Renaissance Daytona Beach Oceanfront Hotel

The care from the staff made my wedding day special. Bryon at the front desk and the valet team looked after me and all my guests so professionally, and I didn't hear a single complaint from anyone. When I got to my suite to get ready, Bryon soon brought up fruit and a drink. Even the fruit was arranged beautifully, and that little detail said a lot about the attention everyone gave. Housekeeping had the suite clean and lovely, too, and the restaurant served fresh, nicely cut fruit. The views were gorgeous, and the property was tastefully designed and decorated. I recently had my wedding here, and it couldn't have been more perfect. The hospitality was amazing.

The room was clean, new, comfortable, and had a great view. I liked needing to scan the room key to access the elevator floors. The hotel is only about a year old, so everything felt up to date and really nice. We were there for a volleyball tournament and found it as Bonvoy members. Parking is valet only, but the charge is about what other Marriott hotels charge for on-site parking. It was too cold for us to use the pool, though it looked great and staff said it was heated. We liked our stay enough to book again for Memorial Day weekend.

The hotel itself is beautiful, but the service made this birthday staycation stressful, and I'm not eager to book with Marriott again. A valet had just struck a pedestrian directly in front of the hotel, so we waited 15-20 minutes to pull up. After things were handled, the valet walked past our car without acknowledging us. At the desk, the attendant seemed surprised we were guests, and there were no luggage carts even an hour and a half after check-in started. Someone said help was available “if I really wanted,” but nobody came. The valet charges were a mess: my corporate rate listed $20 per night, but I was charged $40. My guest's charge was also put on my bill even though he'd paid cash at the desk. The next morning staff couldn't find the cash, so they called the employee who'd worked at 10:20 PM to verify it. My guest had no receipt and had to describe who took his money. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, and he'd also been overcharged, $40 for five hours when it should've been $30. Fixing this took hours, and the bill was still unresolved at checkout. I stood at the front desk while they waited for confirmation. We were also told at check-in we had a $15 food and beverage credit, but at checkout I was told we didn't qualify because of the corporate rate. Between the poor first impression, disorganization, billing errors, and lack of communication, this was one of my worst service experiences in a long time, especially for a special occasion.

Raquel at the front desk turned around my impression of the area after a disappointing stay at Residence Inn Daytona Beach. She was professional, friendly, and attentive, and upgraded my room based on my Marriott status without me having to ask. That got my stay off to a great start. Her service is what hospitality should be, and I'll come back to this Renaissance Hotel in Daytona Beach and recommend it to others. Thanks, Raquel, for making the stay memorable and restoring my faith in great customer service.