Hotels near Church of El Shaddai, Chesapeake

This hotel has so much going for it… Spectacular location, wonderful Riverside walk, outdoor area, lovely views of Norfolk waterfront, open attractive lobby, etc. How many hotels can boast of an aircraft carrier view outside your room window? Unfortunately it deserves no more than two stars due to poor service and lack of attention to detail by hotel management. Having stayed at hundreds of hotels I can confidently say this Hotel does not deserve the Renaissance brand. Renaissance is supposed to be a premium brand according to Marriott. Our experience was nothing premium. In fact it was more like a basic self service Courtyard! Hotel Management need to step up, staff need training on BASIC service standards and they need to enhance room quality. The lobby area is open and nice. At checkin, let alone smile, the woman behind the counter seemed angry and lacked basic courtesy to greet guests. Awesome start to the stay!! Interestingly our room did not have bottled water - not even for purchase! And mind you this was their concierge level for elite guests! That was a first! I couldn’t call the front desk since the room phone was a dud! Used my cell to call the hotel external number about water. The front desk seemed to use the Covid excuse and directed us to the lobby marketplace. Seriously! You want me to come down 17 floors for a bottle of water???Talk about a premium hotel!!! Next morning breakfast in the lobby restaurant was completely disorganized and chaotic. Management was struggling to keep up with guests, clean tables and stock the buffet. Again not something you expect at a Renaissance. Overall rooms were decent. Appreciated the large windows and view of the river and shipyard. But there were annoying things like not enough towels, one tiny bottle of shampoo, missing bottle of conditioner, jumble of extension wires on the floor, no towel hooks, no safe box, etc. Any requests to housekeeping via the chat took hours to fulfill (remember room phone not working!) so we waited to take a shower which delayed our sightseeing schedule. A lot of these seemingly minor issues collectively made for a less than premium experience. All of these can be fixed by proper management oversight. Again not something you expect at Renaissance!

Overall pleasant experience. The hotel staff and other hotel guests were very nice and hospitable. We were there for a Women's Retreat (Zion Church). I had to switch rooms after the first night because my room was right above the outside patio and it does not close until 2am so I didn't get much sleep on the 1st night. They changed my room with no problem afterwards so I did not have go through that experience again. Terrance is a gem, he was the staff captain in our conference room and he made sure we all were taken care of and all dietary options were satisfied. His customer service is top notch. There were two other Ladies that went above and beyond to take care of us and I failed to get their names. One had a tattoo near her ear and neck area, she was so sweet and kind. I would definitely stay here again in the future as it is near shops, malls, restaurants, the waterfront etc.

The General Manager (Savannah) and the Front Office Supervisor (Sharon) are two of the most caring people I have ever encountered at a Marriott property. I have been a loyal Marriott customer for 15 years. I have stayed at a number of properties, but this property will forever stand out to me. Some properties have lost their ”human” side of things and treat customers as $$$, however, this property treats people with compassion and care. My father became ill while staying at this property and needed an ambulance. Within minutes they contacted an ambulance and got him to the hospital right away. They even went as far as trying to reach out to family members to inform them of what was happening. Although they were sold out that night, they were able to secure another room for him at a sister property so that he would not be without a room, once he was released. They were able to gather all his items from the room and place them in a safe area and were very friendly to the family members that came to help. The property itself is very quiet and clean. They even provide fresh baked cookies at the desk for guest! Such a great touch!! Definitely would return for not only the hotel accommodations but for also the welcoming staff! Consider this a piece of relaxation during your travels!

Would not recommend this hotel for families (anyone, really). Our experience here was a NIGHTMARE. Management is poorly trained and rude to customers as well as their own staff. I felt unsafe in the environment the managers created through their aggressive and threatening body language and verbal confrontations with hotel guests. It was an incredibly unpleasant and stressful weekend . Customers are not permitted in the lobby after 11pm; the manager sends them to their rooms. Yes, even adult guests. Expect to be clearly informed that the alternative will be eviction. How’s that for hospitality? On the second night of our stay there was a fire alarm. Again management demonstrated their poor training and interpersonal skills. It was clear they had no plan to support the safety of guests during the emergency. Manager Rob and Manager Joel were anything but calm and orderly, and instead screamed at guests streaming out of the lobby exit that they needed to get out of the way. No, I didn’t write this incorrectly. They were screaming for guests to get out of the way. Apparently no concern for whether guests were inside the building or not, or for keeping people safe. They even yelled at kids who had evacuated from the pool and were soaking wet, ordering them out into the 30 degree night with no towels. (A kind staff member later brought towels. Thank you, Stephanie). After the building was cleared by the fire department (false alarm) Manager Rob and Manager Joel then yelled at all guests who had returned to the lobby that the pool, bar and entire lobby was CLOSED for the night. All (PAYING!) guests were sent to our rooms at 9:45!!! Really there are so many other hotel options in the area that there is no reason to choose this one.

The room was very clean

Here is the scoop On the positive side the rooms are large, the location is very good, especially for Old Dominion University, and the breakfast is okay with a couple of good hot selections. The shower was decent as well. On the negative side, the rooms and furniture are dated, the air con and heating system is old, loud, and located so that most of the air blows between the curtain and the window (after running all night at a setting of 70, our room dropped only to 78 degrees). The rooms are only serviced if you make a specific request (although you are not told this until you question why the room was not attended). After two nights someone finally came in and made our bed, provided clean towels, and did nothing else. On our hall there were a number of rooms with trash placed outside the door, where it sat for more than 18 hours waiting for the ”cleaning” staff. Not very appealing as you are walking to your room. Neither at check-in or in the room was there any written information provided about the hotel. It's also helpful to know the internet password, how to navigate an unfamiliar TV set up, and the hours for breakfast, the grill restaurant, the pool, etc. When

Very clean and amazing customer service.

My family and I needed a short stay in Norfolk and I found this place. When we arrived, we were greeted nicely. I needed adjoining rooms, but the hotel was booked. The lady at the front desk accommodated me very nicely and I was happy. The breakfast was good and plentiful. There was access to water, tea and coffee at all times. And we were very close to the outlets. I recommend this place.

We needed a hotel close to the airport for a one night stay prior to going to OBX. We didn't have a car but used the hotel's shuttle service with no issues. Staff here was very friendly and very accommodating. Rooms were clean, beds comfortable and the bathroom was clean and nicely updated. My roommate did have a problem with a cold shower but we were up early so maybe she was one of the first to use it?? I had no issues shortly afterwards. Breakfast was your typical hotel breakfast, nothing special but it was fine and we were able to find things we liked. Overall a very good stay.