Renaissance Austin Hotel

Here on business for the TCTELA conference. The location is great for locals (chain restaurants and shopping close by) but pretty far away from those classic Austin spots that tourists want to visit/​eat.
The rooms are a good size and were kept clean during our stay. I appreciate the desk area and the lounge chair (in the room with double Queen), but the décor is a bit weird. My standing mirror is wearing a belt, and the downstairs lobby by the elevators looks like a college girl brought up part of her dorm décor to fill some shelf space because «omg. It looks SO guuud.»
But who cares.
The conference rooms were a good size; there were hardly any session rooms that were turning away people because of limited room. I mean, I didn’t have to sit on the floor of a session once, and for an English teacher, that’s even better than a presentation free of spelling errors on the PowerPoint slides.
But all of that relief was a bit overshadowed by the fact that I spent the full 72 hours I was there in my coat and scarf, shivering because THE PLACE WAS AN ICEHOUSE. I no longer have any teeth because I shattered them within the first hour of sitting, and I’m pretty sure my nipples froze off into my mediocre Caesar salad during lunch Day 1.
Once the frostbite set in and we entered the delirium stage, my coworkers (what was left of them) and I came up with some potential sources for the frigid air that was being pumped into every vent in the entire hotel at every single moment.
We concluded that what was fancifully labeled the «ballroom» downstairs was really an ice rink that had been covered with the thinnest layer of carpet that can be produced. So when we ate lunch everyday with our full winter coats on thinking it was just our iced water that had us so chilled, it was actually the full slab of ice underneath us that was the source of our pain. Once we figured this out, it made more sense. And made lunch more fun! We bought ice skates and made the best of it.
By the second day, we finally realized that walking outside without any clothes on at all was actually a better solution than staying inside our rooms under our covers with the «heat» turned up to 90.
The front desk staff was very polite and nice. The hot cider by the door was like a silent apology for the 2016 ice age taking place inside. Take a cup when you enter. Better yet, take a bath in it.

It has an impressive exterior and the interior décor is beautiful. The staff is friendly and helpful through the multiple issues we experienced. There is shopping and restaurants within walking distance. While the room décor is nice and the beds are very comfortable, there are NO drawers and only one towel rack. We were told this is because it is «European style.» I’ve been to Europe. They have drawers there. Our room did not have a mini-​fridge even though there is a place it.

I don’t live that far from here but needed a getaway for me and the hubs. This hotel is beautiful from the inside and out. It is in the domain and has lots of shops and restaurants near by within walking distance. When first pulling up we decided to park in the garage. We usually valet but the garage was attached and not far. We parked on the first floor and there was so much space. Upon entrance, the doorman were extremely friendly and insisted on assisting us with our bags. We entered the lobby and it is really unique. Their décor was very eclectic and gave me some awesome ideas.
We were greeted by the friendly lady at the desk just to inform us that our room was not ready. Keep in mind check in is at 3 and we arrived at 5. Hmmm. I was not happy since I had to get ready to go to a reggae event. The manager came over and asked if free drinks at the bar will makeup for our wait. Free drinks at the bar? shhhhh. Ummm YES! LOL
We sat at the bar for about an hour in a half and enjoyed many greg goose tonic. We also shared an appetizer which was pretty good. The bartenders were awesome and they also have many outlets to charge your phone/​laptop at the bar. Needless to say we were feeling pretty good.
Once our room was available we entered and it was at a cold temperature like most hotels. The room was very clean and roomy. The bathroom was nice and everything looked how it looked online when I researched it.
I would definetly go here again. The customer service was great and next time I want to sit on their outdoor balcony with a round table that had a fire pit in the middle. Next time. :)

Stayed here again as my company gets everyone rooms for our annual Christmas party. Same great experience as last year… easy check in, room was nice, service at the bar was good. The giant Christmas tree in the lobby was gorgeous as usual. We didn’t do room service this time as we left early.

