Renaissance Harlem

I was so excited to stay at the hotel and it did not disappoint! The rooms were a comfortable space for a couple. I loveee the design throughout the hotel. The staff was also so nice and welcoming. The shower does flood and there’s only a sliding door for a bathroom. The Victoria restaurant's food is absolutely delicious and there is a well deserved 18% gratuity on each bill. The only downside is the walls are paper thin and you can almost hear every word if your neighbor is loud. Other than that, I enjoyed my stay and would certainly return as this is a fantastic location.

Located on busy street in Harlem, it turned out to be a great place to stay – given that we were looking for that specific location. The lobby is on the firth floor, and arriving on a busy evening seems like entering a major party hall. Lots of people eating, talking, loud music and somehow a great atmosphere. The room itself was decent with great view onto Central Park, even though amenities were a bit scarce.

we stayed here after a boring yankees game. the rooms are nice, the views are great. we had a dust cover over … everything. you could expect a little more for 500$ a night. i think im the only one of the four of us who noticed though. other than that we enjoyed our stay a lot.

The rooms are nice but the layout is horrible. The bathroom is right on the side if the bed. Less than 10 feet away and its a two slided doors not an actual bathroom door. So if someone NEEDS TO GO... you can figure out the rest. Do like we did, go to the lobby...lol The elevators are HORRIBLE! They have 3 elevators, when we checked it, there was only one. We were on the 23rd floor. Average wait time, 9-12 minutes. The next day the other elevators were fixed, but it still took forever; 7-10 minutes. Had enough time to change clothes twice and the elevators still wouldn't be there. Food in the restaurant is okay but the prices are ridiculous. A small side of Mac and Cheese is $12. I had ordered a "well" steak. What I got was an overcooked steak that was placed in the microwave to heat up once the rest of the food for out table where done. The waiter was excellent. He took it back to be replaced. It took so long everyone was done eating. I ate finished my Mac and cheese and the waiter was like it should be ready in 6 minutes. I told him to cancel it.

I’ve stayed at this hotel numerous times in the last two years. It is actually the only place I’m willing to stay when I visit NYC. It’s not perfect but it’s clean, modern, and close to everywhere I want to be. My only complaint is regarding the slow and inconsistent service sometimes when it comes to housekeepings. I’ve left for the day and my room wasn’t clean. However, to mediate this, I simply call the front desk to let them know I am leaving for the day and would like my room cleaned. I feel like you have to take what you can get in NYC—there are lots of old run down noisy hotels and this one is not that.

Beautiful hotel and rooms. The staff were extremely welcoming, patient and friendly. I would give 5 stars but the restaurant seemed a little chaotic. We had reservations for dinner but came early. We were told it was going to be a 2 hour wait which was fine. It was busy so we understood. Since we did not want to wait that long, we ordered food to go. When we received our food, it was lukewarm. Also, the portions are really small for the price. I do recommend

This hotel was a great experience, the food was great, the complimentary was awesome, clean room and the view of Harlem was great. You are in the center of Harlem, you can experience Harlem culture, atmosphere, it was great. I would come back here but for a longer stay next time.

We visited NYC for a week when the blizzard hit. We were limited to staying in the hotel for a couple of days, which allowed us to enjoy the restaurant multiple times and to become friendly with the staff. They were all incredible, despite the extended hours they had to work to keep things running. Friendly, professional, kind and accommodating. The restaurant is exceptional. Interesting menu with gluten-friendly options. Every dish we ordered was exceptional, and a few easily adjusted to be GF. (Be sure to try the ribs!) The room with two queen beds is very spacious. Limited closet & drawer space and no fridge, but otherwise very comfy. The only reason I’m rating an overall of 4 stars is that the floors in the hotel room could have been more thoroughly swept around and under the furnishings. The front desk was very upfront with us about the resort fee being refunded as restaurant/bar vouchers. That’s not uncommon in NYC. Wait staff are very diligent about asking if we wanted to use our vouchers, so it’s easy to make sure you recoup the funds. Highly recommend this hotel. Great luxury vibe and decor in the lobby, large rooms, friendly staff and yummy food.

Beautiful hotel with great vibe. Love the neighborhood. Staff are all super friendly. Food is delicious. A few smaller things...when we arrived on Friday evening around 7:00, the front entry looked abandoned, no one around to greet us...no doorman, no one at the desk downstairs, only 1 set of automatic doors to enter, so very cumbersome with luggage.

