Renaissance Tower Apartments

Wishing my lease was up. I hate living here! I agree with all the people who have commented on this. I’m so anxious to move!

Wow, what a disgraceful place to live. I would rather live under a bridge than live here, and listed are the reasons why:
(1) Cockroaches everywhere!!! Want to use the pool on a hot summer day or relax in the jacuzzi? No way! I had a cockroach crawl into my cup and noticed it when I lifted it for a drink.
(2) Elevators are constantly broken and reeks of dog crap all the time.
(3) Piping needs to be replaced, but management is too cheap: sinks clog back up, water temperature fluctuates (either only hot water or only cold water). Management is slow to send maintenance for repairs and when maintenance does come, they admit that it’s a long running issue and there is nothing that can be done to fix the problems.
(4) Management team of Wayne Newell (property management) and Liz Samonte (assistant property management are incompetent, liars, rude, and completely unprofessional. They will lie to your face and nickel and dime you. I think these people were hired straight out of the DMV office.
The only good thing about living here are the nice security guards who also act as pseudo door men, except for one named Julio. He is rude and pouts like a little school girl.

Can not give an even lower review than that. This place is shitty. Management team only wants money without helping at all. Do not come live here. There is also a lot of noise and disruption at night that you won’t be able to sleep well. I really regret signing the contract here because of the nice girl I met while I visited the apartment at the first time saying she lives in the building and loves it which later on turns on to be a total bitch and not helpful and fake.

I signed a one year contract with Renaissance Towers and I hate to say it but I do regret signing such a long lease. I wish I signed a 6-​month lease only because there’s more cons than pros while living here.
Pros:
You’re surrounded by so many businesses and it’s right next to Hope Park & FIDM so it’s wonderful for students. Ralph’s is literally down the street and across the street, there’s shell gas station and 7-​eleven which is so convenient! There is one parking spot available for each resident for no extra charge which is a plus. The kitchen in my apartment is fairly new in which has been renovated within the last year.
Cons:
I’ve been living here for about a month on the 2^nd level of the apartment complex now and there’s no elevator access for the 2^nd floor. The 2^nd floor residents have to take the stairs up every single time which is truly a bummer because we’re paying at such a high price and yet, we don’t get to use the elevator unless we’re going down to the parking structure. I only complain about that because it makes moving difficult and especially when you have a large item you want to carry into your apartment, you have to walk 4 flights of stairs. Another thing is that, there is a concrete pole structure next to the stairs and it smells like dog pee every time I walk past it.
I also had my kitchen sink back up on me last week which sucked because I came back from school around 7pm and the offices were closed by 6pm so I couldn’t do anything about it. It made my apartment stink so bad, you could probably smell it from the end of the hallway. There’s already been 2 cockroach incidents in my apartment as well and let me tell you; around this apartment, lies a lot of big roaches.
The rooftop pool is closed at 10pm but they give you until 12am. I believe it should be open ²⁴⁄₇ because there’s security watch ²⁴⁄₇ as well. We pay for it, why not give us access to it whenever we want? That’s my opinion and some other residents as well.

Lived here for 2 years and it was exhausting to keep up with all the broken things, things getting fixed, them leasing community areas so you can’t use the amenities you pay for. There’s always going to be problems here lol but a main problem for me was how the management dealt with it when their concierge man verbally harassed me and yelled at me for no apparent reason; I just wanted my packages, he had apparently had an incident earlier and somehow that excused his behavior to the management. I never received an apology, and not was I informed about how the case was dealt with until I inquired into it. Liz couldn’t even look at me in the eye as she said that it was dismissed. I was shocked and upset that it has been dismissed without even an inquiry into my side after the initial complaint or speaking to the two other witnesses!
Wayne seems like he just wants to play nice and slide everything under the table; probably just trying to get his raise and just hide things from his superiors. When I called the number I asked for to speak to someone higher than him within Windsor Communities, it was disconnected LOL.
I always paid my rent and didn’t mind the ridiculous raise for my place without renovations, and the constant annoyances with the broken elevator and letting people have exclusive use of an elevator for hours to move, leaving the rest of the building (22 floors lol) one elevator.
But one thing’s for sure, harassment and mishandling of cases like this is sure for a lawsuit.