Here’s what I liked: near lots of shops, easy access to the trails in the beautiful arboretum, awesome décor (very fresh, modern, upscale), lots of rooms with internal open access to the large atrium area, friendly staff at check in counter (I was feeling ill and they let me into a room hours before check in time), excellent waitress in hotel restaurant, pretty fabulous linens (sheets and towels), cool artwork and nice furniture (in rooms and in common area), awesome workout room
Here’s what I didn’t like: not a single drawer in the room (I like to unpack from my suitcase, and this made it impossible), no little fridge in the space for the fridge, still a charge for internet use (c’mon, it’s 2015), pretty far from downtown ($ 18 Über rides to downtown), food pretty bland in the hotel restaurant (big on presentation, low on flavor), manager in the hotel restaurant sort of walked around and didn’t help much (as a former waitress, this bothered me — it was busy and there were a lot of tables that needed bussing).

Stylish Austin Arboretum hotel, 9 miles from downtown
Convenient proximity to shopping at The Domain.
And the most important detail is (they use Aveda products in the bathroom)
My assistant did a terrible job booking my room because I did not have a mini fridge! ice in sink makes great beer and fireball cooler!

Modern facilities although my room didn’t have dressers for some reason, great locations with shops and restaurants nearby within walking distance, and poor service.
Particularly the banquet people. Staff would try to take my plate away while I am still eating and then not clear the table when I am done. Instead they loudly chat and gossip with each other while a presentation is going on. I’ve never seen just poorly trained staff. One of the servers did not understand English enough to understand the difference between hot tea and iced tea.
I would look to another hotel if I needed to handle a conference/​banquet.

I have updated my review to reflect my current stay. The banging is finally over. I’m glad to say that every night I have stayed at this hotel has been peaceful.

For the price you pay to stay at The Renaissance Hotel, I was expecting a little more. Considered to be a swanky hotel, the location and entrance I get, but the rooms I really didn’t get. A very spacious room for a two bedroom, but then I realized, there’s no dresser, a tiny closet, and more space for the big mirror next to the window, and it just felt like it was missing something. Maybe the interior designer should have worked more with the right spacing because the two beds were definitely close to each other and then a whole lot of room for a single guest chair and ottoman. The smell of the hallway and room carpets seemed «old», that muggy feel. The bathrooms were more «dated» than the rest of the room, and our shower seemed to drain slow, and if you’re sharing the room with others and are on a schedule for showers, it sucks. But I did enjoy the beds and pillows, they were very comfortable and easy to sink into to have a good night’s rest. They also have two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. I played around in the indoor pool since we had kids with us, and it was nice to cool off from the Texas heat.
Overall, the hotel was a mediocre, and if you’re willing to spend money, I would suggest keep searching around especially something closer in town.

Obviously hotel reviews are relative. If this had been a $ 49-​a-​night Motel 6 I’d have given it a rave review, but it was a $ 200-​a-​night 4-​star hotel/​conference center. Although the room is quite nice it didn’t have everything I’ve come to expect from such a property and the service level was not up to those standards either.
What I expect from a 4-​star hotel that the Renaissance didn’t offer:
(1) an in-​room dresser (really not ideal to have to dig through your suitcase for a 4+ night stay);
(2) some sound-​system interface to play music in the room whether through a dock or an auxiliary cord (this room featured an alarm clock from the 90s);
(3) a polite and helpful staff (I had multiple encounters with staff that did not seem interested in helping me out and had to wait for over 30 minutes for someone to let me into my room when I accidentally walked out without my keycard);
(4) free wifi (I know there is a pretty good split on those that offer it and don’t, but $ 10 a night for wifi is just ridiculous)
I would also not recommend the Renaissance based strictly on the location. Unless you really need to be close to a Target and a Macaroni grill you can definitely find more appealing places to stay in Austin. This was a $ 20 cab ride away from any desirable locales.
However, the bed was very comfortable and the work-​out room was one of the best I’ve seen in a hotel.

