Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel

Our wedding at the Renaissance Hotel went so perfectly. Sam went above and beyond to accommodate all of our requests. My (glowing) review is as follows: (5+/5) Location: Absolutely top-tier. The best Philly attractions are all within walkable distance from the hotel lobby; many of our guests noted how nice the district was and how easy it was to go sightseeing before the big day. If you want a wedding in Philly, location-wise you can't get much better than this. (4/5) Parking: Adequate for all of our guest needs, although I would recommend the guests to park yourself as there's ample garages nearby. My only complaint here was the difficulty finding parking for large trucks that had a delivery for us. The valet did their best to help but it took almost an hour to get fixed. If you are getting large deliveries like sound system, floral arch, etc. make sure to keep this in mind. (5/5): Hotel Rooms. The room block reserved for us were luxurious, clean and spacious. The staff made us feel so welcome during our stay. The penthouse suite provided was a perfect place to chat with friends and family before and after the ceremony. (5/5) Organization. Sam was in charge of organizing our wedding and she did a fantastic job. She set up a few in-person meetings and a one quick zoom chat to catch up. Very flexible with all of our requests and made sure she went down her checklist of things, areas like guest count, vendors, meals, room design, schedule, etc. etc. Planning was a breeze. Even on the day of, we asked the staff to make some impromptu changes to the room design and they immediately made the arrangements for us, no questions asked. (5/5) Food and Beverages. The ribs are delicious, compliments to the chef, and are a unique and highly recommended choice for a wedding dinner. Salmon was also solid but a little dry, so might suggest a different fish option. Everything came out timely, hospitable and organized, including the coffee and cake after dinner. The open bar during the dance and karaoke was also well-received, perhaps *too* well-received! (5/5) Wedding Decor. Although basic, the items provided by the hotel are of excellent quality and are everything you really need for a wedding. Covers all of the basics (good chairs, tables, dance floor, tableware, silverware, etc.) but leaves room for customization for DIY folks. (5/5) Pricing and Overall: Everything they did for us made the expenses very worthwhile. We thought the pricing was very reasonable and were happy to choose Renaissance for our wedding ceremony and reception!

Booking the Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel for our rehearsal dinner turned out to be one of our best decisions! When we first started looking for rehearsal dinner venues in Old City, we reached out to almost a dozen different places. The Renaissance really stood out to us because of the amazing communication we had with their catering sales manager Samantha S. Samantha replied to all of our emails right away and answered all of our questions consistently for the months leading up to our rehearsal dinner. She went above and beyond regarding the requests we made for the weekend and worked with the timeline we gave her. Even though our event was a small rehearsal dinner, Samantha treated us as if we were having a 300 person event at their venue, making us feel prioritized. Our rehearsal dinner was held in a private room with a large window over looking the park next to the Second Bank. Everyone enjoyed the food and the servers were amazing! Not only did she help put together our rehearsal dinner, Samantha also helped us set up a room block with the hotel, a welcoming drinks gathering, and an after party. Both of which were held in the hotel's main lobby bar. Our guests enjoyed their stay and complimented the hotel's cleanliness. We highly recommend booking a stay or event here. They truly take the stress out of planning!

The Renaissance was the perfect venue for out 70 guest wedding on July 15th, 2023!! We had a lot of out of state guests, and they loved that it was close to so many historic sites. The hotel was beautiful, and because it was so hot that day we decided to take most of our pictures indoors, which worked out great. We also really appreciated their communication throughout both the planning process and on the day of the wedding. We worked with Samantha and Lauren who both made us feel very comfortable and less stressed! We would definitely book here again :)

The Renaissance hotel was such an amazing place to host my wedding weekend events and many guests. We had a large wedding offsite but held events at the Renaissance throughout our weekend. Samantha and team were extremely organized, responsive, accommodating and planned everything perfectly. The front desk and hotel staff went above and beyond in being so friendly and accommodating to all of our guests. I would recommend the Ren every time! 10/10!

We booked the Renaissance Hotel for our wedding block and to get ready for our day and are so happy with our experience there! Sam Serenkin was absolutely AMAZING to work with - I could not believe how quickly she would respond to any question I had, any time of the day, and she was always quick to update us on our guest count, where we were at the with numbers, and make suggestions. She is incredible at her job and truly made some of the more overwhelming parts of wedding planning a breeze, thank you Sam!!