The hotel is a little older and could do with a refresh but the vibe and fun are good. There is a "destination fee" of $25 a day you get charged for upon arrival of which I was unaware. However, they gave us $25 vouchers for each day of our stay to the hotel restaurant and bar which is surprisingly good. There were 4 of us in the room and the staff would consistently leave 2 bath towels and 1 roll of tp, but would exchange the bar of handsoap every day which I didn't understand. We had to ask for something daily (bath towels, tissues, toilet paper, blankets, etc.) which they always provided promptly. The bathtub is a giant soaker tub which is nice, but the hot water will alternately melt your skin off or be non-existent. They did keep our luggage on the last day of our visit until it was time for us to go to the airport which was nice. It wasn't a bad stay, but it could have been better.

Let me start by saying view from the room was amazing. However, after waiting in the lobby for nearly 2 hours, it needed to be. Service at the hotel restaurant is very slow. So, if you plan to sit before departure for the day/evening, you will need to give yourself extra time to wait for your meal.

The rooms are nice, location is decent, in a very touristy area of Harlem. The issue with this hotel is the check in/check out process. Check in takes a long time, when checking out the person at the desk just took my key and stated she would process checkout then never did, had I not checked out in the app at 11:55am I may have missed the noon deadline and I left the hotel at 8:15am

Days after staying here my card was being used to make purchases. I had to cancel my card and dispute charges. A house keeper also went in my room without me ever requesting one and I was missing a $25 food voucher that I left on my bed for the second day of my stay. When I asked if they could replace the voucher since I didn't use it they said no. They have some shady people working at the front desk. The rooms were nice and location was okay but next time I won't stay at this location because of the shady people they have working here.

Beautiful hotel, sexy rooms, Front Desk staff were great with greeting me and accommodating my early check in. The restaurant food is good but service really is slow. By the time I received my food nothing was hot. I ate breakfast at the bar, cold by the time I received it. Ordered food later that I had to pick up to tale advantage of the generous voucher I received at check in. Same issue ... cold, even the biscuits. Hoping for a better experience for dinner tonight. UPDATE: Dinner was absolutely not as bad. Luis H. was professional, provided recommdations and provided a better experience. Kudos to him.

Cute chic hotel but wasn’t right for us. Room was nice enough but was not clean. (Hairs in the shower and a false nail on the floor.) I let them know and the room was cleaned but not everything was resolved. The lobby and restaurant are heavily perfumed. It smells nice but is overpowering… especially when eating in the restaurant.

Poorly designed rooms - first the bathroom doesn’t have a wall, so if you have anyone else in the room with you, all the smells and sounds are shared 🤢 Secondly if the neighbors are loud, you here everything! Rooms are okay if you are single or madly in love. The service is excellent! Front desk, bar and restaurant service was friendly and prompt. The food and drinks are fantastic too. Unfortunate that a fundamental flaw in the room design, leads to me never staying here again. Also they aren’t friendly with upgrades, even for a Marriott Ambassador elite (highest possible status).

There’s a reason this location is so much cheaper than the others. Location is good as far as being near multiple trains/buses & other conveniences. That’s the only positive. Check-in is inconvenient - the check-in desk is located in the same location as the music/bar/restaurant so hearing anything is out of the question and you’re not sure who is in line for the front desk or who is in line for restaurant service. They give you a $25 restaurant voucher for each night of your stay, yet charge you a $25 daily “destination fee”. And good luck getting anything at the restaurant for $25 dollars or less. The prices are exorbitant AND they have the nerve to add an auto gratuity to EVERY order; we ordered two bottled waters to take with us and had to pay gratuity for them. Ridiculous. The service is what really pissed me off. The first night we only received one washcloth even though there were two ppl in the room. The second day, our room was never serviced at all. Since we didn’t get service, we had no clean towels or washcloths. We were in a time crunch to get showered/changed for reservations, so we went to the front desk to get towels instead of ordering them which we had a feeling would take forever. We were told they couldn’t give us any and would have to send them up. I requested them right away because of our time limitations & the lady said they would come immediately. 35 minutes later, they show up. We get ready to shower and realize that one of the towels has a huge yellow stain on it. The stain is so big and noticeable that there is no way they didn’t see it. So they saw this and deemed it acceptable to give to guests. We ordered new towels when we got back to the room, never arrived. Will never stay at this location again and seriously reconsidering Marriott as a whole for thinking this is acceptable.

