Managed by Marriott, the Renaissance Riverside is a convenient, downtown address. The lobby is done in a colonial theme with a small central-domed ceiling and a grand spiral stair connecting to the mezzanine. Rooms have black-and-white tile entries, tidy carpet, and light furnishings all done in a cool eggshell and pastel. Electric control panels near the headboard are like a 1970s bachelor pad. Bathrooms have black marble countertops and an antique black-and-white tile pattern throughout. The Riverside is a popular business hotel, and that means smoking everywhere: All public spaces are a bit musty and rooms, even on designated nonsmoking floors, smell like a bar after closing time. Be sure to ask for nonsmoking and ask to see it before checking in. This is not the hotel of choice if you are afraid of heights. There s an indoor vaulted atrium that runs from the 5th floor all the way up to the ceiling skylight. Rooms are placed around this open space and if you re staying on one of the higher floors, there s a slight feeling of vertigo as you pass the open space en route to the elevator.