More about Renaissance Gatwick
smelly room
by TripAdvisor Member thelawyer
stayed at renaissance gatwick to avoid a very early start to catch our flight, and to avoid a lot of traffic. not a cheap hotel and definetly not worth the money - the tavelodge up the road would have been far better value. we did after all only require a bed for the night. first problem - its not very well signposted\not at all and if you miss the turning off the roundabout it is a bit of a treck down the dual carriageway to get back.
check in staff were very friendly and efficient but the room....as soon as we walked in it smekt musty - leaking shower sort of smell. no-mini bar so you have to pay for room service, no hair dryer, and the air con was very loud and rattly. the bed was comfy without being big - as you expect in a marriott.The restaurant was feature less, being an area at the back of reception that had been walled off, and the entire downstairs area was full of very loud TV screens to ensure you could not miss the wourld cup.
breakfast was very disappointing - the hot buffert was tepid, the restaurant very plain and the piped music was very loud and the most innappropriate for breakfast i have ever heard!
the secure car park was not manned and no sign of cctv - in fact the gate seemed to have been left open permanently, so i'm glad i didnt stay and leave my car there
very disappointing hotel and will probably not go again travelodge, best western and holiday inn all very close and will be tempting next time
Very good airport hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Dansladen
Great hotel. I stayed one night waiting for my international flight, great service from the staff, great room service food and hotel room. This stay was a massive improvement over the Ramada Birmingham hotel which was terrible. Will use again for sure
Happy I stayed!
by TripAdvisor Member hypnoticrichard
I had a 24 hour layover and was glad I stayed here and saved a lot of money compared to a downtown hotel. Sure, the hotel is an airport hotel and older, but it was in decent condition, linens and bath were fine. 24 hour room service! Also I noticed they have day rates, something I will take advantge of in th future on shorter layovers since the DFW flights all seem to arrive here so early in the morning.... I ordered room service, it was fast and delicious. Overall I was suprised how hapy I was especially after reading other reviews.... also dcent sized rooms for Europe...
Big Rooms, Efficient Parking, Pricey Shuttle
by TripAdvisor Member ixsomerset
Surprisingly large rooms for a UK hotel. Beds were comfortable and decor in line with a 4 star hotel. Excellent pool. We had a triple room and there was lots of extra floorspace. Beds were comfortable and the room wasn't noisy. The hotel is probably 1/2 a mile from the airport, but not connected directly to terminals like the Hilton or Sofitel.
Parking is efficient compared to other hotels that require dark treks to offsite parking just when you want to eat and wind down. You park in the car park adjacent to the hotel when you check in. Your car is ferried by hotel drivers to offsite parking and returned to the hotel on your return date. Reasonable 8 and 15 day inclusive parking can be bundled with your stay. If you need a cot book direct with the hotel, not central reservations or Internet sites as this is the only way to reserve one.
Coaches operate as shuttles every 20 minutes for a princely sum of 2.50 pounds each way each person (a taxi may work out the same with better service if there are two of you).
We plan to return again next year.
First impressions are tatty
by TripAdvisor Member Pete1969
no where near a patch on the Heathrow version. Waited 20 minutes to get checked in and we weren't even acknowledged during this time. There appeared to be a be a lot of people behind reception but none of them willing to help.
The bar area was noisy due to a snooker table being in there which, endded up being a kiddies playground area.
The rooms very tired, difficult to heat and the minbar was not stocked either.
The ice machines on all floors didn't work as well.
Leave plenty of time to get the hotel hopper bus as this was jammed packed and the driver had to turn people away from it.
Parking was excellent though. You do have to leave your car keys at the hotel, but when you come to collect them this is really quick and they are trustworthy.
Good way to go out!
by TripAdvisor Member dafootes
I stayed here in order to take a morning flight out of Gatwick without worrying about traffic. I came into the train station at Gatwick and took a courtesy bus to the hotel. This hotel is not right AT the airport, just near it. The bus came twice an hour, right on time. It was a big bus, similar to those used in the States to shuttle between airports and rental car counters. The hotel was friendly - I checked in at about 10 p.m. and only for one night. I had a cheap rate from the Internet but they still upgraded me to the Club Floor (5th) which was nice. I got a cup of coffee from the Club Lounge and found all of the staff very friendly. With one night there, I didn't explore much but although the hotel has a little age on it, the accommodations were clean and on the luxurious side. I took the 7:45 shuttle back to Gatwick the next morning (it was very crowded) and was glad I'd stayed there. (One note - the shuttle costs 2 1/2 pounds each way.