We chose The Renaissance for our main hotel room block, and for our after-party, and we are so glad we did! We were choosing between The Renaissance and The Kimpton, and one meeting with Sam made it a clear choice. They allowed us to have our after-party at their bar, and gave us our own space across the lobby, without requiring a food and drink minimum or reservation fee. They also gave out welcome bags like pros - even called guests who had checked in early to get them! The service was fabulous throughout the whole weekend. OK now back to Sam...she is just amazing and a pleasure to work with, Super responsive, accommodating, and thoughtful. I highly recommend The Renaissance for your hotel room block and/or after-party.

I couldn’t wait to write this review! For starters Samantha “Sam” Serenkin, you are the absolute best! We booked the Renaissance for our wedding 10.21.22 and I’m so glad we did! Beautiful art, wonderful staff, my wedding day was absolutely perfect! Food was delicious, the penthouse suite literally makes you want to move in forever! The list goes on and on I literally do not have any cons! If you want a wedding experience/day full of all PROS this is the place! Back to Sam! The event coordinator. While the hotel is beautiful and picture perfect for a wedding…Sam was literally the cherry on top! BEYOND accommodating, personable, She made sure we were nourished and comfortable, she kept in touch through out this whole process and made it easy! 5 star wedding! Thank you all for making our wedding day as amazing as you all did! -Christina

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect. Sam was our planner and she was the most amazing help from start to finish. From setting everything up the day of, to the prep work, the communication and assistance with moving our data from Covid, I just honestly can't tell you how amazing she was and how much we loved our day being held here. The food was amazing, the bar was great and the space was perfect for our size wedding. Thank you Sam and team!

Best venue in Philadelphia!! Samantha S, the event planner, is beyond professional, talented, and attentive. She went above and beyond to make sure this wedding was perfect for us and our guests. Words cannot describe how much easier she made wedding planning and how much we loved working with her. We recommend the Renaissance Hotel to absolutely everyone and all of our guests said it was the best and most fun wedding ever!

I cannot recommend The Renaissance enough! I was a wedding coordinator, so I went into wedding planning knowing full well what goes into a wedding day and witnessing every type of wedding. I wanted a place where mostly everything would be included and I could just enjoy the day with my partner. We also wanted a wedding in the city, so our family and friends could enjoy Philadelphia. The Renaissance was perfect for that! First off, having the ceremony and reception in the same place guests are staying makes it so easy on your guests- and being a good host was important to us. The location is wonderful-- just a few minutes walk from both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, plus tons of other sites, and bars and restaurants, made it such a fun weekend for everyone! Plus made walking to a bar easy for an after party! The food was amazing!! We did the stations and everyone loved the short rib, sea bass, and pastas (also the food tasting??? so fun and delicious!!), and there is tons of food during cocktail hour, and the bakery is already included and our cake was gorgeous. Samantha was truly the perfect venue coordinator. She always responds quickly, calms your nerves, and really cares about you and your partner's vision of the day. As a former coordinator, I know how important this is-- and she will exceed your expectations. Some other details we loved: having hors d'oeuvres and champagne in our room after the ceremony just for us two for a quiet moment alone during cocktail hour, the beautiful locations for photographs all around Old City, the service from all employees at the hotel, the penthouse suite for getting ready in that had tons of space (also wonderful lighting), and the value for a wedding right in the city. I wish I could post pictures on this review, but check out Elizabeth Mae Photography for our photos.

Sam was amazing and helped us every step of the way; especially throughout all of the covid restrictions. The venue looked beautiful and the cocktail hour was perfect.

We had the absolute best wedding at the Renaissance!!!! Sam was incredible and made the process painless and smooth. She was super responsive and quick to answer any question that I had, no matter how silly it was. The space was beautiful and we loved the giant window overlooking the park for our ceremony. The food was delicious. Highly recommend!!!!

Wonderful Venue! We were married in Old City Philadelphia and the Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel was the perfect place! Samantha and her staff were awesome! Samantha made our day stress free! Samantha is very professional, friendly, and very well organized. We were so pleased with how easy Samantha was to work with, we even held our rehearsal dinner there! The food was absolutely delicious! The cocktails were great! Our guests even commented that our wedding was the best wedding they ever attended!!!!!

