Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel

May and June completely booked, which left July, and I knew it would be scorching hot in July. The ballroom at The Renaissance with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Chicago River, plus the beautiful open ceiling where you could see the Chicago skyline seemed like a happy compromise of being indoors but keeping the charm of the city. To be honest, things started off a bit bumpy when we signed the contract with The Renaissance and were assigned Christine as our coordinator. She missed a meeting we had scheduled and was terrible at responding to e-mails. However, one of the managers ended up calling me to make it right, and we were then assigned Corinne as our coordinator, who is one of their senior event managers. She was AMAZING from start to finish and was such a joy to work with! Everything about our wedding at The Renaissance was elegant, from start to finish. Even the tasting was unlike anything I had ever seen. The crystal chargers, the gorgeous napkins, the wait staff, the bar set up with cute little signs and decorations behind it - absolutely everything was elegant and exactly what I was looking for in a wedding. They also had the option to set up soft seating with gorgeous decorative pillows in a few of the nooks of the ballroom during the reception, which I thought was not only beautiful, but also a great place for people to relax when taking a break from dancing. It seemed a lot more social, rather than everyone having to go sit at their table while taking a break. The food was absolutely phenomenal as well - the appetizers, the main entrees, and even the cake. People could not stop talking about our wedding afterwards. The room was definitely a "wow" factor, but then with the amazing food, incredible drinks (pay for the speciality cocktails - the bartenders are amazing and it's so worth it), and very professional wait staff, our wedding really left an impression. A year later, and our family is still talking about our wedding (and not talking about several of my cousins' weddings that were after ours). Also, the suites that you get to stay in at The Renaissance are AMAZING, especially because you have so much stuff for a wedding. They were so spacious and provided a perfect place for getting ready the day of the wedding - and a perfect place to relax the following day with close family and friends. Finally, you really can't beat the location of The Renaissance. We were able to walk to the courthouse a few days before to get our marriage license, we were able to walk to the famous Chicago River architecture tour the day after our wedding for something fun to do with out-of-town guests, and there's tons of options for a post-reception after party (we chose Elephant and Castle just a few blocks away). I can't speak more highly of The Renaissance and of Corinne, and our wedding was truly something out of a fairy tale.

stine and the team at the Renaissance could not have been more accommodating! They made us feel at ease, which was hard to do during a stressful time. We hosted welcome cocktails before the ceremony in their "urban blue" room which was a spectacular experience for guests. The Renaissance even created a custom signature cocktail for us to serve, which was delicious! We then hosted the ceremony in "looking glass" which turned out beatiful. All of our guests who stayed at the block also had very nice things to say! It was a wonderful day, thanks to the Renaissance team!

g package has a lot to offer , delicious food and beautiful views!

priced shopped the rates, compared locations for convenience, and narrowed it down to the Renaissance and a few others. We went on a fun date night where we went on a little hotel-bar-pub-crawl, and we absolutely fell in LOVE with the Renaissance! The chic, modern, urban vibe was exactly what we wanted for our guests. The rooms are gorgeous w/ great views, and the location being within 2 blocks of every CTA train line can't be beat. Our Group Housing Coordinator (Gloria Pol) was fantastic to work with and their online planning portal allowed us to get a full report on all guest reservations on demand. We had a TON of guests coming in from all over the world and they were very generous about adding rooms (and days) to our block as needed. The day of the wedding, the 50 person shuttle we had booked to bring our guests to the venue showed up nearly an hour late (seriously, do NOT work with Infinity Transportation) and the team at the Renaissance went into action to help all of our guests find a taxi in a timely manner. We highly recommend the Renaissance Chicago Downtown and can't wait to come back and visit on our anniversary!

g set up and making sure all of our guests were comfortable and that we had a great experience. Thank you all so much!

elp appease our situation. Our wedding is in July and I hope I can update this terrible review when everything is all said a done. But a word to the wise to future brides; the sales team is great, the event planners are very disappointing.

r on the terrace is the best view in the city. Our guests that stayed there loved the rooms and the service. Megan Goehler was our coordinator at the hotel- she is amazing. The package included our cake, appetizers and tables (chiavari chairs included). It was nice to have so many details taken care of at one location. We visited over 15 venues and we are so happy that we chose this hotel. Greatest night of our life and they made it special.