Pros: Central location, rooms have a great view of the skyline, great live music at bar/restaurant. Employees are friendly. Cons: Everything else. Checked sheets in room and had a stain on it. Asked for new sheets, had a stain on one of them. Food at restaurant was good on night one but went downhill from there. Was told collard greens had no pork one night, ordered and ate it. When I went to order it again, a new server told me it does. Another night, food came out cold. Another night they never brought an item out. Another night the food was greasy. Rooms have no bathroom door. Just a sliding door that covers half way. You can see it all, toilet included. Inspect your towels because 4/6 of mine had stains on them. Walls are paper thin. I heard next door tv, couching and using the hair dryer. They never replaced my hand towels but that’s probably a blessing in disguise. Bathroom ceiling leaked water and made a puddle on the floor. Stay somewhere else and just come to the bar for the music.

Disappointing Experience with Some Bright Spots I recently stayed at the Renaissance Harlem Hotel, expecting a smooth experience in line with the Marriott brand. Unfortunately, the stay was far from perfect. Check-in was supposed to be at 4 PM, but I had to wait until 5:30 PM to get my room. It wasn’t just me – several other guests were also stuck waiting. Once in the room, I noticed some issues with maintenance. The shower hardware was loose, which made it difficult to use comfortably, and the bathroom sink was slow to drain. Despite a maintenance attempt, it still didn’t drain properly, which was inconvenient. Additionally, the elevators had a noticeable smell of weed, which detracted from the hotel’s ambiance. On a positive note, the hotel bar and restaurant were good. The food and drink options were well-prepared, and the staff was attentive and friendly. This was a small consolation in an otherwise disappointing stay. I hope the hotel improves its check-in process and addresses the maintenance issues, as the location and amenities have potential.

Rooms are dingy and small even for NYC. The customer service was non existent. The location is good, but the Apollo renovations is kind of an eye sore. It next door to the hotel.

I'm a marriott member and extremely disappointed with my recent stay. Housekeeping did not clean the room. When we requested new towels they delivered towels with stains. The luggage rack was broken. Guest services was not hospitable. Very disappointed and will not stay here in the future.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much good to say about our recent stay at this hotel. The room itself was nice and clean. Getting warm water in the shower took quite a long time and still didn’t get very warm. My biggest issue is the lack of transparency with the staff and hotel. Upon arrival we were given two $25 “vouchers” for food/drink to be used during our stay. The vouchers could not be used together and had to be used on separate days. These vouchers are not “free” or a gift as were presented to us. There is a $25 resort fee you are charged per day, and that was not disclosed until after check in. The biggest issue we had was their lack of support in resolving an issue.. with the massive blizzard headed to New York we decided to leave a day early. We talked with staff about possibly getting some sort of refund for the day we would not be at the hotel. We were not met with sympathy, we were told because we booked “the right way” there was nothing they could do. They said they would waive the “early check out fee” of $200.. well that wasn’t true.. my credit card was charged as soon as we left. Wish things would’ve been dealt with in a better way, because the hotel and our room was actually very clean and nice. However, with the hidden fees and lack of care by staff, I’d say look elsewhere.

First time at this hotel and it is not nearly what you’d expect from a Renaissance Hotel. Their customer service is horrible and deceiving. Face to face they are kind and professional and talk like they care. However, their follow through and action is horrible. 1) We arrived early and they told us they would call when our room was ready and they estimated by 4pm so we decided to walk around Harlem while we wait. Never receiving a phone call, it was 440pm when we got back to the hotel and we checked with the front desk, a different lady told me our room had been ready since our check in time at 2pm. 2) They only provided 2 bath towels even though they confirmed we checked in with 4 guests. We asked for 2 more bath towels and it took them an hour to get them to us because “the service people are not in yet”. They continued to provide only 2 towels every day they serviced our room and I had to keep asking for 2 more towels. 3) When we checked in, we told them it was my daughter’s birthday and they said they would provide a small surprise when they service our room the next day. It never happened. We informed the front desk and the lady acted surprised and assured us that she would personally make sure it happened the next day. It still never happened. 4) The front desk rarely answers the phone. A couple times I had to go all the way down to the front desk to get my issues straightened out. The shower in the room was not working correctly. The knob was stuck and we had to put a lot of effort to turn it. It was also a pain trying to get all the water out through the shower head only. When we showered the water would come out through the faucet and the shower head if not adjusted correctly. The sliding door to the bathroom was also stuck and never completely closed or completely opened. Otherwise, the hotel is nice and you can feel the Harlem culture. The rooms are also nice and clean. We love NY city and visit more than once a year, but this hotel was a disappointment and we will not use them again.