Renaissance is a very good apartment complex in a fantastic location. I’ve lived here six happy years.
When you see negative reviews about this place, bear something in mind: Most of the negative reviews come from 20-​year-​old brats, usually the type that I’m happy to see get evicted from this place. Some are bitter trust-​fund babies who have excessive needs for pampering, and some are a callow bunch who just haven’t yet cultivated the ability to appreciate the incredible cultural and culinary offerings within walking distance of this place.
Here, you come home to a rooftop pool view that rivals many of the most popular downtown lounges. You’re incredibly close to all the buzz at Staples and Nokia and LA Live. Great new restaurants and stores keep popping up. And you’re square in the middle of the downtown LA revival that’s getting international buzz. Not bad, really. And the rent is very fair for all you get.
Staff is great, personable and professional. Sonia, Liz, Wayne, Dale, Jonathan and others all take care of us and find fun ways of connecting residents.
No apartment complex is for everyone. But this one is great for working professionals who appreciate what’s happening downtown.

I lived there for 3 years. I loved it for that first year I lived there! The management was great and helpful, the maintenance staff was fast and efficient, and overall was a good vibe. For the past year and a half, once new management came in, and new maintenance staff, that good vibe went out the window. Maintenance takes forever, and most of the time do a half-​ass job. Management does not care about the residents needs; they act like they do, but they don’t. They are greedy and will take your money any way they can. Don’t expect to get your deposit money back either; when I switched apartments, I only got $ 80 back to split with my roommate, woohoo. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here whether it’s one year or 5 years, they will not negotiate prices or offer any type of rewards for re-​leasing etc… Also, I feel so governed here. There are ssooooo mannyyyy rules. I just want to live and live in peace and not have any problems or inconveniences and especially when my family comes to visit me from the east coast, whom I rarely get to see. I look for security when I choose a place to live, but this place is overkill; it’s TOO secure and paranoid. I also believe that a certain someone in the leasing center is a liar. This person will do whatever to get the most money from you that this person can. This person is one of the biggest reasons I moved. Another is one of the concierge guys. He’s been there since I moved in in 2012, and is judgmental about people and will treat you differently from others. Also, for the price you pay here, you think after so many complaints they would finally upgrade the washers and dryers. 2 or 3 of the dryers have been broken for the past 1.5 years, and my clothes have been ruined from the old washers. They also «try» to have community socials, but they consist of nachos and cheese in the lobby, gee thanks… The only thing this place has going for it is the rooftop view, but that wasn’t enough to keep me there any longer.

I lived here with my girlfriend for a year. It was great for a bit then the cons started to get discovered. We lived by the pool and could hear music blaring sometimes till 12 or 1 am. Music can be played till 9pm For your info. The location is near a lot of fun places but Liz and the manager have no time for tenants when the gym is broken for 2 weeks or the hot tub. Elevator is always broken too. Parking is insane. Pay for your spot and have someone else in it. You have to wait 20 minutes sometimes for the elevator and I was going to school (getting there late sometimes) All in all it sucks. Go to water mark towers instead please. Much more bang for your buck. Fu!$ a park when you can have an underground party. Plus the park you can just walk to. Everyone has their bad days, but hey you want to do your job right? Anyone’s cousin could do it better. Seems like the only tenant they liked was the porn director on the tip top floor.

After living here for a year I definitely didn’t want to leave but I was totally wrong after our move out process. Anyways, these people took every nickel and dime we had for unnecessary «cleanings» in the apartment and totally ripped us off. Before moving out we approached Liz and Sonia asking exactly what we needed to do to get our security deposit back and we were told «make sure the apartment is cleared out». She told us that it was unnecessary to have the apartment professionally cleaned because they had to clean it anyways. Before moving out, we cleaned and vacuumed the place and headed out to be later held with a huge bill for «cleaning». SOOOO RIDICULOUS!!! They sent us pictures also of things that were wrong with the apartment which were things that we had been calling maintenance for the whole year we lived there. (Mostly problems with our drains and showers and toilets). Nice building but needs new management and staff.

