Just back from a 4 night stay at the Renaissance. I loved this hotel and would highly recommend it. While it was out of downtown LA itself, it offered us the holiday we were looking for. It can be daunting staying in a city that you don't know sometimes as you don't know where to go, but there was enough on our doorstep to keep us entertained.

The hotel room was fine, nothing overly fancy but a lot better than basic. We were on the 14th floor overlooking the pool. There was no noise whatsoever to be heard from our room. Another reviewer commented on the fact that there was no extractor fan in the bathroom. We stayed in 3 hotels on our trip and none of them had a working fan, which surprised me. The bathroom in this hotel was larger than our prevous hotel (Westin, Times Square, New York). The old-fashioned TV was a bit of a surprise but we ordered a movie all the same one night and no complaints. The lobby area was nice. You could get lovely ice-cold water from a dispenser which had lemons, oranges, grapefruits etc. in it giving the water a lovely refreshing taste. There was also a m&m dispensing machine, which gave free m&m's. Handy when you're waiting around the lobby!

The hotel adjoins the Hollywood + Highland Centre which was just buzzing day and night. It was full of shops, eateries, cinema, bowling alley, the Grauman Theatre, Kodak Theatre. The Walk of Fame was right outside the Centre. The Centre offers an Elephant Card at the Information Centre on the ground floor, which offers discounts on a lot of the shops and restaurants.

We ate breakfast and dinner in the Centre every day. We would head off an a trip for the day after breakfast. All trips departed from the ground floor of the Centre, which was practically on our doorstep. We walked the Walk of Fame as it was on our doorstep. We took the Starline trip to the Stars Homes, which was very good as it was only a small open top bus and the driver was very interesting. We took the Starline Hop-on-Hop-off bus which we didn't enjoy as it was a pre-recorded tour and was hard to hear. We took a train to the Universal Studios as it was just handier for us. The train is only a stones throw from the hotel. It only costs 1.25 for a on-way trip which is great value. Universal Studios was a fantastic day out. I would say that was the best money spent on our whole trip (having done New York & San Francisco also).

We didn't have a car so we were very happy to have all the entertainment on our doorstep. We did walk up the street looking for somewhere else to eat but couldn't find anywhere. I wasn't taken by the area just up the street, but there was enough choice in the Centre for eating in, so it didn't bother us really. The only annoying thing along the walk of fame was all the people dressed up trying to get you to take a photo and then look for a tip. There were also people giving out free cd's, then looking for a donation for the cd!

This is a Great Hotel for the location!! I recommend any families or anyone interested in being Right by most Hollywood Attractions stay here even if it is a little more expensive.

However, we did have a VERY difficult time getting our room. 2 1/2 hours we waited. We checked in at 3 and finally at 5:30 after we had been to the desk every 30 minutes after 4 p.m....they said oh, its ready. We'd been offered to down grade at the same expense and they could give us another room with a rollaway. Now, check the rates of this hotel and see if you'd like to sleep on a rollaway!
As soon as we arrived we were asked to shop for an hour while our room was finished. We weren't happy about that, but agreeable and asked where to go and how to get there. So at 4 we returned and it still wasn't ready, that clerk asked about the rollaway and that it takes an hour and half to clean a room not just an hour. So we were asked again to go shop....we declined and said we'd sit in the lounge area not too far away.
4:30 came and went with no word on the room. I went back to the desk because we'd become invisible to all but the bellman who kept glancing at us while everyone else checked in and headed up merrily to their rooms. The new desk clerk said Sorry, it shouldn't be much longer. 5 p.m. (really 8 p.m. at home and in our brains and stomachs) still no room and the desk clerk called housekeeping and someone would physically go check on the room and see how it was coming. She assured me she'd come get me and let me know either way how it was going.....ready or not. Apparently she leaves at 5, so left without getting me or telling me anything. She did tell us our room was an Upgrade so she wouldn't change it if it were her....so not sure how the previous clerk thought a rollaway would be a great idea.
5:30, still no one coming to tell us anything and I went back to the desk...this time getting a room or we're leaving.....and was told your room is ready. Guess they didn't feel the need to come get us and tell us.
There was no exceptional service at this hotel, no out of the way things done but we also didn't ask for anything. My goal after checking in was to never talk to anyone at the front desk again since 3 of the clerks I'd already met were no help.

I will say that it was a Very clean hotel, very nice and you can NOT beat the location. Our shuttle bus driver from the airport stated the same thing that we had chosen the best hotel in Hollywood for access.

My wife and I were looking for a hotel in L.A. that we would remember.

Wow, this hotel does it. It was incredibly cool and modern. The rooms were also modern and cool.

I did find the rooms very small and expensive but the views of L.A. were phenomenal.

The location right on Hollywood Boulevard really is amazing. You have access one minute from the hotel to the Hollywood of Fame, Chinese Theater and Kodak Theater.

I only stayed 3 days but i really enjoyed the hotel overall. The staff was good.

The beds were phenomenal. I hadn't slept so well in years.

If you don't mind paying the price I would whole heartedly recommend the Hollywood Renaissance to anyone. Really an experience.

I hope this helps you make your decision.

We stayed at the Renaissance Hollywood as a part of our Honeymoon July 16-19.
It´s a very large and modern hotel,the room was quite large, nice and clean.
It´s location right next to the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and Manns chinese theater makes it very convinient for a short trip such as ours.

Staff was friendly and helpful, nothing more, nothing less.

Liked the hotel, hated the area it was in, as soon as we stepped out of the hotel and away from the H&H center we felt like we´d ended up in a slum area.