I previously stayed at the same spot many years ago when it was the Holiday Inn and returned again for an anniversary trip with my partner.

This time the hotel has been rebuilt and is now the Renaissance with the Holiday Inn moving further up the road.

As yo may know all hotel rooms in the USA have a copy of the bible. It seems the Marriott chain also carry a management book from their founder. It came as a surprise to me that of the 2000 plus hotels in the Marriott group, they actually only own about 20 or so hotels.

They actually run hotels on a long lease. You can be sure that they know how to manage a hotel.

The check in was a breeze and there was a genuine welcome. I was given a city view but I requested a view of the Hollywood sign and I got that without a problem. In fact my room also had a city view as well.

The downside is that as it was an anniversary trip (and I am also a Marriott reward member) I got no offer of an upgrade or flowers or chocolates for my partner which was disappointing.

The room was wonderful, modern and spacious. The bathroom was nice. The only strange thing was locating the safe which is located below the mini bar.

The bell boy was very friendly and he not only suggested places to visit, but places to eat for breakfast as well as calling for a complimentary fridge so we could store our own food and drinks.

Special mention must also go to the Concierge who was eager to help and assist. We wanted to take a bus to the Beverley Centre, and he downloaded the route and the numbered buses to take. It may not mean much to other people but just think of the amount of time where you are just given a leaflet at other hotels and told to go away.

We had buffet breakfast at the hotel on several occasions. The range and quality was excellent. At $18 per head it was expensive. The restaurant service was good and attentive.

As the weather was hot we used the pool everyday. I do believe it was heated because it was still warm in the evening.

You can have good views of the H&H complex from the pool level and the Hollywood hills. I did think the pool's shape could be better. It could look crowded very easily with just a few people in the pool and I wished it was just had a rectangular shaped. They also needed to make sure that the towels were replenished during the late afternoons.

They also had a good gym which was rather busy.

The hotel tries to cover a lot of bases which it does very well. Its a family hotel for people on vacation, to a business hotel holding conferences to people having functions such as private parties and weddings.

If there were negative points it was the valet parking attendants. Anyone entering the hotel forecourt were being moved on by the parking attendants rather brusquely even if they were just dropping or picking people up. The attendants are franchised to an outside company. If I have a friend picking me up (and remember I am a paying guest of the hotel) I do not one the attendant harassing my friend to move on. Remember we have visited from the UK to meet up with them.

By the same token you can go to the H&H complex via the swimming pool level. There are security guards about who prevent shoppers from the complex to enter hotel premises.

What I found strange that the security guard stopped me and another guest from walking the grounds just outside the hotel because he claimed it was the property of another restaurant.

All we tried to do was take photographs of the view (there is a vantage point at another level but is crowded with tourists visiting the H&H complex) and we showed our key passes as proof that we were guests of the hotel.

Its this type of pettiness that the hotel needs to look into and improve.

Overall this is the best hotel you can stay at if you want to stay in Hollywood area. Its advantage is that it is part of the H&H complex. There is shopping nearby, food courts, bus stops, the metro station as well as lot of the other Hollywood attractions.

There is a lot of hustle and bustle at Hollywood Boulevard and the area has been revitalised since our previous visit many years ago.

We stayed at the Renaissance for a couple of days after our trip to San Francisco. First thing we realized the location was perfect especially with no car.
Our room was lovely and spacious (useful when you have four pieces of luggage).
The swimming-pool area was everything we needed with these hot temperatures.
The only negative point was the coldness of the employees.

Just spent 2 days here on an "in-town getaway". The hotel has a great location connected to the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex that also houses the Kodak Theatre (home of the Oscars) and is adjacent to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Used the AAA package--a great weekend deal that includes valet parking, discount card to various Hollywood and Highland stores and restaurants, and a voucher for 2 tickets to the Kodak Theatre tour.

My needs for the weekend were very simple--I was a native Angeleno who simply wanted to explore this part of our metropolis in more detail for the weekend. As such, I did not need the services of the concierge desk, bell captain or valet, so I cannot attest to the quality of these services. i did not eat in the restaurant or use room service.

I can, however, say that check-in was fast, efficient, friendly. I was given a room on the 18th floor with a great view of the pool, H & H complex, Hollywood Blvd., Kodak Theatre. The hotel has 20 floors, with floors 19 and 20 being the Club levels. Room decor was modern, Charles and Ray Eames-influenced. Great movable desk with adjustable chair.

One main reason I stayed in this area was because the Los Angeles Times recently called Hollywood the "epicenter of the new hamburger explosion", and I wanted to try the 3 places mentioned for the best gourmet burgers in town. All 3 places make a similar type of burger: brioche bun, arugula, 2 kinds of cheeses (usually a blue and a swiss), caramelized onions, garlic aioli, bacon. The meat may be Kobe. My personal rankings are: 1) Lucky Devils "Lucky's Favorite" 2) The Hungry Cat "Pug" burger 3) 25 Degrees (in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel) Burger #1. Horrible service at 25 Degrees.

The Hollywood Roosevelt is across the street from H & H. This is a historic hotel that has been revamped into a hip, clubby Chateau Marmont wanna-be, complete with a pool area that becomes a nightclub with high security. The HBO series "Entourage" filmed here, and unless you are an "Entourage" type, you will probably be more comfortable at the Renaissance.

We booked this hotel based on trip advisor ratings. I thought it was very good. It is modern, extremely clean, and well located. The pool has a fun view of the Hollywood-Highland mall entrance with an fun arch and a huge elephant statue. We did hear some noise one night that there was a concert at the mall. But we enjoyed the Hollywood location and took a very easy one stop ride on the subway to Universal Studios.