2.5 stars, a C minus.
I normally do not write reviews on Unilocal.Apparently, there are already many 1-​star reviews here, but I decided to write a more comprehensive, non-​biased review of the Renaissance Tower Apartment to help potential tenants make better decisions if they are thinking of moving in.
Pros:
AFFORDABLE RENT: Rent is on the lower end among DTLA/​South Park «luxury» apartments: Studio Apartments usually range from $ 1700 to $ 1900, and a one-​bedroom apartment ranges from $ 1900 to $ 2200. (However, they will increase your rent by 5% to 8% every year, so be prepared for that.) You will also be responsible for Water/​Trash (about $ 40-​$ 45/​month), Electricity, and Cable/​Internet (ATT or TWC) which is standard in DTLA.
FREE PARKING SPACE: As far as I know, Renaissance Tower is the only apartment complex that does not charge an additional fee for a parking space (whereas most other apartments charge $ 100-​$ 120 per car).
GOOD LOCATION: Ralph’s is one block away, and you will have Grand Hope Park as your backyard :)
Cons:
***Low Quality Building***
SOUND PROOFING IS BAD: As an older building, the sound proofing is virtually non-​existent. You can hear your neighbor doing «intimate stuff» with his/​her partner, and you can sometimes feel your wall shake. You can either invest in a good headboard or just do not place your bed against your common wall.
LOW END INTERIOR: Two of the cabinet shelves were broken when I moved in. Even though they promised to fix them, no one actually showed up to fix them. Also, the drawers in the bathroom were not clean when I moved in. The carpets were also poorly installed.
A/​C IS EXTREMELY LOUD: Do not expect to keep your A/​C on at night; it will wake you up, for sure. Earplugs may help; they sell them at Ralph’s.
PLUMBING MAINTENANCE: You will get letters/​emails from them almost every month (and sometimes every two weeks) for plumbing repairs. They will shut down your water, usually from 6 AM to 11 AM, so be prepared to plan your shower accordingly. They also have very frequent emergency water shut off during the day — you won’t even be able to flush your toilet (I’m serious!). This will basically affect everything: showering, cooking, and doing dishes.
***Unprofessional Staff***
As a «luxury» apartment, they should do a better job when they recruit employees.
THE LEASING OFFICE: Sonia is great. She is very friendly and sweet, and she does not ignore your requests.
MANAGEMENT: The manager you will see most often is Ms. Liz B., the assistant manager of the apartment. Ms. Liz B. does not do her job very professionally. She is friendly, but she will constantly ignore your requests/​emails. She lives in the building but do not expect her to pick up her phone when you have an emergency (She has the RESPONSIBILITY of answering the emergency line when security staff calls her for a REAL emergency. I guess she just doesn’t like her job).
SECURITY STAFF: The security team is managed by a different company called Protection Resource Group. They change their security staff very often. The security staff you see during the day (from 8 AM to 2 PM) is Jonathan. Jonathan is the supervisor, and he is very friendly and very helpful. Try to pick up your package (s) when he is on shift. The other security staff member, Julio C., does not do his job professionally. He always has an attitude and sometimes is rude to tenants; try to avoid him.
***Other things***
ELEVATOR is slow: You will see people moving in/​out every week, and they reserve/​block one of the elevators for moving in/​out. (We only have two elevators in the building.) Normally you will need to wait at least 5 minutes for an elevator, but this will be a good time to use the stairs and get some exercise.
No Washer/​Dryer in unit: The common laundry room on the 7^th floor is always packed during weekends. Some of the washers are broken, too. Try to do your laundry on a weekday morning instead.
GUEST PARKING is very limited, and they change their guest parking rules frequently without noticing tenants. You are usually allowed one guest at a time. If you have guests coming over on the weekends, the parking lot behind 7 – 11 and Shell charges $ 5-​$ 7 for the day and $ 15-​$ 25 for overnight parking.
FILM SHOOTINGS in the apartment are year round: You won’t be able to use the lobby from 8 AM since they rent the lobby out. It is a headache when you have to go through a different door on the other side of the building, take the stairs to the 3^rd floor, and walk across the entire hall to take the elevator.
IN CONCLUSION:
I still believe Windsor Communities is a good property management company, but Renaissance Tower might be the worst property under their management in Southern California. Clearly, they need to do something about the building and their staff. HOWEVER, if you are looking for a more affordable place in DTLA and are not home most of the time, this is a good choice.

