I will admit I am a bit naive when it comes to staying at high end hotels. So when we were able to book comped rooms at various downtown Cleveland hotels (courtesy of Total Rewards and the Horseshoe Casino), I jumped at the chance. Who would not want to rub elbows in the elevator with baseball players and live in a luxurious lifestyle? Even Polka Dot stayed for free an extra night at the Ritz.

So I really had no preconceived thoughts on the Renaissance Cleveland (Marriott), other than I knew it was an elegantly appointed high end luxury brand in downtown Cleveland.

The lobby was elegantly appointed with marble columns, beautiful chandeliers, and a fountain, which was the highlight of our boys visit. Also on the main lobby level were two restaurants and a separate bar area, all of which we did not go into.

If they ever go to remodel and get rid of the chandeliers, let me know where to go for that garage sale.

After going up to our room on the seven floor, that is when some of the Awe got taken away. The first impression of the room was how small it was. Our room had two double beds that were all the way up against the walls with no room to walk around the outsides. In a way, I kind of liked that feature though because I could sit between both beds and not have to worry about the boys jumping off the outside of the beds. The room also had an adequate desk area and flat screen television.

The downside besides the space, was there was no fridge located in the room. Kind of a bummer, and if we had not brought ice packs from home to keep the boys milk cold, we would have had to use the ice bucket.

The bathroom was of adequate size, though dated and in real need of renovation. Bath amenities were Aveda brand, which my wife was excited about. My only recommendation for the hotel is that by spreading them around the bathroom (some on the sink, some in the shower), they really lost their impression, and I kept wondering where are all the rest of the amenities.

Another thing that really started to show the difference between staying at the Ritz Carlton and the Renaissance is that the bottle (not even bottles with a “s”) of water in the room was $3. While I would fully expect that in a Holiday Inn or Hampton, I had come to appreciate that the Ritz Carlton had bottles all around the room that were included in the nightly price. I have even since heard that possibly the fully stocked mini-bar was included in the price. I might just have to try and get another night this summer and test that theory out.

Just like at the Ritz, our main goal was to take the boys swimming. The fitness center and pool were located in the central atrium of the building, which was pretty in its own right. The area was rather 70-80s dated by the colors and decor, but it was acceptable to us. However, when it comes to kids, we had several concerns.

• The pool liner was flaking off into the pool and the jets and skimmers were really rusty and due for replacement.
• The floors were tiled and very slippery when even slightly wet. It was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
• The pool area was surrounded by railing and elevated above the level below. The spindles of the handrails were not spaced to current code (4-inches apart), and kids could easily fall between them onto the level below.

It was also unfortunate that for some reason, both our boys seemed to have little interest in actually swimming, despite my best friend and his family (3 kids) joining us. Hopefully they get back their interest for next weekends stay at the Marriott Key Center.

I also have to comment that a drawback of having the swimming pool in an atrium with rooms surrounding is that people yell out their windows if your children are the slightest bit loud (mind you between 7-9 PM). My recommendation if you are staying at the Renaissance, do not get a room facing the atrium.

So while there were some definite safety concerns for staying at the Renaissance Cleveland, the hotel itself was actually quite suitable compared to what we were used to staying at previously. The only exception to the rule is the Ritz Carlton from the week previous. Now that I have seen the gold standard at the Ritz, it is tough to compare properties.

Polka Dot also must have agreed, as he did not option to stay an additional night at the Renaissance.

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