For our wedding weekend on March 11, we utilized the Renaissance in a variety of ways. The hotel hosted the vast majority of our guests in a room block; I reserved a conference ro...om for the wedding morning, with brunch items, coffee, tea and mimosas catered; our friends and family also spent time on Friday and Saturday evening at Public Kitchen. We formally reserved the lounge area there for Friday night, and informally gathered there for an after-party on Saturday.
From the moment my now-husband and I arrived on Thursday evening, we felt appreciated, welcomed and taken care of. The valet staff were friendly and extremely accommodating, and set the tone for the level of service we received all weekend. The front desk staff were wonderful. The only (very minor) hiccup was that it seemed that some individuals on our room block did not receive the welcome bags that we provided. It did seem that all of the guests who booked outside of our block, whose names I provided to the front desk ahead of time, did receive one - so I'm sure it was just a simple oversight. One individual at the front desk was extra-helpful and friendly - I can't remember his name, unfortunately, but I do remember that he and his wife were married in Providence as well (the Biltmore perhaps).
Courtney Maleakas was my primary contact in the weeks and months leading up to the wedding, and she handled every request I had promptly, professionally and efficiently - a bride's dream! I emailed (/nagged) her many, many times for updates to our room block and she responded quickly each time. I reserved a conference room so that my bridesmaids and I could have our hair and makeup done together on the morning of the wedding, and the catering setup was perfect - everything we could've wanted and more (and even looked so nice when we walked in the room!). The quality of the food and beverage (along with the service of the staff assigned to us that day) was excellent.
When my husband and I returned to our suite after the wedding after-party, the bottle of champagne and plate of strawberries that Courtney had sent up to us was such a thoughtful touch, and a lovely way to top off an amazing night. One additional perk that made the weekend much easier - most of our guests requested early check-in, and I have yet to hear from any guests that were not accommodated. This enabled many guests to check in to their rooms first, get settled, and then catch the shuttle to our venue - we are very grateful!
Lastly, the staff at Public Kitchen were wonderful and easy to work with, despite some hiccups in the planning stages. The events coordinator there was unresponsive to say the least - but her replacement, Christopher, was fantastic. The service from the bartenders and waitresses was excellent as well.
I would easily give the Renaissance five stars, and will certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a hotel to host an event or a wedding room block. My husband and I will definitely continue to stay there when we visit Providence. Thank you to the staff in every area of the hotel - we were able to relax on our wedding weekend knowing that we and our guests were in such good hands!