Not a good start to the holiday
by TripAdvisor Member buffgirl73
We've stayed at the Renaissance before as it's handy before flying out but we will never stay there again. The rooms are shabby and tinier than I remember. The biggest complaint that we had was the bed. It was even smaller than a standard double and listed to the side which made for the worst night's sleep I have ever had. There was no hairdryer in the socket and the bathroom wasn't very clean.
This is not what I expect from a 4 star hotel and although airport hotels are usually OK but not great this was awful. I think we would have been better off in a Holiday Inn Express.
The check in staff were very courteous and I couldn't fault them until I was asked at checkout how my stay was. When I replied awful the lady just looked at me and said "Oh" and didn't pursue this any further. I filled in a comments slip but in the space of three weeks have had no response.
Awful.
A Mixed Bag
by TripAdvisor Member SouthCarolinaRichard
The Gatwick Renaissance is not like any other Renaissance that I know. It is more like an up-market Ramada Inn (which is exactly what it is, since it was rebranded from a Ramada Inn some years ago). We have stayed there six or more times since it is very convenient for Gatwick Airport and the internet deals on the Marriot web site are reasonable value (about 70GBP). The walk-in rack rate (over 125GBP) is not good value at all. In addition, since we often arrive mid morning, we have never had any trouble with very early check-in after our flight.
On the positive side is that you usually get a reasonably sized room with a nice bathroom. However, the rooms are somewhat variable. The fridges in only about half the rooms are functional and some rooms have tired decor with chipped furniture (not expected of a Renaissance). The rooms have, however, always been very clean. The beds are small so get a twin bedded room (the queen is size the smallest queen bed I have ever seen). The staff is very friendly. The restaurant is over priced but is quite good (15GBP-about $28-for breakfast is a bit much and the continental breakfast is even poorer valoue).
On the negative side is that the heating/cooling units are very erratic. They are usually very noisy and on two occasions simply have not worked which is very frustrating if one has to wait while the hotel engineer tries (always unsuccessfully) to repair the unit while one waits to go to bed before an early flight. The hallway decor on the room floors is also dreary. In addition there is no shop if one has forgotten anything.
Perhaps the most negative aspect of the hotel is the shuttle to the airport. Although it is quite a big bus, it serves another hotel. In the morning, it can be almost full by the time it arrives at the hotel. If it is full, one has just to wait 30 minutes. There is no question of extra buses at peak periods, so leave ample time. The driver is often very rude and totally unhelpful. One guest has changed the entry in the hotel directory from "courtesy shuttle" to "non-courtesy" shuttle. Guests arriving at the airport should also note that the bus costs 2.5GBP each way (quite steep for a 5 minute journey). The driver takes only cash. This is very annoying if one is just staying overnight while changing flights at Gatwick since it means that one has to obtain British money for the bus (and that means a walk back into the airport and finding exchange facilities). If they must charge for the bus, why not have free rides from the airport to the hotel and charge double on the return journey when the fare could be charged to the hotel bill?
In summary, this is a clean, friendly hotel that has its deficiences. It is not up to usual Renaissance standards.
Worst ever
by TripAdvisor Member Radiovet
We spent the night of July 4th, 2006 in this hotel and it was the absolute
WORST ever. 70% of the rooms were without air conditioning and our room
was at 41 degrees celcius upon entering. Later we were moved and that
room became bearable around midnight. Unfortunately, while we slept, the
A/C recycled off and the stifling heat returned. Management had only excuses,
even though this had persisted for days. Avoid this hotel like the plague.
honeymoon
by TripAdvisor Member LindaPepper
As I was getting married in Surrey then flying out from Gatwick, I was looking for a classy airport hotel. And I found it. The Renaissance staff were charming and helpful, food was very good for an airport hotel, and the bar area and garden very pleasant. I did not find it expensive at all, although the current poor Sterling/Dollar exchange rate is likely to be an issue for US visitors. The beauty spa was very good too. Having read some less than flattering reports on Tripadvisor, I was prepared to be unimpressed by room. However Room was clean and spacious, and air con is noisy in all hotels ! I would agree though about the 'courtesy bus'. Driver was fine, but it took 45 minutes to travel the less than one mile distance to Gatwick airport! Very circuitous route and a long stop at a second hotel. It would be better value to book a taxi expecially for families.
In summary, hotel is good value, clean and welcoming with good food.
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