Grand Opening: Renaissance Hotels Brings High Design to Historic 'Old City' Philadelphia #Renhotels

Mural being painted on the hotel's pool
by Alloyius Mcilwaine. Photo by
Allen Barkus

Following a Dramatic Multi-Million Dollar Renovation, Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel Debuts with a Playful Irreverence

  Renaissance Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., together with The Buccini/Pollin Group has announced the opening of Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel following a multi-million dollar renovation. This anticipated opening further reinforces the brand’s significant growth momentum around the world with upcoming openings planned in neighborhoods from Harlem to Hangzhou, and from Chelsea to Taipei.

“We are thrilled to introduce Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel, offering guests a sense of clever theatricality and an invitation to experience this historic neighborhood in a modern and unexpected way,” said George Fleck, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing & Management, Renaissance Hotels.  “With this hotel opening – our third in the city – we continue the brand’s design momentum around the world, creating moments that are sure to inspire stories worth sharing.”

In the heart of Old City Philadelphia, the 152-room hotel sets the stage for the spontaneous with unexpected design elements around every corner.  Designed by award-winning firm Campion Platt, the hotel pays homage to the cultural history of the city with a clever irreverence from playful portraits of Benjamin Franklin’s five mistresses, created with pixelated $100 bills tucked away in Chez Ben restaurant, to pop-art inspired images of famous Philadelphians adorning each of the guestrooms.

Upon arrival, guests are guided through The Alley inspired by the city’s famed Elfreth’s Alley, which was once home to the 18th-century artisans and trades-people - the backbone of colonial Philadelphia.  Employing a combination of grit and glittering finishes, the design of The Alley is anchored by a ceremonial staircase clad in blackened steel and backlit with luminous panels, which perfectly juxtaposes a 100-foot long graffiti wall by local artist Dan Murphy.

“With its artful design, vibrant and eclectic dining scene and engaging experiences, the hotel embraces the spirit of Old Town as a one-of-a-kind destination intended to be discovered in a new way,” said A.J. Williams, General Manager, Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel. “Look no further than the railings that line the hotel’s upper level, which mimic Franklin’s famous spectacles or the wallpaper that invites you to decipher the Declaration of Independence, to see how we surprise travelers and locals alike.”

Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel features all the brand’s unique experiences, including the hotel’s Navigator, who helps guests experience the neighborhood’s soul by highlighting handpicked local discoveries. The hotel also offers Evenings at Renaissance where guests can experience the locale through nightly programming, often featuring emerging artists and musicians and tastings from local spirits purveyors that are hidden gems not known to all.

Like the hotel’s design, the culinary experiences are poised to inspire stories worth retelling. 

-       Chez Ben Restaurant celebrates the French brasserie in quintessential Philadelphia Old City language. The bistro features a stone clad bar, an industrial-style wine cave and a café counter boasting coffee specialties from Philadelphia’s own La Colombe, fresh juices and buttery pastries all day. A raw bar, tarte flambee and globally-inspired entrees such as blood orange duck breast with sunchokes and whole grilled daurade are a few highlights of the extensive menu.

-       M. Brown’s, a retro-contemporary cocktail bar, specializes in long-aged brown liquors sourced from around the globe, in conjunction with a classic and specialty cocktail menu. The bar’s drink and small plates menu (boasting such dishes as Scotch-cured salmon tartine and sliders made with merguez sausage) embodies the idea that “everything gets better with age.” A bold painting commissioned by Philadelphia-born artist Marc Lafia hangs above the fireplace. Mixologist and beverage director Rachel Kovenetsky created the lounge’s specialty cocktails.

Guests can find repose in the intimate and locally-inspired haven, featuring a 24-hour fitness facility equipped with state of the art equipment, weights and personal training services; an indoor pool and sauna; and four meeting rooms, amounting to 4,354 square feet of meeting and social space. The hotel is also pet-friendly, welcoming up to two pets per room.