We had Samantha helping us coordinate room block and post-wedding day brunch on the property. We loved the décor of the hotel – historic with a modern twist. Modern boutique hotel with a very convenient location with a great view of Old City. The brunch was great and the service was outstanding!

I cannot stress enough how perfect our wedding was at the Renaissance. From the moment we booked the site a year and a half ago, it was smooth sailing on their part. I could write an entire review just on Sam, but I'll stick to just a few points -- she was there to respond in less than a day to any silly question I had, and we loved her so much at first meeting that we didn't have any reservations about choosing this venue. On the day of, Sam was ready to handle any issue that came our way and was there with a drink for me when she sensed me get stressed. I can't imagine the day without her and the rest of the staff at the Renaissance. Them, the food, the atmosphere -- everything was perfect. We can't think of a single thing we wished had gone differently or better. Thank you for the best wedding!

Our wedding at the Renaissance Hotel was beyond anything we could’ve imagined. We decided to have a small, intimate wedding and kept having a hard time finding a venue that wasn’t a restaurant. After speaking with Sam and doing our first visit, we knew we wanted to get married here. Sam was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The entire experience from start to finish was great! We couldn’t be happier with how our special day went and how beautiful everything was. I would highly recommend the Renaissance Hotel for any wedding. The area is beautiful and historic. The hotel felt new and updated. Everyone told me how much they loved the food, without me even asking! Wonderful experience!

My experience with the Renaissance was amazing! All staff were kind, helpful and very supportive throughout my stay for my wedding. Samantha Serenkin, my coordinator was more than exceptional. She has been in constant communication with my now husband, since the day we were interested in looking at the Renaissance for our wedding reception, on Friday, September 6, 2019. She has always been very pleasant, smart, kind, providing great suggestions, excellent time management, prompt or ahead with email responses, very organized and just all and all an amazing coordinator. My wedding was a perfect day and she made it so, on crutches! She handled alot of behind the scenes moments, I was not aware of. My family and friends raved how excellent she was along with the staff. Our wedding was perfect. I stayed in the penthouse suite, in which my bridal party and I received a beautiful breakfast and complimentary champagne due time mix up. I also received housekeeping services and just overall excellent accommodations whenever I called the front desk or talk to Samantha. Professionalism is key & I received that from Samantha and the entire staff. Thank you so much and would recommend this hotel and wedding coordinator anytime!

The Renaissance is THE ONLY place to get married in Philadelphia. Our wedding was everything we hoped and dreamed it would be. Samantha, the catering and events manager, is truly an angel. She is organized, an excellent planner and so unbelievably helpful. The rest of the serving staff was at our elbow for everything we could want or need, and the front desk staff was accommodating and wonderful! The bellmen were professional, courteous and on top of everything. Our bridal suite (the penthouse!) was comfortable, well furnished and appointed, and gigantic which made the getting ready process so much easier. All of our guests were thrilled with their stay in the hotel. We could not come up with any single negative from our entire wedding weekend. You will not regret coming to the Renaissance. LGBT friendly!

The staff at Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel made our wedding easy, smooth and hassle free. Samantha was knowledgeable, experienced and detail oriented. She was very responsive answering any questions we had right away. She guided us every step of the way, made suggestions on elements and ideas that we never would have thought of, and brought our vision to life handling the smallest of details. In the sea of stress that comes with planning a wedding, Samantha went above and beyond to make our event unforgettable. All my husband and I had to do was kick back and enjoy the ride. We highly recommend having your event here.

We booked our hotel block here, and the Renaissance Hotel was absolutely one of the best features of the weekend. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. It is elegant, modern, and designed thoughtfully. The coordinator, Samantha Serenkin, is unbelievable. She made everything happen flawlessly and made planning so fun and easy. My husband and I were not the most organized wedding planners, and from last-minute bookings to losing hotel keys, Samantha and the staff at the Renaissance bent over backward to make everything go smoothly. We couldn't be more grateful to them The lobby design is so thoughtful, with the guest-check in tucked away, the downstairs bar and coffee shop feel like a swanky restaurant. I loved sitting down there the morning after the wedding greeting all of our guests as they trickled out, and the lounge was the perfect after-after party! The rooms are painted in a lush navy, which made our wedding portraits look studio quality! The park directly across the street from the hotel is perfect for wedding photos. You should absolutely book here, you won't regret it! Check out our photos; the smiling speaks for itself! http://www.photographyanthology.com/blog/2018/10/16/elise-bradford-classic-joy-filled-wedding-american-swedish-historical-museum-philadelphia-pa