Update (with picture- email from Chante Fortson): I received a response from a representative, and it appears they either received the wrong information from their staff or they’re simply gaslighting. To be clear, I went downstairs to the receptionist and told her about all the issues I had that night. The receptionist was rude and had a general attitute of indifference, and provided no solutions to the issues. It is not our responsibility as customers to remedy a situation like this- you as the hotel should have options on-hand when situations like these occur. A visit to the receptionist is all you need to know that the customer is not content with the conditions of a room. Customers shouldn’t have to follow an entire checklist of actions in order to prove that their stay is unsatisfactory. This is precisely why your ratings continue to tank. This team needs desperate customer service training. Original review: The worst hotel and customer service I’ve experienced at a Marriott. I went down the block to Hilton’s The George at Columbia. 1000% better. At the Renaissance , I booked a King room and received 2 queens when I arrived instead. No explanation from the reception team- just that someone “should” have called me and told me. Well, no one did, now what? I get to the 2 queen room and it had an unbearable odor, stains on the couch and in desperate need of touchups. I decided I didn’t want to stay at this hotel whatsoever. I go back down to the receptionist (the night team- whoever was on duty night of 10/22/2025). She had earpods on, which I normally wouldn’t care much about, but she also presented no options and said nothing could be done that night. She even asked me if I took any steps to remedy the odor in the room. LOL As if its my job to remedy any situation the hotel created themselves HAHA comical. The biggest slap in the face to any customer. To make it even worse- they accidentally listed the original king room under my Marriott profile (see picture below). So this entire time I was able to see who they gave my original room to- name, credit card number, room number, room key. We’re talking mixing up personal information. They even emailed me the guy’s final bill haha How terrible of a team are y’all? I called the Marriott hotline and they too were useless- they said nothing could be done and that their sole job was just to “document and build cases”. Marriott’s brand is garbage at this point. Will never stay at another Marriott. If you want your personal information emailed to other people and want to pay for a room that you won’t receive, then stay at Marriot’s the Renaissance.

Never change or clean filters in those rooms. I had gotten sick due to so much dust and the filters was never changed Winter, Spring, Summer shame on you. It not Housekeeper responsibility but it is their responsibility to dust but I forgot you only have one housekeeper per floor. I cold and cold and yet once our room was clean still dust remain and we didn’t want to turn air conditioners on if so all the dust would come out onto the floor, table, clothes, our suitcases and let not forget our bed. I am a Google Queen, did let them know what I was going to do they did absolutely nothing but kept charging my AmerEx, for a bottle of water for $8, please don’t touch it after I seen it was gone my sister had already drink the water and I was then upset after reading Google reviews talking about the overcharge of water. The front desk will wait for you to checkout leave and change your card not telling you anything. Nevertheless, they have the water in your room no refrigerator no microwave no nothing but a lot of DUST in my room. The water they leave is a setup they have signs for everything else but no sign for that water you drink and the store carried the same water for $1.99. But yet why is it a sign out on doors but not including in the water which they dare you to drink so they can charge outrageous price and not tell you anything. Bathroom so small that door is dangerous pull in and pull out doesn’t stay closed at all. The front desk employees aren’t friend they speak to whom they want to speak with. Let me say this it was a lot of us waiting for elevator and knowing well they seen all these people waiting on elevator only one working I had to go over and inform the young lady to what was going on and her reply was I didn’t get a report on the elevator so my reply was to her so you don’t see all of us standing here after 20mins waiting for elevator and her dumbfounder look on her face was like I don’t care. I just let the guess know what was going on there and did say I would never come to this hotel again. Standing within the Apollo Theater, is right beside this hotel very eye catching but anything else is a No GO. These employees need some training on customer services for about 1yr then maybe it would work. I go to NYC all the time on business and to see my beautiful daughter but I would never stay her again. Let me stop talking pics worth a thousand words. Inspector need to visit this hotel 4 real seen a lot of violations. And the $25 voucher you get off your meal in their restaurant catch 22 they give you nothing in those rooms want you to eat in that restaurant which is over crowded and over priced. Food is ok breakfast I only ate turkey beacon and toast my sister had chicken wings which was half done and me I just got my pizza which is much better then wasting your hard earn money on food that doesn’t taste good. FYI: Oh let me say this in your room at this hotel you can hear everything next door the walls are so thin and I heard it all had to sleep with earphone each night (7) longs days walls are paper thin.

