Renaissance Westchester Hotel undertakes $12 M upgrade

The Renaissance Westchester Hotel in West Harrison recently completed a $12 million, six-month renovation project, which added a new restaurant and ballroom to its 30-acre campus.

At the entrance, guests can see the newly installed natural wooden panels on the walls and step into a living room space that”™s connected to a library, which has computers for public use. The Hive Living Room + Bar, the new restaurant, is run by head chef Jean-Claude Lanchais, previously an executive chef in Guam, Jamaica and Florida before he came to New York. The Hive serves American food and uses local ingredients, bringing revenue to Westchester businesses.

People gather in the lobby for meetings and interviews all the time, said Catherine Stevens, Renaissance Hotel general manager.

“We get a combination of modern and hip guests,” Stevens said. “Moving forward, we”™ll have live entertainment in the Hive. We”™ve created something modern and chic and we”™re very excited about our opportunities.”

Stevens said one of the most impressive spaces at the Renaissance is the Red Oak Terrace mansion, which seats 250 and offers an elegant space for social events with an alfresco patio and gazebo, as well as convertible breakout rooms for corporate clientele.

The local businesses that use the hotel”™s meeting spaces include PepsiCo, MasterCard and Morgan Stanley.

“People feel like our meeting spaces are a touch more upscale and personified,” Stevens said. “A lot of our tablescaping has objects in the center for the guests to see and touch. We feel that adding stimuli for people helps with creative ideas and getting through meetings. We might add a diamond that reflects the sun and displays multiple colors or a game of Tic Tac Toe, chess or Rubik”™s Cubes.”

All of the 348 guest rooms and executive suites have been completely renovated and reopened with the exception of the concierge lounge, which will open July 18. Vast improvements have been made on the accommodations inside the rooms, including less-bulky furniture, flat-screen televisions and king-size beds for a standard room. Room prices could range from $139 on the weekends and $289 on the weekdays, not including the executive suites.

Stevens said the hotel industry is looking at a “continued upswing in the market” and believes that”™s where the trend is headed in 2014. The Renaissance hires mostly Westchester County employees and a few workers commute an hour to get there. Recent state job reports showed that 3,000 jobs were created in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester combined for the leisure and hospitality sector from April to May.

“Tourism is great for our local economy, and people are always renting cars and buying groceries when they stay with us,” Stevens said.