I lived here for two years and I’m moving out because I need more space. They have a wait list for their 2 bed/​2 bath options and besides, those units are in the main building. The main building only has two elevators for the entire 16 floors. If someone is moving in or out, getting up and down can be a challenge. I didn’t live in the main building but occasionally had to use the elevators to get to the pool area or laundry facilities.
They have a gorgeous park (Grand Hope Park) right against the building that is accessible during daylight hours. After hours, residents are required to skirt the edge while entering or leaving the building. Two of the park gates have electronic access control to allow residents to enter. It’s a really nice feature.
Their rents are a little higher than other apartments in DTLA, but only by a hundred or so bucks. This is probably because of the proximity of Ralph’s and having the park abut your building. The management staff is very friendly and will accommodate concerns quickly. Maintenance requests are handled pretty quickly, also.
The one negative that stands out is the sewage treatment device installed in the garage and its constant boiling over. It belongs to Yojie Restaurant and it boils over once a month almost, and it smells terribly in the garage. They really have to address this constant nuisance. Sometimes you have to cover your nose until you leave the garage.
Otherwise, this is a decent place to live. The location, combined with inexpensive rents makes it a good option.

I moved In about 2 months ago. I don’t have that many complaints except two.
Guest Parking: extremely inconvenient. I am paying about 1800 for a studio apartment. If I want friends or family to come over, they should not have to jump through so many hoops to come visit me. One particular concierge staff is rude to me. He gives me dirty looks every time I have a guest over. As if I’m inconveniencing him, as if that’s not his job. Which brings me to my second complaint:
Staff: although most of them are very friendly, there is no reason why any of them should be anything less than incredibly nice.
I pay a lot to live here. I don’t need their attitude, and I definitely don’t need to be walking around on eggshells. This is my home, I should feel comfortable.

I lived at the Renaissance Towers for 10 months before they decided not to renew our lease. They said they wanted to renovate our apartment (which it did need) but I later found out that they were in fact not going to renovate it they just wanted to kick us out which was fine considering that we had a miserable time while we lived there. I now live two blocks over, closer to LA Live and I actually have to deal with LESS noise and disruption because I am in a much nicer building. The price did not bother us because we understood we were getting what we paid for and unfortunately your money will not go far in Los Angeles, however, there were SERIOUS breakdowns regarding the management.
1) Moving in Liz was more than happy to call us on vacation demanding payment early and before we needed to move in. We bent over backwards to get her the proper paper work but she couldn’t even tell us where to do our laundry, where trash/​recycling was, or about guest parking. She also conveniently forgot to mention that she would be our neighbor down the hall which I will touch on later.
2) One day in the elevator, Liz confronted another resident about their overdue payments. I was so embarrassed to be witness to this. I could NOT believe how nonchalantly she breached the resident’s privacy and I felt so bad for the man that she was humiliating. That is their business, NOT MINE.
3) Liz would constantly complain that she could smell weed coming from our apartment and she would complain to other members of management. How would she have felt if I asked her in front of her peers, «Why can I smell your nasty meals and trash wafting from your apartment while I’m in the hallway?» That would have been incredibly rude and honestly I could just escape the smell by walking into my own PRIVATE residence.
4) According the Americans with Disabilities Act it is illegal for you to discriminate or intimidate us because we self medicate through LEGAL means. For Liz and Wayne and anyone else for that matter to complain about smoking/​cooking with and the general use of LEGAL medication is none of your business & I can personally vouch that it was NOT smoked within the apartment because that was perfectly stated in the contract. Liz’s nose should stay away from her neighbor’s doors.
5) We were constantly voicing our concerns over parking and when we finally secured a second parking space for $ 125. They gave us the worst possible place, in the former guest parking space so people would constantly be parked in our spot. It kept happening and they kept doing nothing about it. When I went into management to talk about it, Wayne yelled at me and said that it wasn’t management’s problem. Oh really Wayne? Because I’m pretty sure you were the ones I was handing the checks to so that’s funny. You’re more than willing to accept my checks but less than willing to actually help me when THE SAME PEOPLE kept parking in my spot.
6) As most buildings do, Renaissance has promotions for residents if they refer a friend. At one point there was a sign that read «$ 500 for friend referral» and then a couple months later there was another one that said «$ 750 for friend referral». I had a friend that I knew was looking for a place so I thought of her and I honestly almost took a picture because I knew Renaissance would try to pull a fast one and try to give me only $ 500 for the referral but I didn’t because I wanted to test them. Long story short– they failed. I personally brought in my friend and we made sure I would get the referral. The check came in the mail and it of course was for $ 500. I mentioned it when I took in my rent check and I figured they would at least apologize. Instead, Wayne called me a liar.
7) The last time I went in to speak with management it became very heated very fast. I gave them my list of complaints, ranging from people stealing things in the laundry room to noise at night by the pool to the treadmills NEVER WORKING and instead of accepting my complaints and being professional about it, their response was «Well your boyfriend does blah and blah and blah!!! SO there!» It was like speaking to middle schoolers. Instead of them being like we are so sorry for everything falling apart constantly (i.e. the ELEVATORS) and being disrespectful to our younger occupants who are students and who don’t always know their rights they NEVER APOLOGIZED.
They accepted no accountability & for that I was more than fine walking away when our lease ended. I will make it a point to NEVER live in a Windsor property again and the entire point of me posting this was to publicly shame them & their practices. You guys are such an embarrassment and you probably thought that I would forget about it and there was nothing that I could do about it. Grow up and do your job. The only person who was pleasant was Karen and it was simply because she wasn’t rude. Los Angeles is hard enough if you have no friends and family in town but they made it downright unbearable.

