The Del Monte Lodge Renaissance Rochester Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Town of Pittsford

The Renaissance Del Monte Lodge is probably the best chain option in Rochester. The location itself is about 15 minutes by car from downtown Rochester and is in a small village on the banks of the Erie Canal. ||||Renaissance, like other Marriott brands, is a bit lost and confused. However, in concept, Renaissance is supposed to be an upscale, 4-star hotel that’s more boutique-like than Marriott’s flagship Marriott brand. ||||But, if I’m being honest, the Renaissance Del Monte Lodge is just a Fairfield or Courtyard with a considerably better restaurant, a fancy spa, and better décor. The hotel’s AAA rating confirmed my impression. AAA has given it a 3-diamond rating, which is below what you would expect. The Renaissance Del Monte Lodge should have a four-diamond rating from AAA.||||Here are some of the issues that I experienced:||||No pre-arrival email or welcome letter at check-in.||||There is no doorman or bellman to assist with luggage, etc. The front desk offered no assistance.||||There appears to be a hotel car, a Cadillac SUV. But no information was given at check-in about its availability, etc. This is why a hotel should do a pre-arrival email or at least provide a welcome letter at check-in.||||Similarly, there’s a spa, but you wouldn’t know this as a guest because it’s not promoted and you receive no information about it at check-in. This is another reason for a welcome letter or pre-arrival email.||||Speaking of the spa, there’s no pool. I found it somewhat strange that a full-service hotel with a spa doesn’t have a pool. A half-indoor, half-outdoor pool would be fantastic, especially given the pleasant summer weather.||||Renaissance properties are supposed to have a “navigator” (what the brand calls a concierge). I didn’t see a concierge desk or any employee other than the front desk clerk. ||||No newspapers. I didn’t even see a Rochester tourism magazine.||||There is no pantry market. So, if you want a Pepsi and the restaurant is closed, your only option is to leave the hotel and go to the nearby gas station.||||The in-room amenities are basic. The generic hotel coffeemaker with cheap hotel coffee was provided. In a suite, you would expect maybe an espresso maker. Even in a suite, there wasn’t a stocked mini-bar, wine glasses, or corkscrew. ||||With one exception, Bonvoy recognition was mediocre to poor.||||I booked a king room. Before my arrival, I confirmed a king room on the highest floor ||with the hotel. At check-in, I was downgraded to a 2-queen room. After complaining to the front desk and invoking the Marriott compensation guarantee, I was “upgraded” to a suite with no apology for the initial downgrade.||||I received an unaddressed and unsigned card in my original room that thanked me for staying. There was an F&B amenity consisting of macaroons and Diet Pepsi. While kind, the macaroons are something I don’t eat. I’m a Diet Pepsi addict. I appreciated the Diet Pepsi. My Bonvoy ambassador account has my F&B preferences. Just like downgrading my room, the hotel didn’t try at all. Zero effort. Zero attention to detail. Is it that difficult to provide an in-room F&B amenity based on my preferences? ||What’s the point of Marriott asking ambassadors for their preferences if they aren’t consulted? I would have rather had extra Diet Pepsi than the macaroons.||||My original room and the suite I later received were superficially clean. I say superficially because everything looked clean. But when you looked a little closer, you started to see things. Hair on furniture. Multiple stains on furniture, like white stains on upholstery. Dirty floors. Mold or mildew in the shower. Scratched, scuffed, cracked, and otherwise damaged flooring, countertops, furniture, etc. Peeling wallpaper. ||||The one Bonvoy benefit the hotel delivers well is the breakfast benefit. Platinum and higher can order ANYTHING off the menu. The hotel’s restaurant, the Erie Grill, is a legitimate restaurant, and the food, both for breakfast and dinner, is very good to excellent. The wine list, in particular, is spectacular for a hotel restaurant in the suburbs of Rochester.||||Speaking of the restaurant, the only issue with the restaurant is its size. It is a very small space. Reservations for dinner and Sunday brunch are highly recommended. However, guests wouldn’t know this because there’s no welcome letter or pre-arrival email. I was also surprised by the lack of outdoor seating. The restaurant faces the Erie Canal. There’s a nice pathway out there with lots of foot traffic. Four or five outdoor tables would be a nice addition.||||All things considered, the Renaissance Del Monte Lodge is trying to be an upscale hotel but comes considerably short of what you expect. Especially given the prices. The night I stayed, the suite I received as an upgrade was almost $700 per night. That’s a lot of money for a suite, given the cleanliness and maintenance issues, the lack of services, and the overall lack of amenities. Unless improvements are made, I think Marriott should change this hotel's brand from Renaissance to...