With its proximity to local landmarks and icons including Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and Franklin Square, Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel allows business and leisure guests to easily immerse themselves in the historic neighborhood with a wink-and-a-nod to its now modern downtown vibe.  For more information, please visit:www.renhotels.com.

About Renaissance Hotels

With over 160 hotels in more than 35 countries and territories around the world, Renaissance Hotels has a dynamic global portfolio. Designed for spontaneous global travelers, Renaissance Hotels extends an open invitation to experience the unexpected both inside and out of the hotel. Distinctly local, personalized service is brought to life through each hotel’s engaging Navigators, the brand’s ambassadors who connect you to the locale and help you discover the neighborhood’s hidden gems and handpicked local discoveries. To learn more visit  www.renhotels.com; like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter @RenHotels, Instagram and YouTube.

Travelore News: Marriott Launches Program With Maria Shriver Encouraging Tips For Maids

Contributed by Beth J. Harpaz, AP

This photo provided by A Woman’s Nation shows an envelope that Marriott will be placing in 160,000 hotel rooms in the U.S. and Canada beginning this week to encourage guests to leave a tip for the person who cleans the room. The envelopes bear the name of the room attendant. Marriott is launching the project with Maria Shriver, founder of A Woman’s Nation, an organization that works on issues empowering women. Shriver says many travelers don’t realize that it’s customary to leave a tip for the person who cleans your hotel room. (AP Photo/A Woman’s Nation)

 Do you leave a tip in your hotel room for the maid? Marriott is launching a program with Maria Shriver to put envelopes in hotel rooms to encourage tipping.

The campaign, called "The Envelope Please," begins this week. Envelopes will be placed in 160,000 rooms in the U.S. and Canada. Some 750 to 1,000 hotels will participate from Marriott brands like Courtyard, Residence Inn, J.W. Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance hotels.

The name of the person who cleans the room will be written on the envelope along with a message: "Our caring room attendants enjoyed making your stay warm and comfortable. Please feel free to leave a gratuity to express your appreciation for their efforts."

Shriver, who founded an organization called A Woman's Nation that aims to empower women, says many travelers don't realize tipping hotel room attendants is customary. "There's a huge education of the traveler that needs to occur," she said. "If you tell them, they ask, 'How do I do that?'" She said envelopes make it easy for guests to leave cash for the right person in a secure way.

So how much should you leave? Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson says $1 to $5 per night, depending on room rate, with more for a high-priced suite.

Michael Lynn, a professor at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, says his research shows that "30 percent of people stiff the maid," while 70 percent said they sometimes or usually leave a tip.

Sorenson noted that housekeepers "are less frequently tipped" than other hotel workers because they do an "invisible task." In contrast, workers who carry bags, hail cabs and park cars tend to get tipped because they "make a personal connection" with guests, he said.

Rosario Rodriguez, who works as a housekeeper at Marriott's Times Square hotel, says many guests don't tip and welcomes the envelope campaign as "a good idea."

Jessica Lynn Strosky of DuBois, Pennsylvania, who earns $7.75 an hour cleaning rooms at a hotel that's not a Marriott, says only 1 in 15 or 20 guests leaves a tip. When they do, it's a dollar or two; she's lucky to get $20 a week in tips. "I've talked to lots of people who say they don't know they are supposed to tip," she said.

Unlike waitresses who earn less than minimum wage because tips are expected to raise their earnings, hotel housekeepers are paid minimum wage, and in expensive markets, substantially more. In Washington D.C., Sorenson said, Marriott housekeepers start in the mid-teens per hour.

Not everyone applauds the envelope concept. "It is not Marriott's responsibility to remind customers to tip; it's their responsibility to pay their workers enough so that tips aren't necessary," said author Barbara Ehrenreich, who tried working as a hotel maid for her 2001 book "Nickel and Dimed," which chronicled her experiences in low-wage jobs.

But Scott Lazerson, 42, who lives in Sundance, Utah, said he "had no idea" tipping was customary until his wife told him on a recent trip to Orlando. He said he "feels stupid" for not knowing all these years, and added: "Yes, the hotel industry needs to do a campaign about it."