Room With A View
Jessica Wagner
The Renaissance Hotel Downtown Toledo
Sometimes I sit down to write a post and I’m like …mehhh. Not today. I have been looking forward to sharing this post with you guys and every nuance of our luxurious weekend stay at The Renaissance Hotel Toledo Downtown.
I just gulped down a nice hot Cortado and am about to drop some serious evidence that the brand new Renni (as I have been calling it, because I feel like we are close enough now that I can do that) is the place to be in Toledo for a good time.
If you haven’t been, get your fine self downtown and experience their incredible restaurants, fantastic views, yummy eats, and just plain cool atmosphere.
Local? Book yourself a little mini hotel-staycation. Traveler? This is the place to stay in Toledo.
The Room: Glass City Suite
I’m going to start with my favorite part, which was walking into our room. We were lucky enough to book the Glass City Presidential Suite or the Super Sweet Suite as we took to calling it. I walked in and nearly cried. The whole hotel has an ultra-modern vibe, but this room was just absolutely delightful. I had goose bumps. We were met with such a sweet {and sparkly} welcome that made it all feel extra wonderful. Our hosts set us up with some brilliant mementos – everything from the rosé, to the gold flecked macarons, to the blush pink glasses and of course the glitter made for an incredible ambiance to the entire weekend visit.
Rob and I wanted to spend a romantic weekend away, and booked a two-night stay to celebrate 10 years together. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect it to be SO elevated. Walking in and being met with met with luxury was enough to set me into “highly sensitive person mode" and I definitely had a few happy tears. We have little ones at home and it’s rare we get a night off, let alone a whole weekend with just each other. I was just so dang happy.
The view! By far, the view was my favorite part. I loved all the natural light and the sense of calm created from being up on the 11th floor. You know when you are up in an airplane floating with the clouds? Kind of magic like that. The river front view was dreamy. So was the rainfall shower. (Sexy.) And the walk-in closet. (Swoon.) And the little touches and details all over the room – from the glass light fixtures to the quotes on the mirrors, to the individual throw pillows, the coffee table books, and I could go on and on - but even the décor made our stay feel exclusive. More like a private loft apartment, and not a cookie cut hotel room.
It was love at first sight. The room has a cozy living room, a cute kitchen, a marble top table dining area, a one-of-a-kind mural, a huge flat screen, 2 restrooms – the larger with a double his/her sink, a king bedroom, and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city and the Maumee River. I kept saying I felt like I was in Chicago. Midwest charm with an urban feel. Plus our room came with a cute little pigeon that was always hanging out by our window. Haha. We become friends.
I loved that the flat screen was in the sitting area, and not in the bedroom. Looking down on the night-lights and the peaceful aura of the river was enchanting. Built in entertainment to look out the window - much better than staring at a phone or tv screen.
It was what I imagine it feels like to be resting on a cloud - a different type of quiet. The twinkle of the lights below and the layer of ice on the river gave it an ethereal feel. Really peaceful and memorizing… I work up at 3am to use the restroom and found myself mindlessly staring out the window, in sort of awe of the beauty. I decided to just “be” and let my mind wander. It wanders all the time to tell the truth, but usually to worries and to-do lists and this was different. A lot of our days are so rushed and busy it was a healing to just stare and not feel bad for “wasting time.” Time was all we had. It was a serene “zen moment” I can’t put into words, but left me in a sort of wonder at how lovely the world is. A really a simple thought I guess. I am usually inspired by a change in scenery or point of view, and this one was tranquil.
I kept joking that Toledo is the new Paris because our room overlooked a bridge that looks just like the Pont Neuf, the oldest stone bridge across the Seine river in Paris. No joke, it was that pretty! (MLK drawbridge, Toledo on the left, Pint Neuf, Paris on the right.)
Here are the two side by side you guys. Lol ok, I might be crazy and have dreams of visiting Paris someday but for now Toledo feels pretty damn amazing.
Also, I love that it didn’t feel like we were in Toledo – if felt like a true get-away. What I love even more was that we were in Toledo, and that is causing some major city-pride.