I had prepaid for a two-night stay at this property. Initially excited, I was informed by phone on the afternoon when I was scheduled to check that the area suffered from power outages due to heavy winds a few days beforehand. I was told that the hotel was still open and functioning, but that the rooms were not getting any heat pumped in. After asking how cold the rooms were, i made the decision to stay since they were holding steady at 60-70 degrees. Only arriving at 9pm after a trip from NYC was I informed that there were a number of other things not working at the property, such as a functional gym, elevators, hallway lights, there was no food service, and even the automatic doors to the lobby had to be pried open by hand to enter.

I understand that things happen beyond the control of the staff, but after being removed from the property on the second day of they trip was when the service levels really dropped off. The sprinkler and fire systems did not work and that was the point at which management decided it was unsafe for guests to stay at the hotel. They offered to refund the 2nd night and find me a room at another Marriott property in the area at no charge but that proved to be a long ordeal of waiting and uncertainty, so I found a room on my own with a different brand. To confirm what I was and wasn't responsible for, I was told that since I found the room on my own with another brand, they would not cover or reimburse me for that rate. On top of that, I asked if I was being charged the full rate for the previous night in a room without heat in a hotel with almost no services or amenities, I was told without hesitation "yes."

So, in essence, I was charged full rate for a stay in a hotel that was operating without heat and had no basic services and was left to find my own solution after being told I couldn't stay the second night of the prepaid trip. I've been loyal to Marriott for years, and have been a Marriott Rewards Member for years, but this experience really opened my eyes. Adding even more insult to injury was that I had to pry the doors open by hand to leave the hotel property after the staff confirmed that I paid full rate for what amounted to a stay in a...

The property is beautiful including the common areas, outdoors and the room itself. I could tell the room has been renovated and I like the decor (especially the flooring and fixtures). The cleanliness was good, I actually left a tip in the room for Housekeeping because I had no issues with the cleanliness as I was a Health Inspector some years ago so I know how hard the Housekeeping Staff works. I am big on cleanliness and will be very honest if a property does not do a good job as it pertains to cleanliness.

The pricing was competitive as I know depending in the day of the week the price point fluctuates so I have no issues with the pricing. I did want to upgrade my room at check-in, I understand first come first serve, however there are only a couple of suites on-site and due to a wedding the suites were all booked. But overall with all that I have mentioned I was prepared to provide the property between a 4.5-5 star review. However, that did not happen due to an issue that occurred with my check-in with my 2nd reservation as it was not handled correctly by one of the Front Desk Staff members.

I expect better Customer Service from a property such as this as it is an Autograph Collection equivalent, correct? I have traveled and stayed at many Marriott properties across the US and this is a beautiful boutique property in Pittsford, higher standard is required and expected. I work for Google on the side and I informed Management I would be providing a review for them on the hotel and also Trip Advisor and I would not be giving a 5 star review. But I will still give a 4 star review as everything else was good but Customer Service is huge for me.

Hopefully this is taken seriously and a conversation and documentation is recorded to reflect this event. When I come back to Rochester in the Spring 2022 possibly I would like to feel comfortable and know without a doubt my experience will be better if I choose to stay at your property again. I hope to hear from you Felix. Thank you...