Everything in this hotel has been renovated this year (2018) from top to bottom (all guest rooms, lobby, pool, ballrooms). It was absolutely beautiful and the best price for a room block on the east side of Philadelphia (old city, etc). Everyone on the staff was incredibly nice and accommodating when we hosted our wedding there, extending our room blocks when we needed, storing our hotel bags for guests, and our Sunday morning breakfast in the Azela ballroom. Samantha is so nice and responsive, she made sure everything was perfect! (Even down to making sure the hotel lobby bar knew there would be a large wedding party coming back after the wedding so they would stay open). Have to sincerely thank her and the rest of the staff, all of our guests loved the hotel and send off breakfast!

My husband and I are so beyond happy we chose Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel as our venue for our wedding! We had our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception at an incredibly reasonable price and almost everything needed to make the day perfect was included! The staff at the hotel is incredibly friendly and Samantha Serenkin made the entire experience so easy. We're just so pleased about this day and how awesome this hotel was to us.

Like the last reviewer; my fiance and I did not have a ton of time for planning our wedding. We did not want to wait a year or spend that much time planning and wanted to get married in the spring. We planned everything in about 5 months! In our search, we came across what was then called The Franklin Hotel. We took a leap of faith and booked the hotel despite the fact that it was a construction zone the first time we saw it. We could not have been happier with how everything turned out. The rooms are gorgeous, the cocktail area space is so unique and hip, and the food was amazing. Everyone was raving about how good the cocktail hour food was. The banquet staff we so helpful and accommodating throughout dinner and the night. We could not have asked for a more perfect day! Everything was absolutely wonderful from start to finish.

My partner and I did not have a lot of time to plan the perfect wedding. In fact we only had about four months! We searched for about three weeks until we came across, at the time, The Franklin Hotel. We took a leap of faith considering it was undergoing renovations. All we had were pictures of what it was going to look like and the word of the staff to go by, but I must say it was the most magical and satisfying leap my partner and I ever took. Samantha Serenkin was literally a God send and I would recommend her any day of the week to coordinate anyone's wedding. From the start she was impressive. She is timely, genuine and extremely knowledgably! The food and beverage staff were absolutely amazing as well and their manager is an all-star. Everyone here made ourselves and our family have the best day of our lives. You don't want to book your wedding anywhere else!

When selecting our wedding venue mu husband and I knew we wanted something a little bit different then the normal, but still offered the elegant grand feel we wanted and on a bit of a smaller scale. We had about 125 people at our wedding and did not want to book with a ballroom with a 150 minimum that we could not fill and we wanted to make sure our guests had the option to stay if need be. So after looking at our checklist, the search was on. After seeing a few places the Franklin was one of the last places to see before making our decision and I am so happy we went. It is elegant, grand, intimate and a one stop shop (i.e. ceremony, reception and cocktail in one). And the location was perfect. The staff are so accommodating through out the whole planning process and you get a lot included for the price, which is a bit high, but worth it! Guests are still talking about how beautiful the venue was and how comfortable the rooms were for those who stayed.

Our wedding day at the Omni was absolutely perfect! The service of the waitstaff and reception are beyond exceptional! Jessie is very no nonsense and makes sure the job gets done. She made sure we had everything we needed for our big day! We had a little apprehension initially because we had a change in wedding coordinator mid-way through our planning; the switch from Laura to Jessie left us a little out of the loop as to timeline and next steps, and seeing as how we were new to the whole wedding planning process it left us a bit nervous. However, everything worked out beautifully and our wedding day went by smooth as silk. I really can't say enough good things about the staff in the the Azalea room at the the Omni. Not only do they clearly love their workplace, but they will go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. Every time we would swing by the space to show our parents the venue, they were warm and welcoming. The styling of the hotel (rooms and Azalea room) is Old European styling, and very traditional elegance, so if you prefer modern touches it might not be your thing. The Azalea room is NOT a big ballroom, which we absolutely loved! It felt like an intimate, lovely place for our friends and family to celebrate with us. The food throughout cocktail hour and dinner was delicious, and Bredenbeck's Bakery (with which the Omni partners for their package) delivered an amazingly delicious cake. Our guests were raving about it! Lastly, the Omni set me up in the penthouse suite for the night before the wedding and I was able to order a brunch to be delivered to the room for me and my girls while we were getting ready. During the wedding, they cleaned the room and spread rose petals throughout, with champagne and strawberries for my husband and I upon our return to the penthouse that night. It was wonderful. We felt so cared for throughout the whole day. I couldn't have asked for more!