this place has the most ridiculous highest rent in downtown! if you don’t mind your wallet getting raped monthly move in. Sure its nice, but really? Spending at least $ 1800 a month is not worth it.

I just moved out (2 years and some months later) and decided to write an update. I also posted pics of my apt and views (#302). I enjoyed my time living here but like most people, had to move out because it just didn’t make economic sense anymore. Like Erin M., I was priced out when my new lease was delivered to me. The first rent increase after one year was about $ 65, the new one was $ 150 more than I was paying which would mean about $ 1650 in rent for the 1 bedroom. While I don’t think this is expensive for a 1 bedroom in South Park with gated and secured parking… it was just too much of a hike for me considering I was living by myself. I had to let it go and move on. The particular apt I lived in was decent, loved every bit of my walk-​in closet but the bathroom, sink, and kitchen were all outdated (I knew this upon move-​in and was told the lower floors hadn’t been renovated yet). There were problems with the water, it would start running at odd hours and sometimes in the shower the hot water would shut off. I also bought a shower filter cause I hated that my skin smelled like chlorine all day. I never had a problem with the staff and they were always extremely responsive to me. However, I will note that I always used their online system to communicate cause work hours made it difficult for me to go in person. I also liked that you can pay rent online (the place I live in now doesn’t have that so I have to relearn how to write a check).
I didn’t have noisy or unruly neighbors and didn’t face the street so noise wasn’t a problem in my apt. Guest parking was usually available but weekends got tough. I never saw pests or roaches and didn’t have any leaks or stains. When the elevators took a while I just used the stairs (3^rd floor isn’t bad). Bottom line is that if you can afford to live here then I recommend it. What I loved most was the rooftop pool, the location, the 24hr gym, and the secured underground parking. The place is clean and has free wifi in the lobby and up in the pool area. When I was moving out, two other residents told me they had been priced out too… so I guess they’re getting competitive with prices. If you’re looking to live here and have any questions, feel free to message me.

