I stayed in the Renaissance Times Square the very first time I visited New York and I was totally and utterly smitten as our cab pulled up to the hotel. Times Square was shining bright for me! Fast forward 10 years, and our first visit to the city since leaving our New York lives on a travelling mission, and we were staying in the Renaissance Times Square for New York Marathon week.
Renaissance Times Square
We stepped out of the cab into the craziness of Times Square and stepped into the sleek and calm Renaissance hotel. After checking in at the ground floor reception desk we took the elevator to the 4th floor lobby where the VIVID Breakfast Lounge, the R bar and the concierge desk are located. The guest rooms are accessed by transferring to a second bank of elevators on the 4th floor.
Ground floor reception:
Check in:
Where to stay in New York, the hotels we love:
We’ve stayed all over the city during our trips to NYC. Here’s some of our faves:
- the Courtyard Soho for its downtown location and price
- SIXTY Lower East Side when we want explore downtown with a bonus rooftop pool!
- Pod 51 is an awesome and funky option close to the Rockefeller Center
- Hi NYC on the Upper West Side is a great hostel option.
- the Knickerbocker and the Greenwich for unrivalled luxury
- the Renaissance Times Square for its Times Square location
- We use booking.com as it usually has awesome prices and flash sales on NYC hotels!
The Rooms
We were allocated a room on the 26th floor overlooking Broadway. The room was spacious with a large king size bed, a chaise lounge, a workspace and a flat screen television.
The bed is incredibly comfortable and the room was very clean and quiet. I don’t mind some street noise but we couldn’t hear any from 26 floors up. The windows opened slightly and it was great to let in some fresh air and city noise.
Our room overlooked Broadway and we could check out the Hershey store and Morgan Stanley from our window:
The Bathroom:
The R Lounge
My favourite place in the entire hotel! I love the R Lounge and its spectacular view of Times Square. It’s a fantastic spot for an evening drink and the cocktails are delicious. It’s sometimes closed for private parties but we had no trouble squeezing in a few nightcaps when we stayed and they accept reservations.
View from the R Lounge:
The Lobby
It’s all happening on the 4th floor! As well as the R Lounge there’s the VIVID Breakfast Lounge and the lobby bar and seating. I love the lobby and its modern décor.
The lobby seating:
The Bar:
Marriott Rewards Platinum Benefits
As a Marriott Platinum Elite member I received the following benefits:
- 500 Marriott rewards points on arrival
- breakfast for two in the R Lounge from Monday to Friday (1000 points in lieu of breakfast at the weekend)
- one appetizer in the R Lounge from Monday to Thursday
Eating breakfast in the R Lounge is an amazing elite perk. I don’t think anything beats admiring the panoramic views of Times Square as I munched on my bagel!
Breakfast:
Overall
The Renaissance New York is one of our go to hotels when we visit New York. I love the midtown location close to some of the popular tourist sites and within easy access to all the Subway lines. The R Lounge is my favourite places to soak up some Times Square energy and enjoy the outstanding views.
The hotel has everything we want and need for a New York stay and, as a result, we just keep coming back!
Love hotel. Must try to stay there when i’m in NY again.
I’ve stayed here and it’s just as you described