren & Marriott, but to answer the poster above you, doing the free bus still would have worked & I think the poster above me is right on turning right & then heading back to the light. It's been a while since I've been on the Marriott side. I'll check it out the next time I'm over. I stay at the Ren because it's always cheaper than the Marriott. On a weekend you can get the 55GBP at the Ren.

PS - I've heard pretty good things about "The Pheasant" pub too. Haven't been there yet since I heard about it after my last stay.

Cheers.

Rom Sac

I've had mixed experiences at this hotel, which I used to stay at fairly often (5-6 times per year). The rooms are small, and the hotel is huge, so the walk to the room can be quite some time. The front desk staff can often be quite slow, and there can be lots of airline staff checking in. It's not a terrible hotel by any means, but I try to avoid it these days (for example, both the Sheratons near LHR are way nicer).

GenevaFlyer

Hi,

One of the very nice things about the Renaissance is the Exec lounge overlooking the running. Sipping on a drink while watching the planes go by is great.

And Sharon, yes, the Pheasant is quite nice.

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

matthandy

Why wouldn't you get the points? Surely you can just present your card at check-in? I've stayed there before, booked through my company travel agent, had points every time.

Personally I didn't really like the hotel. Reminded me of something out of the 80's. Room was clean though, but quite small as mentioned in other posts. The exec lounge is the best thing about the hotel, having your breakfast while all of the 747's from the US and Australia come in right in front of you is quite something!

I found the staff to be ok, but the concierge, on seeing my surname actually started make fun of me, to stern looks by the manager standing next to him. Very unprofessional.

I wouldn't stay there again unless I had to. I actually prefer the Premier Inn which also has great views of the runway from the (from the lobby), the rooms are modern, clean and a good size. The rates vary but I think that they start at around £75 a night during the week.

Of course, if you have the option, stay at the Marriott.

Matt.

Nottingham Nick

Another vote against the Ren - unless it is really cheap.
Lots of other hotels on the Bath Road are better. I haven't stayed there since they skanked me a lot of money for car parking for an overnight stay.

I too am a big fan of the Pheasant - we eat there every time we stay at LHR. See their website .

Nick

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

However - if you like watching planes this hotel is awesome for doing so. Aircraft take-off/land about 50 feet from your window. (Soundproofing means you are good to sleep if you want to.)

Regards

lme ff