UPDATE ⁸⁄₂₀₁₂: Did I say our apartment flooded 3 times? Make that 4! The bathroom flooded with brown, dirty water and FOOD while we were moving out. Yum! Here’s what our experience at the Renaissance Tower looked like (including a bonus picture of the trash chute filled all the way up through the 4^th floor– don’t know how many floors the pile went up, though):
Initially, RT was a great find. We signed our lease at a competitive price, and didn’t think much when the price went up $ 200 when we renewed our lease for a second year (I live with one roommate in a 2 bed/​1 bath apartment). HOWEVER, we just got a letter indicating what our rent will be if we renew for a third year– a $ 600 dollar increase. Did we get a secret third bedroom added on to our apartment that I didn’t know about?! Sure they’ve done some improvements, they’ve painted one wall on every floor and redid the rooftop pool (which looks exactly the same as it did before, not glamorous), but does that warrant a $ 600 dollar increase in our rent?!
I thought it was mistake and called the leasing office to confirm, and they said it was a correct and competitive price. $ 2700 for a 2 bed/​1 bath with NO UPDATES?! That’s up more than $ 800 from when we first signed our lease. Our bathroom is from 1975, our kitchen is a joke (NO counter or cabinet space, fridge and stove also from 1975) and we live directly above the bus stop and restaurant downstairs and are subjected to noise ²⁴⁄₇ (and have NO view on the street side). When I explained this to the leasing office, they curtly told me that they do not negotiate rent prices.
Something goes wrong every week in this apartment– we have a huge problem with dirty water leaking into our closets (indoor rain, anyone? and I have never been reimbursed for water damaged items– ha!), have had to replace the fridge, air conditioning… the list goes on. Oh and the bathroom flooding is a fun one too– brown, dirty water coming up from the toilet, sink and bathtub (it’s happened 3 TIMES folks!) to flood your entire bathroom, hallway and soak the carpets. We are quite good friends with the emergency maintenance men.
A lot of the problems mentioned in «Shelby P.‘s» post we have also experienced, including horrible neighbors– all young FIDM students who are fond of smoking all types of substances. Maybe I’m an oldy poldy grad student, but I don’t want MY room smelling like pot because of my noisy, party hardy college-​aged neighbors. When I complained to the office, they told me there was nothing they could do about it (even though the lease clearly indicates that there is no smoking allowed on the property!).
Sure, they’ve tried to get the community more involved by throwing coffee and hotdog parties, but to tell you the truth, that isn’t an overwhelming plus in my book. And that certainly doesn’t warrant an $ 800 increase in overall rent!
My condolences to whoever ends up in this apartment next. My advice is to keep shopping around, you can find 2 bed/​TWO BATH apartments downtown for a fraction of the price they are trying to charge us here– and we are going to do exactly that! I can’t imagine why they are trying to price us out of the building, we are quiet tenants who have always paid on time. Either way, can’t wait to get out of here!

I’ve lived at the Renaissance since 2008 and have very few complaints. As mentioned in previous reviews there are a lot of positives like the 24 hr gym, a giant pool deck with one of the best views of Downtown LA, free resident and guest parking, a decent lounge, nice lobby and best of all friendly residents. The building, parking and park are very secure and it’s just 1 block away from the Ralphs which is a pretty safe walk. There have been some nice improvements since Windsor took over such as Wireless in the lobby and 10^th floor lounge, 2 very nice propane gas grills on the pool deck and the removal of the stupid speed bump on P2 near the elevators.
I’ve found the Windsor maintenance, lobby folks and management to be cordial and responsive. Whenever something is broken, they fix it almost immediately. In the past year they have also been throwing events for the residents including a pool deck party with free food, drinks and games.
Nothing beats the view on the park side in which you could hear the children playing in the park or the distant voices of students and visitors below which I find pretty relaxing. Occasionally there are events in the park, sometimes live music, outdoor theaters, fancy parties, Halloween and Easter events for kids as well. Sure it gets a little loud sometimes but the activities can also be energizing.
People complain about the rent a lot. to be honest, it’s actually a pretty good deal if you can afford living in DTLA. Plus it comes with a free underground and secured parking lot.
I’ve never had a bug problem here. I haven’t seen a roach, ant or anything other than the occasional bug flying in my open window. I’ve heard though some people had roach problems… not sure if it’s them or possibly their unit location.
As for the bad, there isn’t much. My biggest complaint is that having only 2 elevators for the entire building sucks, and they would break down quite often. They finally did a major overhaul of the elevators though and haven’t had a problem with it for several months. Another problem is that there is no stairwell leading from the parking lot into the lobby/​building. You’d have to take a parking lot stairs or ramp to exit, then walk around the building into the lobby. Not sure why they designed it that way.
For anyone deciding to live on a non-​park facing side will probably experience a lot more noise and won’t have that great of a view.
If anyone has any questions about the Renaissance or DTLA South Park, feel free to message me.

We’ve been living here for about 2 months, and we love it. The location is absolutely awesome for so many reasons — accessibility to a plethora of amenities is a huge draw. The Ralph’s is right across the street, and several gyms and drug stores are in walking distance, not to mention all the different restaurants and cafes in the neighborhood. We have a little balcony facing the park, and love the view of the downtown LA skyline. Nothing negative to say about management. The folks who work security are super friendly, especially Young, who is just awesome.
Every place can be even better, like the rooftop pool could be bigger. But given everything else that the building and neighborhood have to offer, Renaissance Tower goes above and beyond our needs and expectations.