My husband and I had our wedding a few weeks ago at the Omni Hotel at Independence Park. After visiting the hotel's bridal open house last year, we fell in love with the space and what it offered. We were looking for something that was all-in-one - ceremony space, reception space, catering, and cocktail hour. They also provided a hotel room block for our guests, and as the bride/groom - provided us with a special room for 2 nights. It's also located in the heart of Old City - so the photo opportunities were endless. Throughout the process, our coordinator, Jessie, was very receptive to us. I had lots of questions during the year prior to the wedding. She always emailed me as soon as she could, and was very calming during the process. She was very easy to work with, and made sure we had everything we needed. For the wedding day - we were able to give her our programs, guest book, favors, etc in advance so her and her staff could set them up on the day of the wedding. We also had a few special requests - which were accommodated without feeling pressured. She also kept checking in on me and the bridal party to see if we needed anything. She worked with each vendor, and I was able to focus on my bridal party, rather than worrying about the venue being set up. For the actual wedding, all of my guests raved about the food and the set up. The food was amazing - including the desert bar. They even created custom requests - i.e. gluten free and vegan options for a few of my guests. I was also impressed with how they treated me and my husband. I kept hearing stories from my friends/family that were married that we wouldn't be able to eat since we would be so busy. Well… after the ceremony - we went up to our room during cocktail hour to breath, and found they had set up a custom tray of food and wine just for us. During the dinner, they made sure we sat down and ate, made we were well watered, and even though we didn't get to eat our portion of the cake - they put our serving into go-to boxes and set them up to our room. I was thoroughly impressed with the Omni, and their services! I would absolutely recommend them for weddings!

Our wedding day went off without a hitch, and that is definitely thanks to the amazing people at the Omni at Independence Park. We originally had gone in to ask about a block of rooms while we were out looking at more DIY venues based on our budget. While we were waiting someone offered us a folder with wedding information in it, but we never thought we could afford a reception there, especially based on the location, the beautiful lobby, and how much other hotels in the city charge. We couldn't believe that it would be a possibility for us when we looked it over and we booked it the next day. They have made amazing changes to the Azalea room in the time since we originally booked it, and it is a beautiful space. They include many decor additions that other places charge exorbitantly for (colored linens, candle centerpieces, chiavari chairs). On top of the all the look of the hotel has to offer, the food was absolutely wonderful. We went with the stations menu and every item was delicious. The entire staff was friendly and professional. I know I was the bride, but I still feel like they went above and beyond to make sure I was cared for and had everything I needed (and ate!). Everything about our entire wedding weekend was wonderful, from the spa downstairs, to the suite we stayed in and then the amazing wedding itself. I heard from multiple people I trust not to bs me that it was the best wedding they had ever been to. When we were planning I would joke that I wanted to get married every year if we ever won the lottery so I wouldn't have to pick a theme or venue and could do everything, but now if I could I'd get married every year and have the exact same wedding we had the first time at the Omni!

High prices, but in a great location. Good food for wedding brunch the next day. Alicia was great to work with.

I can't rave enough about the incredible job that Alicia and the Omni staff did. She was there for me every step of the way - We exchanged around 100 emails in the last eight months. Alicia really did save my sanity, and handled a million small details so that I didn't have to. At the reception itself she was constantly checking in with us, and was there for anything I needed. My mother loved her! Every guest I spoke to told me that the food was beyond amazing, and a couple of people even told me that it was the best cocktail hour they'd ever attended. The room was beautiful, the staff was helpful, attentive, and prompt, and I wanted to hug all of them. Plus, we got the Penthouse Suite for the day of the wedding and the wedding night. If you haven't already booked a venue, please, please, please go look at the Omni. I would do it all over again and not change a single thing.