he following conditions and incidents occurred and require immediate attention: Check-in took place next to a bar with music so loud that instructions could not be heard. This arrangement conveyed indifference to guest comfort and dignity. The unavoidable question arises whether such a setup would be tolerated at Marriott properties outside Harlem. Elevator malfunction was persistent and dangerous. The middle elevator did not operate properly. My party became stuck in an elevator during the stay. By the end of the visit one elevator was out of service. Because of frequent failures, stairs were used repeatedly. Elevator access required a key card, yet anyone could freely use the stairwell to reach guest floors, which created a serious security vulnerability. Room 602 presented unsanitary and unacceptable conditions. A flying cockroach entered the room, likely due to a patio door left open without supervision and a large gap under the hallway door. My grandchildren had to flee the room. This was an appalling hygiene failure. Food and beverage access was obstructed. Between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., no food or beverages were available because hotel operations and restaurant operations functioned as separate entities. Medication required food, and leaving the hotel to secure something to eat became necessary. This was an avoidable hardship. Excessive and unjustified charges compounded the poor service. An automatic 18 percent gratuity was added to every order. An eight dollar pot of tea effectively cost close to ten dollars. Over the course of the stay, gratuities approached four hundred dollars for service that was consistently subpar. Exterior conditions were filthy and chaotic. The front of the building was not swept. Friday and Saturday nights produced a full club scene at the entrance with no visible oversight and no timely cleanup. A toppled potted plant remained in place for three days. Photographs are available upon request. The cumulative effect of these failures produced a stay marked by noise, disorder, safety hazards, pest exposure, inadequate access to food and beverage, and excessive charges that bore no relation to service quality. The Marriott name is associated with excellence. That standard was not evident at this property.

Had a great stay… until checkout. Left my AirPods in the room, told the front desk, and suddenly nobody could ‘reach’ the cleaning crew. Next thing I know, my AirPods are in QUEENS… then magically back at the hotel.

Very bad experience. 2 queen room booked was not available due to double booked. The requested baby crib was also not available. The frontdesk/management would get back to me on the situation, this also didn’t happen. They just don’t care about you or your situation. Not advised for families with small children.

One Star – Extremely Disappointing Stay Our experience at Renaissance New York Harlem was truly disappointing from start to finish. We had to wait more than two hours just to check into our room, which is unacceptable for a hotel of this standard. The dining service was equally frustrating — meals always took far too long and were consistently delayed. The staff were not helpful or attentive, often making us feel as though our presence was an inconvenience. To make matters worse, the hotel conducted a fire alarm test at 11 PM without notifying guests in advance. This caused unnecessary panic and completely disrupted our evening. Overall, the service was unprofessional, disorganized, and far below expectations. What should have been a pleasant stay turned into a stressful experience. I cannot recommend this hotel and will not be returning.

Wow! I had the absolute worst experience here. I did not have my physical card, only Apple Pay and regardless of how much I was willing to put down, they would not accept this. I gave them several methods to verify and still nothing. I have stayed at several hotel chains around the world and this is the first to not accept Apple Pay. Beyond disappointed with the lack of flexibility on their part

My overall experience was not that great. Upon arrival room smelled fresh and clean but floor was dirty, sheets were dirty, table had dripped coffee stains and towels had stains. Ironing board was dirty. After making the money they make you would think they would get rid of stained washcloths/sheets. The ENTIRE room was dusty! You would think for the money that was paid that it would be a great hotel, NO! Was given a complementary food voucher for the bad experience but was asked was I a Marriott member before doing so. Do not recommend! Will never book here again! Oh, and we heard the guest ALL night in the hallway! You could literally hear the person next door entire conversation! Walls thin as hell! First and last time! Worst hotel experience I’ve ever had, no exaggeration!

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCE EVER! Save your money and book somewhere else. As soon as we walked into the room we noticed pubic hairs on both beds! Also, the entire room was dusty, there was a liquid substance stained on the chairs, and the floors looked like they haven’t been mopped in ages. We complained right away and asked if housekeeping could to redo the sheets. However, we still didn’t feel comfortable in the room with the dust and dirty chair so we requested a different room. We were finally given a different room and I kid you not, I could not last 30 seconds in the room before I had the urge to vomit. The new room that was supposed to be cleaner REEKED! It smelled worse than a gym locker room. My parents also smelled it and we waited outside for the hotel worker to come. We asked him to go into the room and he confirmed it smelled bad but said he could “freshen it up” by cleaning out the ventilation. Honestly, that room needs to be gutted as the smell has probably seeped into the bedding and mattress. At that moment we decided to leave despite being told I could not receive a refund. I cannot be paid to ever stay there again.

The hotel is everything you read in the reviews and I ll go even further. The charge of 8usd for a bottle of water that you find on your room table perfectly defines this hotel and its management, nothing to add in that regard. I also agree with the feeling that it is an unsafe and dirty part of the city. It has changed a lot over the past 5 ys and to me is now a no go zone. And yes, do not share your room or you ll share everything with the other person. What a stupid room design.