Hmm… My review may be a few years old, but I enjoyed living here (it may be because I had a balcony/​deck bigger than the apartment itself for no extra charge). Sure there are problems, and I don’t necessarily disagree with the other reviewer. I also lived a lot of other places, but this wasn’t horrifically bad. Here’s my breakdown:
LOCATION: I went to USC, so this was pretty convenient for me. I usually took the DASH F route for $.25, and the stop is just 2 blocks away on Flower. If I drove, it was no problem avoiding traffic by going down Grand, Flower, or even Fig. Coming home, you can use the carpool lanes in the evenings. It was also walking distance to the Staples Center and The Pantry (and now, Nokia Center).
PRICE: Not great… but average for Downtown LA. But then again, I wasn’t fooled into thinking I was getting some special deal.
MAINTENANCE: It was ok when I lived there, but I guess that could have changed.
AMENITIES: Besides the gym and pool, there’s also a helicopter pad and an observation deck at the top floor, with an outstanding 360 degree view. It’s pretty impressive.
PARKING: This did suck… tandem, which is difficult with a full sized truck. But this is Downtown… at least I got parking included. There’s a fair amount of street parking within a block in each direction, so I never really had an issue with guests parking.
GUESTS: I usually just had guests park on the street so they just have to check in at the counter and head up. Why anyone would want to make their guests jump through hoops to park in the garage is confuzzling.
BACK TO LOCATION: The building shares the block with just FIDM and a park… no other buildings! So it feels less cramped, and there’s green space here. People watching can be fun too when FIDM is in session. Right across Olympic is a gas station (convenient, but not the cheapest). Across from Grand is the Federal Reserve, and the opposite corner is a parking lot (with a club a few hundred yards down). It’s as quiet as downtown can get at night, and you won’t get another apartment building through your window.

If I could give this apartment complex 0 stars, I would!!! DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!
I have moved around a lot, and have accordingly lived in many buildings and dealt with many different management companies, and this is by far the worst building I have ever lived in. Here’s the breakdown:
LOCATION: If you work Downtown or you go to school at USC, this place may actually be convenient for you. But don’t be fooled. The apartment building is right down the street from the Staples Center, so every night when you come home after work (I come from West Hollywood) you will sit in tons of extra traffic every time there is a game or concert. People drive 2 miles an hour in every lane trying to decide which 10 dollar parking lot is the best 10 dollar parking lot to fit their Staples Center needs. While you may think traffic would be lighter on the weekends, that is not the case Downtown. It is awful coming and going on EVERY road/​highway. Sometimes I have given up on plans because I couldn’t get through traffic more than a few blocks out from the building!!!
PRICE: TERRIBLE! The leasing agent tries to trick you by saying they will give you 2 months free rent «just to you.» This is a lie! I found out after moving in they give that to everyone!!! I have a 2 bed, 1 bath that is astronomically expensive. The only reason I can afford to live here is my roommate pays two thirds of the rent as a bribe to get me to live with her. I am moving soon to a 2 bed, 2 bath in Beverly Hills area for almost 700 dollars less… I have been told they are raising the prices here, too, as they are «renovating» and making the halls nicer (when they should be pumping the cash into making the units nicer — the unrenovated ones are really cheap and tacky)
MAINTENANCE: Meh. This is debatable. Half way through my lease the building went under new management and replaced the maintenance crew. It has gotten better. But that doesn’t mean the building isn’t still crumbling!!! My ceiling has leaked, the fire sprinklers have leaked, the fire alarm goes off randomly, the gym equipment breaks all the time…
AMENITIES: They have a gym and rooftop pool, but they literally kick you out at 10pm sharp!
PARKING: Tandem. Typical for Downtown L. A…
GUESTS: This is a HUGE problem. For a guest to visit you, they have to get buzzed in by the front desk to park under the building in a guest spot. Then they have to go to floor 1, sign in and get a visitors pass for their car. Then they have to go back down to their car and put their pass in the car. THEN they have to go back to floor 1 and get the front desk guy to buzz them up to the higher floors (they don’t work without a key fob).
I could go on and on and on forever, but I think you get the point. DON“T LIVE HERE. Bad units, terrible management, and just all around inconvenient. ⁰⁄₅ stars.