This review is for the Knotty Deck, the gorgeous space outside their lobby bar. I’m local so I’ve never stayed at the hotel proper, but I’ve been to many events, meetings and the bar here often over the past 20 years.
Recently they revamped their lobby bar with a beautiful deck space they call the Knotty Deck. I went to a really nice Unilocal event there, was impressed with the updates, and promised myself we’d add it to our list of places near our ‘hood for an outside cocktail.
I’ll just say this about last night’s experience at the KD. I don’t think they’re particularly interested in locals. Expensive, very limited happy hour both in terms of time (ends at 6 which effectively eliminates tons of potential customers) and selection (beer and wine and Titos only are included in HH pricing).
Most egregious of all, for a particular bugaboo of mine, was the charcuterie plate. It had a decent enough selection of items, and the pâté was very good, creamy and delicious. But the platter contained four — that’s 4 — small pieces of sliced baguette. I assume they felt patrons would just start using their fingers to scoop pâté out of the mini-​mason jar. The KD is certainly not alone in this, but they do take it to a new low. I can’t stand it when places skimp on slices of the cheapest item of a charcuterie, and we have to request more bread, I assume its a «form over function» error where they’re trying to make it look nicer, and emphasize the meats and cheeses and such. But its like giving someone a bowl of salsa and four chips. Just bring a small basket with sliced bread rounds already.
Service was spotty, pleasant enough, if not timely. It was a beautiful early evening and once the sun got behind the horizon, it was very comfortable on the deck. I don’t know what it will be like on that deck in the summer, the sun was pretty much blazing on a March day, I imagine it will be a roasting pan in July and August.
For me, they’re kind of like The Oasis. Beautiful view, but that’s about it, and a place that locals don’t really go.

There aren’t a lot of things that piss me off, but sadly today was one of those times that it really did. This review is strictly based on my valet experience at the hotel, nothing else.
I had a work conference here today and as ladies do, took a considerable amount of time to get ready and look nice. The weather was terrible out, raining and cold, so when I arrived this morning I splurged and did valet because I figured it was worth it. Not that I had much of a choice either way, as about every free space was already taken.
The valet guy told me it would be $ 16 for the day and I agreed. I went in and proceeded to be on my feet for the rest of the day in a poor choice of heels (my fault, as I didn’t anticipate there would be that much standing). I was so glad once the event ended because all I could think about was taking those suckers off once getting back in my car.
I took my slip to the front desk, paid the balance, and waited by the door for my car to arrive. Instead a guy came in holding my keys and asking for me. He said he couldn’t get my ignition to start and I told him he just needed to turn it a few times since it has a tendency to get stuck. Usually it works after one or two turns, even when it’s being the most difficult.
I guess he didn’t feel the need to try again as he handed my keys over and made me walk outside to the edge of the parking garage with him, feet screaming at me the whole time. He told me to go up a flight of stairs and that my car would be on the right. More like 15 cars down on the right to be exact. So to summarize, no $ 16 did not seem like a worthy splurge when I still had to fetch my own car, in the freezing cold, all gussied up, and with aching feet. And by the way? My ignition started on the first try for me after sitting down. So that was the awesome cherry on top of my cake of complete annoyance.

Whoa.
Okay, let me first state that I have used Priceline for «upscale» hotels in the past and have pretty much been disappointed tied with «well, I *did* only pay x-​amount, so I guess it’s worth it.» Most notably, I was placed in an ADA room on the first floor at a Sheraton. Pretty much saying to me, «here’s what we had left.»
Contrasting this experience, I arrive at the Renaissance for my New Years «staycation» and I was not only treated like every other guest, but was asked if I wanted a «single, two queens or a king».
What?! I have a choice?! I honestly pictured my name attached to only one room and it’s the least desirable to stay in due to being a Priceline customer and arriving a few hours after check in starts.
After that, I thought, «Surely, the rooms can’t be that great…» Well, I was wrong there, too.
The room (539) was severely spacious, with a chair and a chaise in a little seating area (loved that) and even the chair to the desk in the room was really comfortable.
The bed? Also super comfy and my rest ruled. The tv also is pretty big and swiveled well for when I was in the seating area (yes, I know I sound easily impressed — but, it’s the little things sometimes).
The bathroom also was nice. Loved the picture in it, the shower head and the Aveda products.
Also, it’s worth sharing that the location is lovely as far as nearby restaurants and shopping (excited for my brunch at z’tejas before I head back down south).
And, the drink and app I had at the bar last night were GREAT. They even utilize their own garden for the basil they use in their cocktails. That’s fancy but it felt low key, too.
Last but not least, there’s both an outdoor and indoor pool (as well as gym). I wish I had a bathing suit to check out the indoor, but just the fact it’s there and at a relatively low cost hotel (deal searching depending) is really cool.
Highly recommend. Especially if you’re looking for a good relaxing «staycation» in the area

