Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel

I would generally recommend the renaissance hotel to anyone looking to book their wedding! Our wedding was at the Renaissance 5/10/24, we worked with Kevin and Amanda for the duration of our engagement. We booked early and likely secured a better price (not sure what they are charging now) We had 100 guests, did a buffet style service and had our ceremony on the terrace outside with the reception indoors. The pool on the terrace was not open during our ceremony (seasonal) PROS: - This is a great way to book at much less stressful wedding. The Renaissance can handle all the food, drink, space, and give you plenty of 'getting ready' space. It's an easy central location, it's easy for guests to stay and party as long as you want. It's easy to get to other spots downtown to take photos. Generally, this felt like a much cheaper way to do a wedding versus hiring a bunch of extra vendors and it all still felt very special. - We did an all vegetarian menu and the venue handled it just fine. Everyone loved the food (we had a buffet) and there were no issues with getting cake served. They did not charge any cake cutting fees and we easily boxed up leftovers for the end of the evening. Food allergies and N/A cocktails were handled just fine. - Generally stress free, highly professional event. No issues with security or wedding crashers, no incidences of rudeness, theft or miscommunication with service staff. The venue is equipped to handle any/all issues and we felt very well taken care of. CONS: - The beautiful, gorgeous, amazing terrace was very WINDY when we had our service. If you'd like to rent this space, just make sure your decor and plans account for this. My veil blew off and our flower display was knocked over twice, eventually shattering about a minute before the ceremony. The venue coordinator and my coordinator were responsive and tried to remedy this, but I would advise having a very sturdy, stable ceremony display, without tall flowers that can blow away. - Our venue coordinator wasn't very responsive to questions until a month or so out. She seemed very professional, but busy. Try calling your coordinator instead of emailing if you need them, that seemed to work best. At the end of the day, it wasn't a big deal, but it can be annoying. - Our bridal suite didn't seem to be included in the package cost, even though it seemed like it was in our contract. Expect to check in to the hotel the day of with a credit card that they'll charge for the duration of your stay. - Parking can be expensive with the valet for overnight parking. Check what the fares are close to your date and just make sure family is aware so they won't get any surprises. IN SHORT: This venue is fine, probably a lot cheaper than other options, and won't do you wrong. Book them and you'll have the night of your life! *Photographs in this review were taken by our photographer: "Josh Olson Weddings"

We had a great experience for our wedding at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. We had the rehearsal dinner, reception, and next-day brunch at the Renaissance and were quite pleased. Our main contact person was Laurie Malcolm, who was wonderful and responsive. We did not have any issues with our room block and any account issues were easily solved. As a gay couple, we would happily have another wedding at the Renaissance and would recommend the venue to other couple's. We were treated well and with respect. The only *negative* feedback we have for the Renaissance is that the banquet staff were quick to clean up before people had the opportunity to finish drinks and have cake.

Let me start by saying that Laurie, our room block coordinator, is a doll and such a sweetheart. I enjoyed conversing with her and she was quite responsive. She was completely thrown under the bus by her boss, Chuck ODonnell- he apparently is too afraid to do his own dirty work, and hides behind Laurie. That being said, DO NOT BOOK YOUR WEDDING BLOCK HERE! We booked a block of rooms here an entire year before our wedding, because our venue was less than a block away, and did not want to worry about shuttles, etc. We were told that once we filled our initial block, we would be given more rooms. This did not happen, and many of my guests had to scramble for other hotel rooms in busy downtown Columbus. We were strategic about who we put in our limited block because we only had 20 rooms, and ensured that appropriate family was there to assist my elderly grandparents, in addition to helping them with the short walk to our venue. Many guests had paid up front, and some had re-confirmed their rooms with the Renaissance a few months before the wedding. THREE DAYS before the wedding, I received a phone call saying that my entire block was being moved a mile away to a lesser star hotel, because they were overbooked. WHAT? We had a signed legal contract, which apparently meant nothing! They offered to pay for transportation and said to send them our Uber receipts to be reimbursed. (Never mind that some of our older guests don’t know what Uber is, let alone how to use it!) Our block was an easy target to move. What is worse is that people who booked outside the block or who were Marriott members did not have to move, therefore separating families, friends, and those helping handicapped grandparents. The entire situation was outrageous. They knew they were overbooked far far before they contacted me. Three days before created a fiasco with my out of town guests, and created a great deal of unnecessary stress before my wedding. Laurie’s boss, Chuck O’Donnell, was less than helpful and so incredibly RUDE about the situation. For someone who works in hospitality I expected more empathy. He turned the situation to make it seem like it was my fault! He had many unanswered emails and phone calls from myself and my guests. The front desk gave me three different emails for him, none of which actually worked! Outrageous! I called Marriott corporate and filed a complaint, which I was told would end up on Chuck’s desk within 3-5 business days. Great. Not helpful. I also spoke with the regional manager, whom I have a signed contract with that this hotel would provide 20 rooms, who said that he would address the situation, and I did not receive a call back. If a legal contract doesn’t get you anywhere, what is the point?! SAVE YOUR TIME AND HAVE A STRESS FREE WEDDING WEEK- BOOK YOUR BLOCK AT ANOTHER HOTEL!!!!!!!!!

The reason for 3 stars here has nothing to do with the wedding itself! My husband and I booked the Renaissance in 2017 for our July 2019 wedding. We worked with Laurie Malcolm who was amazing! Our terrace wedding ceremony was beautiful and the reception in the ballroom was top notch. The food was nothing short of delicious and the staff waiting the wedding was so good we are still getting compliments on them. They have beautifully renovated the entire second floor ballroom area so it is now very modern and classic. Now, the reason for 3 stars would have to be the way this establishment handles money. This place is definitely not the cheapest place to have a wedding, and when you are dealing with a wedding budget mistakes in accounting cause a lot of undue stress. The accounting team at the Renaissance is awful to say the least. They made countless accounting errors none of which they took credit for. One was made a year before the wedding, and they didn’t discover it until 7 days before the wedding when they decided to call me and stress my husband and I out way more than we already were to begin with. There were endless charges to our credit cards some we are still unsure of what they were for. We dealt with the general manger of the hotel, Chuck and he was far less than understanding and had no problem adding a significant amount of stress to my husband and I during our first week on marriage. Wedding was unforgettable, hotel staff was great, however accounting and upper management will be getting an F- from us.