Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, but the stay left us pretty disappointed. We expected more from what’s considered a premium Marriott International brand. Check-in was at a desk at the back of the hotel, a long walk from the entrance. With no valet parking, more than a bag or two means hauling everything to that desk and then back out front to unload. The garage is next door, but you still have to come down and return to the front door. Two of the three elevators sounded and felt like they might fall apart, with squeaky doors and bad vibration. My wife only felt safe using one. In the room, two headboard panels were coming loose and exposing plugs and power strips for the lights and nightstand charging ports. There was also an oversized hole around a newly installed bathroom outlet and a mystery stain on the bathroom wall by the door frame. Ordering room service was ridiculous. The elevator sign said to dial 0, but that reached the front desk, who directed us to scan the QR code by the phone and order from the menu. We chose three desserts, the carrot cake, tropical layer cake, and something called the trio. They called back to say none were available, and that the menu was wrong. We ordered chocolate cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate toffee bread pudding instead. It took exactly an hour to arrive. The hotel bar and restaurant have no useful menu information on the website, just dead links. The breakfast buffet wasn’t worth it to me: no pancakes or waffles, but salad for breakfast? The water was another issue. My wife was nearly burned in the shower with it set to cold, and later the sink’s cold tap ran hotter than the hot tap.

The bar was a highlight. The bartender was friendly and knew her stuff, and she recommended a couple of good local spots. When I came back later, she asked how I’d liked them. That small gesture made a difference. Portsmouth itself was a welcome surprise, a hidden gem, with a beautiful view across the water toward Norfolk. I really enjoyed staying at the Renaissance Portsmouth–Norfolk Waterfront and would absolutely return. The walk from the front door to the desk is longer than expected and can be confusing at first. When leaving the parking garage, go slowly and turn carefully: the exit curbs are extremely narrow for no clear reason, and easy to misjudge. I’d recommend Portsmouth to anyone looking for somewhere a little off the beaten path.

The rooms were so hot that I had to sleep with a wet towel on me just to get any rest. My three-year-old woke up overheated and threw up. This is a real issue at the hotel, not a one-off complaint: I was second in line at the desk, and the couple ahead of me were reporting the same thing. The front desk staff seemed used to these complaints, and though they acted as if it was the first time they’d heard of it, I found Google results showing it was known. Calls to the desk went unanswered. Two maintenance engineers came to our room and couldn’t believe we were sleeping there. The second was sweating while talking to us. Both said they’d turn on another chiller downstairs and it should cool within 30 minutes, but after two days in that hot box, it never did. The bathroom’s cold water faucet was broken, and once you turned it on, good luck getting it off. Maintenance said parts were on order, but that didn’t help during our stay. The hotel also advertises itself as smoke-free, yet the smell of weed hit us as soon as we opened the door, making the outside space unusable for our kids. Staff were rude from check-in onward, though I give them some grace because they must hear a lot of complaints. I’m convinced they have a key drop in the garage to avoid checkout confrontations. They focus on looking upscale while refusing to address known problems. It’s priced too high for such an unpleasant stay. I wouldn’t stay here again, even if it were the last hotel available.

I stayed overnight for work. The hotel is nice, right on the Elizabeth River waterfront, and the room was good. There’s a bar and lounge, a pool table, and outdoor seating around fire pits. The entrance, front desk, and elevators are a fair distance apart, so rolling luggage and decent cardio will help.