Awful service, water was extremely cold, bathroom was extremely dirty, my brother was on severe sick condition, and the front desk staff were not letting us go, cause they were taking hours printing a check out recipe, very disrespectful and not considerate. Didn’t help us or try to find a way to help the guests, terrible customer service, do not stay here

If you have a car, note that the parking garages nearby are not 24 hours. I had to park in the street in order to get access to my car for an early start (they open at 7am), so you will need to be available to update the meter every two hours. Additionally, I checked in at 11am with status and was told that it would just be a bit because they were waiting on a junior suite. After waiting hours and constantly having to ask for updates, there were none. Finally at 4:58 pm, I was checked into my room. It was not a junior suite. It was a king studio and was not cleaned to a reasonable expectation. When I went back down to the lobby, there had been a shift change. The new shift said they couldn’t “speak for anyone on the prior shift.” They showed little interest in my 6 hour wait and less interest in offering a resolution that would offer amends. I travel to Manhattan 20 days out of the month. I wanted to try this property in hopes of loving it. Now I am grateful I am only here one night. There was ONE gentleman in luggage check that was a gem of kindness. He was the highlight in a less than satisfactory experience. I am counting down the hours until I get to leave. There are lesser branded hotels that are much better quality in service and cleanliness.

The hotel overbooked and downgraded my room to a single bed for a family of 4 (2 kids under the age of 10). I noted the change prior to my arrival when I went to check in on the mobile app. When I called the hotel they informed me that I had a double room. I proceeded to the hotel driving from Philly to NYC to be informed that we only had a single bed and they were at capacity. Our room was changed the following day after several mishaps. The manager, Altia, was only willing to comp the difference in price for the room. I deemed this to be unsatisfactory. We arrived very late with 2 young children and did not have any other options. Had they informed me, when I called, that they could not accommodate us I could have made other plans. I e-mailed the supervisor, Jessica Solar and she never responded. The location, vibe and decor was awesome. The restaurant and food was great. The customer service was terrible from the manager down. Very inexperienced staff.

What a disgrace! The hotel is an area full of people on fentanil or other drugs. Everytime I came back to the hotel I was yelled at, shouted... The hotel itself is a disgrace. The rooms have no proper dividing between bed and wc 🚽. Basically if you are seated on the toilet you have direct eye contact with the person on the room. The rooms are beautiful but useless because of this. Who may want to go with their lover, husband, friend and seeing/listening/smelling this? Apart from that I did not have proper cleaning of the room at all and it is a very noisy hotel (like a party hotel) I could go on but I leave it here.

I am a Marriott Titanium Elite lifetime guest. This is one of the worst Marriott experiences I have had in quite some time... They have a desk in the lobby, but no sign that tells you that you're supposed to go up to the fifth floor. I waited 15 minutes before someone came down for their food delivery, before he said you need to go upstairs. They claim that they have a security guard there, but he was probably off on a smoking break. Secondly, they nickel and dime you. They don't even provide a single bottle of water in the room as a compliment, even to an elite guest. Thirdly, there is no concierge lounge. The complimentary breakfast that is often provided when no lounge is available was extremely cheap and basic. It took them 10 to 15 minutes to bring out two corn muffins, all they had to do was heat them. They overcharged me on breakfast. They didn't apply the destination fee. In summary, an extraordinarily negative experience.

The worst experience I've ever had in my life. Nothing in the hotel worked; the heating didn't work, the bathroom had no hot water, the mirror was dirty with toothpaste, and the bathroom door wouldn't close. Even worse than the condition of the place was the customer service. I had to leave early because my son was sick and I couldn't stay there without at least having hot water. They didn't give me a refund, and they made me wait an hour to check out. The receptionist was yelling at me and my son. They withheld my deposit twice the worst

