Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

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The Walk of fame is a block away

The two most noteworthy elements of the Renaissance can be found in its name: "Hollywood" and "Spa." The hotel's location in the heart of Movieland -- a block from Hollywood Boulevard and its many attractions -- and its luxury spa are the highlights. The remaining operative word, "Renaissance," means that the experience also comes with both the draws (clean, comfortable rooms; amenities aplenty, including a nice rooftop pool; reliable service) and drawbacks (generic decor; corporate vibe) of a large (632 rooms), big-chain property -- Renaissance is Marriott's "big, but feels like a boutique" brand.

The Renaissance may feel rather nondescript, but you have to credit the hotel for incorporating its famous locale into as many aspects as possible. Staffers are known as "cast members"; housekeepers are called "room stylists." Famous Hollywood goodbyes ("Farewell, Mr. Bond"; "That's all folks!"; "Hasta la vista, baby") crowd the envelope that holds your receipt on the morning you check out. Spa Luce has hosted Millionaire Matchmaker and The Bachelorette, and some of the suites and Executive Bedrooms include makeup rooms that performers use to prep for TV and film appearances.

In more ways than not, the Renaissance is a solid but run-of-the-mill hotel dominated by business travelers five days a week most of the year. Still, the only other major hotel in the area is the iconic Roosevelt, so if you want to be near the Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre (home of the Oscars), and other Hollywood attractions, the Renaissance is your only midrange option. And, to be fair, a totally solid one. Generally, though, you'll find better deals and more interesting hotels a few miles west, in West Hollywood.

The service is what you'd expect at this price point: solid but unspectacular. The bell staff will greet you at the curb, help with your bags, open doors, and flag taxis; the concierge knows her stuff. Just don't expect any above-and-beyond service or surprising extra touches.

• Room service available for breakfast (5 a.m. to noon) and dinner (5 p.m. to midnight)
• Valet parking costs $29 a night -- expensive even for L.A.
• Extremely friendly service at the restaurant, Twist
• Turndown service upon request; includes small bag of snacks
• USA Today or Wall Street Journal available

View on a Larger Map

The Renaissance is literally attached to the Hollywood & Highland Center, a block from Hollywood Boulevard and its Walk of Fame. The once-infamous Boulevard has been revitalized over the last 20-plus years, and it now sports more dudes in SpongeBob and Spider-Man costumes than prostitutes and drug dealers. Other tourist(y) attractions on the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard just steps from the hotel include Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, the Chinese Theatre, the Knitting Factory, El Capitan Theatre (where Jimmy Kimmel Live! is filmed), and the Kodak Theatre, where the Oscars are held.

• Hollywood & Highland Center, adjacent to the hotel, features dozens of shops and restaurants, along with a multiplex and a famous high-end bowling alley, Lucky Strike, where Vinny Chase & Co. once bowled on HBO's Entourage.
• Universal Studios is three miles away, a short drive on Highway 101.
• The Hollywood Bowl concert venue is a 10-minute drive.
• Rodeo Drive shopping in Beverly Hills is five miles away, at least 15 minutes by car.
• Santa Monica and L.A.'s beaches are 11 miles, or at least 30 minutes, away by car.
• Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is a 10-mile, 25-minute drive from the hotel.
• In traffic, it can take 90 minutes to reach the hotel from Los Angeles International Airport, which is 25 miles away.
• Finally, be sure to pick up an "in the know" sheet from the concierge. It includes a list of nearby shops, restaurants, bars, and tourist attractions, as well as the shows that are currently playing in theaters close by.

The Standard Room

The rooms are hit-and-miss. Unlike many hotels, the Renaissance hits on the details and misses on a few of the basics. First, the hits. The rooms are large (standard rooms run 456 square feet), well lit, and, despite not having been fully renovated since 2001, still in good shape (see Cleanliness, below). Mostly, the rooms succeed in the details, notably the technology -- flat-screen TVs, iPod docks, and fast, reliable Internet (either wired or Wi-Fi). Unfortunately, the rooms fall short in two important facets: the bathrooms (weak water pressure in the shower; thin towels) and the beds (cheap- and foamy-feeling, generic-brand mattresses; cotton-polyester blend sheets). It even took five minutes for the water to heat up in my bathroom, something I would have brushed off as an isolated phenomenon had I not called down to the front desk and learned that it "happens sometimes." Funny, I thought I was in L.A., not Saskatchewan.