Restaurants
Into exceptional culinary delights? Me too. There are two restaurants inside The Renaissance. The Brim House located on the entry floor, and The Heights, which is their rooftop eatery. Both boast amazing menus, but each has it’s own unique flavor in food selection and ambiance.
Brim House:
We hit up Brim House for happy hour on Friday for $5 cocktails and apps. We just sipped our drinks and hung out in the stylish lounge. I ordered sweet potato tacos and could have ordered 10 more. They offer classic American eats in a relaxed, yet sophisticated vibe. We drank cosmos, played tic-tac-toe and laughed and enjoyed the evening social scene.
Our favorite meal had to be breakfast at Brim House. I am a breakfast person, and ordered chicken and waffles and Rob had crab cakes eggs benedict and we both had to stop ourselves and remember to breath. SO GOOD. The service and presentation were great.
Brim House offers classic American food, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you are local stop by for a happy hour drink and app! You won’t be disappointed.
The Heights:
This restaurant is located on the hotel rooftop with an aerial view of the Toledo skyline. It’s snazzy! I cant wait for warmer weather when they open up the sliding doors, for complete open air dining. We stopped up for dinner both nights (and to snap some photos earlier in the day.)
The first night we shared duck wings, pretzel bites, and shrimp tacos and of course a glass (or two) of wine. It was pizza Americano the second night. Both meals were ah-mah-ing. (Somehow we forgot to take pics of our meals! But I think you all know what a pizza look like, haha.) It’s cozy with their wood burning ovens, and the place was packed. I heard service was a little rough when the first opened, but I am here to report it was a full house and the food and service were excellent.
It was a great excuse to get dressed up. I love when I have a reason to swipe on metallic lipstick with a matching shimmery get-up. The sensuality, luxury, and indulgence of a get-away calls for a "look." I was going for retro-vixen. ; )
What To Do
The entry lounge had entertainment both nights of our stay.
Friday we had a free sampling of a Orange Tiger cocktail from local Toledo Sprits. It was good too! I have heard of Toledo Spirits but had never had the chance to try their goods for myself, so I loved that they were pulling in some local flavor.
Saturday night they had live music and local artists with their work on display. PLUS a free wine tasting. We got to sample 4 types with (with a generous pour!) I loved it!
So you will laugh, but we didn’t leave the hotel for like 48 hours! Haha, we didn’t need to leave for food or entertainment. On a side note, we were there to experience the hotel, not the touristy things so we really utilized our stay in that aspect. If you need any tips on what to do and see in Toledo, let me know, or they have an amazing hotel navigator who can hook you up with whatever your heart desires. (Her name is Ashley, she is the best. Tell her Jess says hi!!)
They also have a nice fitness center, which we ran out of time before we got to go! (Darn... )
We actually really loved hanging out in our room. ;) If you are like me you are happy to relax snuggle, sip some wine, eat too much pizza, and maybe have a little slow dance under the stars. Honestly we didn't want to leave.
Throughout the weekend, we were always met with warm service. I was eating up the fact that one of the concierges dubbed me “Carrie Bradshaw.” Haha.
Hospitality - 5 Star Rating
Here is the breakdown: our stay/room was clean, welcoming, hospitable, easy to navigate, provided entertainment, food options, room views, easy to access to downtown, valet service, and quick and easy check in/check out. The room was spotless and fresh. We had an amazing time and made some memories.
They really rolled out the red carpet for us in every way with special touches to make us feel at home.
I would 100% recommend staying at The Renaissance Hotel Downtown Toledo to everyone! It was seriously perfect for us as couple, but I would love to go back with a group of friends, and could see this as a phenomenal place for any type of event! (Plus, as you can see, all the cool photo ops!) Come warm weather you can find me at The Heights rooftop bar. It’s a place I can’t wait to take our friends from out of town, to show them a good time, with a spectacular view.
A special thank you to the crew at Renaissance Hotel Downtown Toledo for a magical stay!