First of all I don't think this hotel should be allowed to use the renaissance name . It does not follow protocols . This is not a safe place to stay . However the staff here are the nastiest and most ignorant I have ever seen in any renaissance hotel . They do not follow protocols , and are the antichrist of customer service . 1. I forgot my room number but had my key in my hand that worked . 2. Showed the front desk my reservation which I made online . 3. I showed the front desk who I was online. 4. The person who checked me in was also there . 5. I asked them to call the room to get verification from the other guest they refused . 6. I asked them to ask security to escort me up to the room ( they found the reservation online ) as my passports and ID were in the room they refused . 7. I explained my laptop was in the room my ID and and clothes and I had to start work and to call my workplace . They refused . 9. I was not dressed did not have a sweater or coat or socks and it was October I was freezing . 10. One nice young man at the front desk tried to reason with the manager and other staff members they wouldn't listen . 11. The restaurant staff tried to intervene as did the other guests , all suggesting they call the room or send security up with me to get my IDs the manager refused . 12. Finally I said I would call the police as I did not have my clothes or my things and my passports were in the room . 13. After I said I would call the police a staff member went against the managers instructions and told security to knock on the door and I was allowed back into my room . 14 . They then tied to claim it was the rules and I told them clearly it was not as I often travel for work and usually stay at the renaissance due to good service . 15. I asked the manager to call the regional manager they refused to make a complaint 16 . The reason I think the manager did it on purpose as a power trip is because I asked for security escort to my room to how them my passports . 17. Terry put her hand over her badge so I couldn't take down her name to make a complaint which is another reason why I believe they were doing it on purpose 18. This is the worst experience I have ever had in any hotel in my life . 19. The reason I am positing this is so that they cannot do the same thing to other guests . 20. Ultimately the person who checked me in was at the front desk . My reservation was in my phone I shows it to them . My passports were in my room and they refused to escort me to my room to show my ID. They saw my picture online . I was left freezing for an hour without my stuff , unable to go to work . They did not listen to other guests , restaurant or other staff members who tied to intervene . They only let me up to my room after I called the police . ( they will deny that happened but I have the phone records ) They let me in before the police got here . 21. They refused to give me the hotel address to call the police . 22. They refused to provide their name badges or the contact email to make a complaint which. 23. Suppose I had been robbed or lost my ID - I shudder to think I would have had to sleep on the street despite having paid for the room , and despite the staff knowing who I was . 24. For two hours they claimed it was against their policy to send a security guard up to my room with me - so I can show my passports and other IDs. As soon as I called the police the manager Tia let me up within five mins . They then claimed she didn't know I had called the police , but I dialed in front of the staff . 25. I should add that other front desk staff did look embarrassed and apologetic but the manager and Terrry do not listen to reason and are loud aggressive bullies so the nastiness towards guests prevails . 26. I asked for the email to make a formal complaint it was never provided . 27. I should add the restaurant and staff were lovely but I was told it is a separate entity . The hotel is not a safe place to stay . Also it is the worst experience I have ever had in any hotel worldwide .

This hotels customer service is terrible. My trip was canceled the day of my reservation, I submitted a cancellation request right away, tried calling the front desk but no one would answer. Then once I finally received an online response from them they declined any request for a refund, even when I called them they tried to say they never received the cancellation request despite booking.com providing evidence of not only us submitting the request but the hotel responding to the request that day. I would NOT recommend staying here, in my other trips to the area I found this to be a MUCH BETTER option: The George at Columbia Tapestry Collection

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Stayed: September 2025. Travel purpose: Second wedding anniversary, travelled from the UK Worst stay we have ever had, ruined our anniversary. We chose Renaissance New York Harlem for our anniversary because we expected Marriott-level standards. What we experienced was the opposite. After an eight hour flight and a five hour time difference, we arrived to staff indifference. Two staff members at a stand were on their phones and did not look up. Security was also on his phone. The help desk agent finally glanced up and said, “go to floor 5” with no explanation. On the fifth floor we encountered six police officers speaking with staff, possibly dealing with an arrest. This was an unsettling start and did not feel like a safe or welcoming environment. The check in desk sits beside the bar and restaurant. Music was so loud that neither we nor the receptionist could hear properly. Our original booking card had expired but the account was the same. Instead of allowing us to pay the balance on the new card, we were forced through a refund and re-charge for the first night, then charged for the remainder. This created unnecessary overseas fees, which we had tried to avoid. Bottled water and toiletries were displayed as if complimentary. There was no clear signage or information that these were chargeable. We only avoided them because of reviews we had read on arrival. This felt misleading and not what we expect from a Marriott property. At the bar, a clearly intoxicated woman who could barely stand harassed guests and staff. Although the team had stopped serving her, she was not asked to leave and there was no manager presence despite repeated requests. We left because we did not feel comfortable or safe. Sleep was impossible. Rooftop bar music was audible word for word in our room. Reception said nothing could be done. At 04:30 we were woken again by loud music from another room. Staff first denied the room was occupied, then said an engineer was working there. Only when we played a recording did anyone accept there was noise. The manager offered to remove the destination tax, which did not address the lost sleep or distress. On following nights, we were told the rooftop bar was closed, yet private parties continued with loud music until late. After three broken nights we checked into another hotel simply to sleep. Individuals who appeared intoxicated or under the influence frequently lingered at the entrance and inside the ground floor, approaching guests for money or food. Security staff stood nearby on their phones and did nothing to reassure guests. This felt negligent and unsafe. On our anniversary we received a breakfast voucher, then were told it only covered toast or a bagel, not a hot breakfast. This felt perfunctory and did not compensate for everything that had gone wrong. At check out we explained that this had been our worst hotel experience and that we had paid for another hotel to get any sleep. Yet again, no manager was available. We left our email to escalate the complaint. Over a week later, there has been no contact. Even collecting our luggage was difficult. Several staff ignored us while on their phones and we eventually fetched our own bags so we did not miss our car. This was the worst stay we have had anywhere. We arrived for a special occasion and left more exhausted than when we came, sleep-deprived and feeling unsafe. We also felt that some of the treatment carried an element of racial bias towards us as white British guests, which compounded our discomfort. We have asked for a refund and heard nothing back, therefore will be contacting our credit card provider.

