Providence Marriot downtown

My husband and another couple are staying at the Providence Marriott Downtown this Sat Night (Aug 16th) We are going to the waterfire and have a gondola ride reserved. After reading some info, I am not sure if we made the right decision. It was hard to find a reasonably priced room for the one (SAT) night. We are even sharing the room to save money. Anyway,about the hotel..are the rooms okay or are some in need of renovations?Is the location good? We are hoping to park the car and walk to the waterfire.Also, my friend said that there was some fextival going on down at the pier area but can%26#39;t seem to get any current info on this,,Anyone know about this? This is all new to us so any info on waterfire and the area wiould be appreciated.

Thanks

Providence Marriot downtown

The Mariott is fine, some rooms might need renovating as they might be getting dated, but nothing below normal Mariott standards. One good thing about this Hotel is that there is free parking....something not very common in Providence.

The location isn;t the greates, as in smack dab downtown, but you are certainly within walking distance to Waterfire. It%26#39;s behind the State Capital and so, is not very busy at night, but it%26#39;s not a bad part of town, and with waterfire going on, will be fairly active. There is also a trolley that runs from the Mariott to downtown (although because it%26#39;s a short ride, they%26#39;re thinking of cancelling it soon)

The pier area is not very close to the downtown area, you%26#39;d have to drive, or take a bus...and other than the Providence Piers area, there is nothing noteworthy around there, it%26#39;s an industrial area awaiting a re-birth after they finish relocating Rt 195.

Providence Marriot downtown

Thanks for all the info. I guess we will be fine at the Marriott Downtown. Do you know if there are vendors with food at this event? Or can you recommend a nice reasonably priced restaurant for Sat night dinner?

As the previous post stated, the Marriott is not the closest hotel to Waterfire and the center of downtown, but it is only a short walk.

I don%26#39;t know how much you paid, but check rates for the Westin, Courtyard Marriott, Renaissance Hotel or Biltmore. Those hotels are much closer to Waterfire, Providence Place, etc.

The Hilton isn%26#39;t a bad choice either. It is not as close as the aforementioned hotels, but it%26#39;s only a short walk to Waterfire.

As for restaurants - Providence has so much to choose from. I strongly recommend making your reservations now because Waterfire nights are quite busy for restaurants downtown.

What cuisine are you looking for? Price range? Italian food at a restaurant on Federal Hill, followed by dessert at Pastiche, followed by a gondola ride/Waterfire sounds like quite a nice night out.

I changed my reservation to the Marriott Courtyard after reading your postings..Glad You people are here to help:)We will be going on the gondola ride at 4:00 pm..couldn%26#39;t get a later time. So we figured we would get dinner right after this...would need a restaurant close by so we won%26#39;t miss any of the festivities. Just a regular type menu would be fine but would like some nice ambiance .Would you have a suggestion? Also, what time does everthing start happening on waterfire night?-Thanks