The Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown: Atlanta's Convention Hotel for Downtown and Midtown

The Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown, despite its name, is technically in the Midtown area of Atlanta, just past the northern edge of downtown. Its location makes it very convenient to downtown attractions, including Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta, the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and CNN Center. It is also only minutes from the arts and cultural attractions of Midtown, including the Fox Theatre, the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The hotel is immediately accessible from the Interstate 75/85 Downtown Connector. MARTA, Atlanta's public transit system, has a train station one block from the hotel.

The 25-floor, 502-room Renaissance, a Marriott property, was built in 1972 but was remodeled extensively in 2006. The hotel is AAA Three-Diamond rated. Standard rooms at the hotel are 278 square feet and come with standard hotel amenities. All rooms have a work desk and wired or wireless high-speed Internet access. Two floors of standard rooms have access to the Club Lounge, which offers complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and cocktails for a fee during business hours. Two types of suites are available. The standard king suite is 564 square feet, has a sitting area and comes with a refrigerator and microwave oven. The four pool-access suites are 320 square feet, have a sitting area and come with private balconies that have small private pools. The Atlanta Business Chronicle quotes the general manager of the hotel as saying that the pool suites are "wildly popular.''

Other features of the hotel include a fitness center with cardiovascular equipment and free weights, a seasonal outdoor pool and a business center with printing, faxing and copying available, as well as shipping services. Dining options include the Grille at 590, which offers American contemporary fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Ashley's, the hotel bar, offering cocktails and snacks; and the Coffee Bar, with quick foods and coffee for breakfast and lunch.

The Renaissance has 31,000 square feet of meeting space with 21 rooms. The largest space, the Georgia Ballroom, has 6,120 square feet and can accommodate 700 guests reception-style or 480 banquet-style. A second, smaller ballroom is 4,850 square feet, and other rooms vary in size from the 600-square-foot Boardroom to the 2,940-square-foot Chastain conference room. Standard audio/visual equipment is available for use, and all rooms have wired and wireless Internet access. The hotel can cater any event, from meeting breaks to banquets.

The Professional Travel Guide gives the Renaissance a good, if not great, review. The guide does not like the location of the hotel, saying it is too far from downtown, which hampers evening activities. However, it goes on to say, "School groups, business meetings and wedding receptions all visit simultaneously at this well-maintained property with its pleasant and professional staff. ...For looks and ambience, this hotel ranks at the top.'' Reviewers on a popular travel website give the hotel mixed reviews, with slightly less than half rating it highly, and slightly less than one-third rating it poorly. Many guests do not like the noise from the surrounding streets. Also, there are several complaints about the plumbing. On the other hand, some like that the hotel is near MARTA, making it convenient for traveling around the city without a car. The staff is widely praised for being friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.