So, I don’t really make it a thing to stay at hotels in my own town but I’d have to say, I’m glad when I do — that it’s worth it.
I stayed here post an event that was hosted on the Knotty Deck and rather than risk getting in trouble with the law and driving back home, my honey and I thought it best to stay the night.
First off, the Knotty Deck is awesome. I couldn’t tell if they just constructed this area or if it has always been here but it is a great spot. The view is wonderful and the deck ambiance was amazing. The furniture is stylish but comfy at the same time.
The hotel room itself was very modern. I love hotel beds with big fluffy white down comforters that you can just plop onto and disappear into. The other bonus of the room was how dark it gets in there. Close the curtains and it is pitch black in there — perfect for sleeping in. Dark cold room, comfy bed and comforter — this has it all. Only minus on the room is there isn’t a fridge if you wanted to put some drinks in there (but I was aware of this from reading other reviews).
The workout room had a sign apologizing for the look of the room due to renovations but it looked pretty ok to me. If I had been in the mood to work out this place had a pretty decent variety of machines to use. The cardio equipment had a personal tv on each machine. Definitely a plus and makes cardio a little less painful. Plus they offer flavored water and regular water. Always good to help prevent dehydration.
Not sure if I’d do another staycation, but for those coming to Austin — definitely a place I’d recommend. Oh and another plus — I was told by the GM it’s a pet-​friendly hotel as well. Bonus!

Visited the Knotty Deck for drinks and snacks which was great! The servers here are outstanding. I really enjoyed the overly cheesy quesadillas and the lavender lemon drop. The knotty deck has a relaxed atmosphere with extremely comfortable seating, a very cool suspended fire pit and great live music. The sound system for the musician was beautiful and you could hear him clearly anywhere on the deck. It backs onto trees, so the are no distracting sounds like traffic, and also provides a more intimate feel.
The inside of the hotel looks really nice as you walk back to the knotty deck area. I love the atrium, as it makes the hotel feel very grand. The seating area near the reception desk looked very modern and cool. Also liked the look of the bar and lounge area. We had a tour of one of the hotel rooms which was very open, clean and modern. It also had three televisions! Love the glass elevator looking into the atrium. Fish tank in the main hotel area was also beautiful. Definitely check this place out whether you are booking a room or want to get drinks out on the knotty deck.

First off, I never even knew the hotel, let alone the Knotty Deck w/​its swanky lounge feel, über mod fire pit, and even swankier views, even existed!
The drinks and noms here are absolutely delectable with the lavender lemondrop and aged cocktails being the highlights for me. I was in love with the quesadillas and sliders as well! They have a specialty aged cocktail called the Pecan Praline Sazerac from Mike, the Cocktail Craftologist extraordinaire, that I got to sample and was enough to have me coming back for a full serving in about a month!
I got a tour of the property to showcase the recent multi-​million dollar renovations they did here and it shows! From the über-​swanky suite to the ballroom and just the lobby itself… the Renaissance and its staff were a class act all around and I loved everything about it!
This place is a hidden Arboretum gem and I was so happy to make the discovery!
Look forward to coming back for happy hour and sending visiting family for a stay here!

It’s a beautiful hotel located in North Austin. Very upscale and I would recommend this place for people coming to visit if they don’t want to be bothered with the madness of downtown Austin. I was here for a Unilocal Event which took place at the #KnottyDeck which is a nice space to go to on a nice summer night.
Their lobby restrooms have a salt scrub where you can sample it. I sure did sample the scrub it didn’t dry out my hands. The lobby is vast and has a sunroof on top to give it natural light. You can see the elevators go up and down various floors. When you take the elevators you can see the lobby.
I was given a tour of the Ballroom, the Conference Room and the Signature Suite. All are beautiful and modern. This is a perfect hotel for a staycation.