First time staying at the Renaissance and unfortunately, I wouldn’t return. The vibe on FIVE is great, but the walls are so thin I could hear my neighbor’s TV for hours. I understand people play their TV loud, but it should never disturb the next room. Service was just as bad — front desk was unhelpful, and the bellman didn’t even want to assist with bags. Besides the thin walls, the bed was low and uncomfortable. This hotel has potential, but Marriott needs to do better.

Do not come to this hotel. It's gross, it's overpriced for what they offer, they were not honest about the pricing. When we arrived, there were black paint/gel marks on a concrete floor they called "part of the interior design" and when they sent someone to clean it, they didn't actually clean it all up. Our blanket was dirty so we requested a new blanket and they gave us a blanket that had one part which felt crusty. Unbelievable. When they cleaned the room, they didn't replenish our towels completely and they didn't replenish the toilet paper. The design of the room is just weird, it was okay but it was really annoying leaving the sink area because the curtains had handles hanging off of it which we would run into. There's literally no refrigerator to put left over food in so you had to be mindful with your portions. The only nice part about this place was that the shower for our room had pretty water pressure. They told my wife they needed to charge a credit card for the first night (for some reason) and would refund the fee they were charging but they sneakily gave us 25 dollar vouchers for each night we stayed. we didn't realize until a few days after that the voucher was to cover the fee. We are going to dispute the charge and we are certainly never coming back here. Do not come here.

We booked directly with this hotel for a stay from the 15th–18th while traveling from Los Angeles to New York. Prior to arrival, we contacted the hotel three separate times to let them know our flight would be arriving late and that we would be checking in later than expected. We were assured our room would be held. We paid a deposit on our credit card and received confirmation of our reservation. When we finally arrived after a long cross-country flight, we were shocked to be told that our room had been given away. Not only that — the hotel refused to refund our money. As first-time visitors to New York, we were left homeless for over five hours in the middle of the night, dragging luggage around the city trying to find another hotel. We were forced to pay significantly more just to have a place to sleep. This was one of the most stressful, disappointing, and unprofessional experiences we have ever had with a hotel. No guest should ever be treated this way — especially after confirming their arrival multiple times and paying in advance. We expect our money to be returned immediately.

In October we had a stay that fell below the standard I expect from a Renaissance/Marriott property—and certainly below what should come with a rate of over $400 a night. As a Lifetime Gold Elite member, I don’t send feedback lightly, but there were multiple failures during this stay that need to be addressed. To start, the water in our room came out dark brown. That’s not a minor inconvenience—that’s a basic safety and hygiene issue. It seemed like the pipes needed to be cleared, and then the water ran clear, but it left us on guard. On top of that, the air conditioning in our room didn’t work for two full days and nights. When engineering attempted to service it, they declined to enter because the “Do Not Disturb” sign was up, despite the fact that housekeeping was allowed in and we had given explicit permission for engineering to enter. When we returned to the room, engineering came up and began blow-drying the HVAC unit to defrost it. That level of troubleshooting isn’t something guests should ever be dealing with, nor while we’re in our room. Ultimately, we had to repack everything and move to a new room, which disrupted our stay even further. The restaurant situation added another layer of frustration. We tried to eat there multiple times, but the hours were sporadic, and the restaurant was frequently closed or opening late. One of the benefits of choosing a full-service property is reliable on-site dining—this was anything but. We were also given $25 coupons/credits which we couldn’t use because of the odd opening and closing times. Things go wrong at hotels; I understand that. What I can’t overlook is the pattern: water quality issues, failed AC for two days, inconsistent communication, and unreliable hotel amenities. This stay didn’t match the brand promise or the level of loyalty I’ve shown Marriott over the years. I brought this to the managers attention and Bonvoy customer service and 10,000 points were offered which is basically worth $20 in Marriott’s point redemption system these days.