Hotel Review - Baltimore's Renaissance Harborplace Hotel

I recently took a family vacation to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. After researching all of the hotels located on the Inner Harbor section of town, we booked two nights at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel at 202 East Pratt Street. The property is owned by Marriott.

Renaissance is the perfect location to stay in Baltimore, as it is within walking distance to the Inner Harbor tourist attractions, such as the National Aquarium at Baltimore, the Constellation civil war ship and the Maryland Science Center.

Upon arrival, we had a friendly conversation with our porter. He advised us that the hotel is in the process of being renovated and that our wing had completed the renovations the week before our arrival.

We were pleasantly surprised by the modern furnishings of the room. The room's theme was sailing. In all, there were five striking framed pictures of sails and sailboats. The room had a king size bed with soft plush white sheets, a down comforter and an abundance of pillows. We also enjoyed the digital flat screen television.

The bathroom passed the cleanliness inspection. I didn't find one stray hair or speck of dirt and the marble sink and floor looked polished and new. Renaissance toiletries are provided by a company called Lather, Inc. I was a little disappointed that the toiletries were a generic brand. When I recently stayed at a Hilton property the amenities were by Crabtree & Evelyn and they were extra special.

Part of the lobby was devoted to a Starbucks café and a bar area. The Starbucks outpost proved helpful, as we ate breakfast there both mornings of our stay. Besides their famous coffee, the Starbuck's café offered several types of cereals with milk, pastries, juices and other soft drinks.

A restaurant called Watertable, located on the fifth floor, offered fresh seafood and steaks, along with a perfect view of the Inner Harbor. One part of the restaurant was an elegant bar and the other side was the restaurant. We didn't have a chance to eat there, due to the fact that we chose to explore the Little Italy and Fells Point areas the nights we were in Baltimore.

The absolute favorite feature of the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel for my kids was the indoor pool. Each night, after our sightseeing activities and before dinner, my husband and I took the kids to the indoor pool on the seventh floor. The heated pool wasn't overly crowded and there was plenty of space for my kids to splash around.

A benefit for parents is that a lifeguard is always on duty at the pool. Parents will also like the hot tub adjacent to the pool. I was able to unwind in the hot tub after a busy day of walking and sightseeing.

The rate per night you pay for a hotel room varies by how you book it; which website or travel agent you use and the dates you will be staying there. I found a great rate of $149.00 per night (pre-tax) for the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. In order to obtain this rate (for Saturday and Sunday nights in April), I booked directly through the Marriott website and agreed to prepay with a credit card for one night.

I also paid $36 per day for my car to be valet parked in the adjacent parking garage. This worked out perfectly, as we didn't use the car during our stay in Baltimore.

I give this hotel an excellent rating and recommend it to single travelers, couples and families. Since we didn't explore all of the sights we had planned to visit, I would like to return to Baltimore and will definitely stay at the Renaissance.