5 star all freaking around.
FYI. I live walking distance of this hotel but I decided to splurge on a staycation after a crazy work week to unwind and it totally was worth it. We walked through and immediately fell in love with the beautiful décor. I typically walk through every so often because I walk to the arboretum plenty and was not disappointed withe service.
Upon walking in Andrew came and helped us get checked in, my simple request on my hotel reservation was «highest floor possible for the type of room booked».
He did not disappoint as he gave us the 7^th floor facing the 360 hill country view and I got to see the sunset and beautiful Austin scene through our room. Absolutely breathtaking. The only thing I saw was a left over plate on the outside of our room when we walked to our room but after setting our bags in and walking out (not more than 5 – 10 minutes) it was GONE! That was main gripe and it instantly disappeared, their staff are like those elves in Harry Potter and do their magic around the house. I was so pleased that they did a great job outside AND inside our room.
Going downstairs I noted all the fresh beautiful flowers, the candles that were lit and the many beautiful pieces of furniture that look like they came out of a catalogue of gallerie Z or crate and barrel. They have MAJOR props for attention to detail and the beautiful pieces at the lobby and bar are gorgeous.
Heading towards the new Knotty Dock I was nervous, from the windows and a distance it looked breathtaking! Once we walked out there, I was blown away by how much they take notice of all the pieces of décor. There was a huge bar table that was made from one whole piece of solid wood that served beer in ice, a huge fire place encased at a beautiful circular table and many patio seats with large umbrellas to give shade and style!
As I walked out onto the deck, I made a comment to the left of 2 best egg chairs that I saw that I’ve been always wanting to purchase but never have pulled the trigger. They were amazingly crafted and fit in with the arbor décor that I saw the bar stools and other pieces flowed with. The general manager over heard my comment and told me I had to make sure I got a chance to sit on them before I left as those chairs were $ 3000 each. HOLY COW. I sat on $ 3000 chairs, they were the comfiest things ever. I never wanted to leave them as I snagged a spot at the end of the night.
They make their drinks and their apps tasty. I must have had 4 sliders, 6 drinks and too much ice cream. I am so glad that they live up to the service that I anticipated from as they have a beautiful lobby versus the other hotels I’ve contemplated from within the Domain.
Renaissance Austin is fancy and they know it BUT they are not pretentious at all. I saw many of their employees, the ones that weren’t servers, but in fancy suits running after napkins that had blown away in the wind and their true attention to keeping the place clean and well kept for guests pleasures. I am glad that I had the chance to stay with them and have recommended many who have come to Austin for business to go here per reaching out to their liaison of corporate discounts. After personally staying with them tonight, I will swear by none other! They give a great representation of Austin while giving guests a well deserved stay.
Ps. A plus is they’re surrounded by a ton of food places should you want to explore and not eat hotel food either!
Pps. Barnes and noble is close by should you want to do some reading in a bookstore!

Beautiful hotel in the Arboretum area of Austin. This hotel has a grand front entrance and a spectacular rotunda showcasing all the rooms as the glass elevators whisk you up to your amazing room.
This hotel definitely caters to the business traveler as I have not encountered any children during my stay. It has amazing outdoor chill areas, a beautiful outdoor pool, heated inside pool, gym, sauna, and tons of meeting rooms. The room has a nice living room, plush bed, sufficient work desk, full length wardrobe mirror, high-​quality plush towels, refrigerator that wasn’t stuffed with anything they charge you for within seconds of removal, and a very chic and well-​lit bathroom. Even with a room by the elevator, I was not awaken by any noise at all.
Why isn’t it a 5 star hotel? With so much focus on the business traveler, why doesn’t this hotel offer free wifi? Instead, it charges $ 10 a day for normal speed and $ 15 for high speed. The other factor that withholds the 5^th star is the non-​existence of a stand-​alone shower instead of the tub-​shower combo.

This hotel was perfect for the conference I attended. I love how most of the rooms open to the large center atrium. My room with a king size bed was large and had a lovely lounge area with a large mirror that allowed me to examine my entire outfit.
The staff were all very helpful and friendly. I never saw house keeping, but my room was cleaned daily with new toiletries added every day. Our conference was in the interior ballroom which was very large and nice. During each of our breaks, the staff laid out snacks for us including huge cookies, muffins, popcorn and ice cream, fruit, tea, lemonade, coffee and more. I had a sausage biscuit on the first day which tasted very nice.
If I had any complaints at all it would be the noise that resonates loudly through the atrium, but conversations usually ended just after midnight. Or the workers outside my window at 8 in the morning. Or the smallish pool. For a conference, this hotel is perfect, but I don’t think I would stay here for vacation. Overall, I am impressed enough to give the Renaissance 4 stars.