• My last quibble: not enough electrical outlets
• All standard rooms are identical; 456 square feet -- large for L.A.
• 33 suites and 81 Executive Bedrooms ($30 to $50 more than standard rooms) also available
• Beds with Contract Sleep System mattresses, mattress pads, duvets, and soft pillows
• 37-inch LG flat-screens with about 40 channels, including HBO
• Mini-iHome iPod docks
• Fast and reliable Internet ($12.95/24 hours); either wired or Wi-Fi (they were the same speed for me)
• Minibars and snack baskets
• Coffee machines and complimentary Urbanista coffee and China Mist tea
• Aveda bath products (including rosemary and mint shampoo and conditioner)

Spacious, sunny deck at the rooftop pool

In addition to the standard big-city big-hotel collection of amenities -- fitness center, business center, and meeting rooms -- the Renaissance boasts a luxury spa (more on that below) and an inviting rooftop pool, complete with a view (albeit partial and distant) of the Hollywood sign. It was cold the week I was at the hotel, so the pool area was empty during my stay, but it seemed like it would be quite inviting on a warm day -- a spacious, sunny deck with shaded cabanas and comfortable lounge chairs.

• Modern, reasonably well-equipped fitness center, though the free weights and strength-training machines are outside by the pool (first time I've ever seen that, in all the hotels I've visited). Also, bring your own headphones if you want to listen to music or enjoy the TVs on the cardio machines.
• 65,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 25,000-square-foot ballroom. For more info, click here.
• Well-equipped business center, but services cost extra
• "Indie Thursdays" (tagline: "so very indie. so very Hollywood."), in the lobby bar from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., showcase local musicians. No cover charge; all ages welcome.

Spa Luce

The spa is such an integral aspect of the Renaissance that it has been incorporated into the full name of the hotel: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. TV shows like Millionaire Matchmaker and The Bachelorette have filmed there. Even if you don't plan to drop 180 bones on an 80-minute "Hammam Ritual," it's worth visiting just for the sleek Moroccan-influenced design and mind-blowing acoustics in the lobby.

• Spa (massages and other body therapy) and salon (nails, facials, skin therapy) services
• For the full menu and prices, click here
• Somme and Sonya Dakar products

Kid-friendly attractions on Hollywood Blvd.

The Renaissance's proximity to Hollywood Boulevard makes it a solid choice for families. That sentence may strike some readers as preposterous, given the Boulevard's once-notorious reputation as L.A.'s epicenter of seediness. But the area has been revitalized, and it now sports more dudes in SpongeBob and Spider-Man costumes than streetwalkers. Also there: a host of kid-friendly tourist(y) attractions, including the Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theatre, and Madame Tussauds wax museum.

• The Hollywood & Highland Center, adjacent to the hotel, features many kid-friendly shops and restaurants, along with a multiplex and a famous high-end bowling alley, Lucky Strike.
• The Renaissance's pool is less sceney than those at most hotels in Hollywood & West Hollywood. Kids should feel welcome.
• Cribs (free) and rollaway beds ($20 per night) both available
• Suites include pullout sofas.
• Adjoining rooms

Despite not having been fully renovated since 2001, the Renaissance still looks sharp. I found some small stains and a few nicks and scratches in my room, and the light on the magnifying mirror in my bathroom didn't work. But overall the property is very well maintained.

Breakfast at Twist

The Renaissance's eatery, Twist, is your standard big-chain hotel restaurant: i.e., totally decent but generic and overpriced ($16 for an omelet), and it's not open for dinner. You're better off dining off-campus, especially since this is one of the few spots in L.A. where you can find a host of options within walking distance.

• Room service available for breakfast (5 a.m. to noon) and dinner (5 p.m. to midnight)
• Twist features health-conscious American food; open for lunch and breakfast, where you can order a la carte or the buffet ($22 per adult; $10 per child).
• Cafe Fama, the lobby bar, serves dinner as well as Starbucks coffee and drinks.
• Champagne brunch with live jazz music every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Twist. $35 per adult; $17 per child (12 and under)
• Lots of cafes and restaurants along Hollywood Boulevard and at the Hollywood & Highland Center, but for high-end dining, you'll want a car.