Renaissance North Hotel in Dallas, Texas: Not Worth the Stay
We arrived to find a gorgeous hotel just off I-35 in north Dallas. The lobby was elegant and spit-polished. I mean everything gleamed and glistened. Check in was very fast and efficient, and I was given an elevator key. Like I said, this was my first experience with the secret upper levels of hotels, so that was kinda cool…
Imagine my disillusionment when I actually got to my super-secret over-priced room. It was a box. No, I’m serious! This ‘suite’ had a Queen sized bed in a very small room with a small round table at the foot of the bed, which faced the window. Barely room to move in this place. Oh, there were chocolates on the pillow, and big snuggly terrycloth robes hanging in the bathroom… but but she told me this was a suite! This was smaller than your basic Motel 6 room. The phone did have a data port and voice mail. High-speed internet access is available. But it was not in any way, shape, or form a ‘suite.’
The bathroom had the whole gamut of nicities… shampoo, conditioner, lotions, soaps, Hairdryer, shower cap… all top notch too. It was also very clean. Kinda smallish also, but clean and well appointed. I liked the bathroom much better than the bedroom!
The Renaissance has a Seasons restaurant and it is not bad… it’s actually quite good, albiet expensive. But I was too busy being angry over the room and lack of acknowledgement to really enjoy it. About all I remember thru my red haze is they had items ranging from steak to lobster, and the chef has won some awards… the price was not as much as a Ruth Cris, but higher than say, Red Lobster. heh. There is a Mortons nearby if you prefer.
The Palm Terrace Lounge is there, but I did not visit it at all. They also have a state of the art health facility and a swimming pool.
Back to the room.. this really still has me ticked off, several years after the fact. The original room I had booked was around $60. I had a chance to see one, it was twice as big as my concierge room for $150. Yes, I was livid. Along with being on the exclusive floor, we were suppose to have our own ‘club’. A bar/restaurant for our floor only. It was there alright. Now if it was ever open, it might have been nice! I did see it open once (ONCE!) during my week stay… in the morning. I grabbed some coffee and rolls and took them back to my room. Looked like a very nice club actually. I probably would have enjoyed relaxing in there in the evening if it was open then!
Did I complain? You bet I did! The front desk was no help at all. The manager rolled his eyes at me after a bit. I requested to be moved downstairs to a better room. No dice. I requested a price reduction because I had been told that price was for a suite and it was barely big enough to be called a room… no dice. I wrote to corporate…5 times! No response at all. Needless to say, I never stayed here again.
Check In / Check Out: 3:00 PM / 12:00 PM
Pet Policy: Pets Not Allowed
I do not recommend this hotel. I know the Doubletree bought them from Ramada, but it is still the same. I checked them out last fall… and did not stay there after seeing that nothing had changed. Stay at the Harvey instead. It’s much nicer, better bang for the buck, and their staff is very helpful…
4099 Valley View Lane
Dallas, TX 75244
