What can I say, the hotel is undoubtedly in a great location - close to the station, close to the light district, close to the centre - BUT the service is appalling and the staff tend to tell the occasional untruth!
Don't waste you money, there are so many better hotels in the area and I am sure the service and staff cannot be so poor in all of them

We arrived at the Renaissance on Friday still expecting work and renovations to be taking place and they were......

The hotel was certainly not 5 star, walking around the corridors was like being in a college or hospital, the overall feel was not one I would feel relaxed in and certainly not up to European 5 star hotels.

Our purpose however was to use the hotel as a base for the city, we did not use the restaurant facilities so cannot comment on those.

The hotel lobby had a rather pungent, sewer smell to it on occasions, again not the sort of thing you would expect from a 5 star hotel.

This leads me on to Expedia, whom we booked through and booked on the phone with one of their agents at a call centre.

We expressly asked for twin beds and were told
the booking would be done on that basis.

On arrival at the hotel we were told it was a double bed only room and no other rooms were available. At 4pm in the afternoon we asked for a put-up bed to be installed in the room, reception said that would be done after chasing them many times.

We checked again later in the evening and on returning this was not done and we were told no more put-up beds were available.

We managed to change room to a twin on the following day.

So in summary, this sort of hotel is not and should not be 5 star, I also would not rate their service based on our experience. For the same money you could get a better deal in the City without doubt.

In addition to that, I would not book any hotel accommodation with Expedia ever again after being told one thing, then on arrival being given another.

The hotel did little to help us, so would never return to that chain again.

Hope this helps...

The Renaissance in Amsterdam was very nice despite the constuction that is going on. We did not have the opportunity to sleep in there so it was no problem for us. The room we were in was newly remodeled and tastefully decorated. It was small, but just fine for the two of us. The staff were very nice and accommodating and the location was great. The hotel is on a side street off the beaten path so it is fairly quiet, but still steps away from the action! We paid about $250 a night....not sure it is worth the $550 a night they are advertising now. But good overall.

Wide screen TV, luxury bed, small bath - good shower, nice extra touches throughout but no extras like slippers. Staff were very friendly so all in all the actual hotel 'brand' was very good.

Unfortunately this building was undergoing some major renovation, but it was quiet work wise at the weekend whilst we stayed. Unfortunately the room we were given had an adjoining door to the next room, and we had some particularly loud Americans staying next door who were boisterous till about 3am. Every time they opened their bathroom or front door, the adjoining door would rattle as if someone was coming into our room! The heating didn't work. The hotel did offer to send up a heater but we opted for an extra duvet.

Finally, why is it that if you pay more for extra luxury of a 5-star, you have to forsake the convenience of a kettle, or fridge space for your own drinks? The fridge was one of those weight-triggered auto-billing things with no extra space.