ons at the Renaissance, and we could not wait to see the venue in person. The Renaissance Hotel sold my husband and I completely from our first step in the door. Centrally located on Wacker Drive (a five minute walk to Michigan Avenue and approximately five steps away from the Chicago river), the Renaissance is beautiful on the inside and out. The staff was beyond accommodating from start to finish, providing unlimited time and energy to making sure our wedding day was everything we had always dreamed about. Our wedding included a ceremony and reception in the main ballroom, and our cocktail hour on the terrace overlooking the most beautiful Chicago skyline view at sunset. With 200 guests attending, we wanted to make sure the ballroom (which could accommodate more than twice that amount of people) would feel intimate for our guests. Our event planner (provided by the Renaissance) ensured that the space would feel perfect for the amount of people, and boy did she deliver! Between the bar stations, the large dance floor, the tables of eight, and the modern furniture set up on the outskirts of the room, the ballroom ended up looking like it was made solely for an event of our size. In addition to the wonderful event space, it was the wedding package that ultimately sealed the deal. There were many things included in our package that cost extra at other hotels (ie: beautiful table linens and lighting options, etc.). In addition, the food menu choices were expansive, with an amazing gourmet chef preparing the meals and a gourmet pastry chef to design your dream wedding cake. Not only were we invited in to the Renaissance to look at table setup and seating choices, but we were treated to the most beautiful tasting with unbelievable food choices (and wait until you try the desserts!), and exemplary wait staff who provided us with the most professional service. Needless to say, after being in touch with the Renaissance almost every day leading up to the wedding, our actual wedding day went flawlessly. My guests (most of whom were from out of town) LOVED the accommodations, and everything from getting ready (they gave me and my bridesmaids a beautiful large room for prep and catered to our needs for hours) to walking down the aisle to dancing the night away was perfect! The Renaissance provided us with comfort and individualized attention, while delivering the elegance of a big downtown Chicago wedding. So beautiful, and so beyond perfect.

e of the sweetest and most accommodating group of people to work with. We held cocktail hour on the terrace which overlooked the Chicago River. It was a magnificent sight to see! The ballroom was beautiful and so romantic! The Renaissance is a fabulous location with an amazing group of people to work with!

was on top of the reservations and incredibly accommodating. Even when I arrived at the hotel and had a few adjustments to make for my brothers' rooms, the front desk made them right away and she even said if there was anything else, I could contact her directly. Mac is so responsive and was so helpful every step of the way to ensure I didn't have to worry about anything regarding the hotel and my guests accommodations. Plus you can't beat the location :)

t deal on 20x king/2-queen rooms for both nights. We booked 2 suites as well - one for the bride & another for the bride's parents (and groom/guys to get ready). The suites were amazing and the view was even better - the hotel was able to accommodate our request for a high floor and we are grateful as the pictures we took have turned out wonderfully. Booking the rooms was easy for our guests, and the hotel was able to accommodate nearly everyone on the same floor (if preferred). As bride & groom, we received champagne & chocolate covered strawberries in our room on our wedding night, which was a nice added touch (unexpected!). We did receive a complimentary couples massage. We also were able to take photos on the patio for 30 minutes which was nice considering we were only blocking rooms at the hotel and not hosting our wedding there (it is a reception venue and there were several other weddings on the same day). Our contact was Megan Goehler and I recommend working with her if you can!

pond to emails and calls. Vicky made my planning easy considering I didn't have a wedding coordinator. The Chicago Skyline Terrace for cocktail hour was spectacular; most of my guests were from out of town and they were amazed with the river views and architecture. Food was amazing and my cake was over the top. I had a 4-teir macaroon cake with alternating hazelnut and pistacio filling, scoop of ice cream on the side and a mini macaroon. It was the perfect dessert to the best wedding meal my guests have had. You can't go wrong with the staff at the Renaissance; they go above and beyond to satisfy your needs, plus your guests will be right downtown. It's a great location for pictures, too.

ever followed through, always had to be asked multiple times to do tasks, and caused incredible stress. She also left the doors unlocked to my ceremony, so when the bridal party went in and the doors were closed and it was time for me to walk in, the doors were locked. Not kidding.

a set-up that was not traditional for the reception. We loved it And our guests told us it was the best wedding they attended! We held the ceremony inside on the site. Bridgette again went above the norm we think in helping us to build a stage/platform! The cocktain hour on the terrace is an exceptional space. Our tasting with Bridgette at the hotel was such a fun process in the process of SO many choices. We would give the hotel a 5, yet the 5 goes to Briggette. The hotel needs to step it up when it comes to a "bridal suite" experience!