Sheraton Brand to Shed The Final Eight

 

I really do not like to give hotels bad reviews. Yet, I do. Sometimes it is the staff and service, although I generally will not dismiss a hotel over bad encounters with an employee or two. Human nature makes most of us disagreeable to others at some time or another, whether at work or elsewhere.

What puts me off about hotels is poorly designed or maintained physical structures.

I have two Sheraton Hotels in mind that I do not think meet the quality expectations for the brand. The press release states the eight Sheraton Hotels to be shed are undisclosed, so I do not know if either of these hotels are in the final eight. In the interest of full disclosure and to maintain my impressive ability to piss off hoteliers and potential Loyalty Traveler sponsors, I will reveal my two nominees for the Sheraton hit list.

There are not many places where you can find a $60 Sheraton. This hotel is one of the cheap rate Sheratons on weekends and holiday periods. Last May I wrote that Starwood should dump this hotel and then I felt bad about my harsh review.

The problems at the Sheraton Denver Tech Center were primarily structural. The room walls were so thin that I could hear the conversation in the neighboring room and make out most of the words. The bathroom was so small that I felt I was in a budget motel. The fitness room was miniscule and required guests to walk through the lobby and down the conference hall wing. Mingling with a crowd of suits while sweating is not the encounter I want when finishing a workout. Swimming pool access takes guests by the restaurant.

The hotel has a nice looking lobby and bar/restaurant. The top floor rooms with the skylight windows are a nice feature. The staff were quite friendly and there is a top floor club lounge, but I would opt for the adjacent Hyatt Summerfield Suites if staying in this area of Denver for the better room facilities.

Sheraton Denver West is my favorite Sheraton in the Denver area. I had a large suite at the Sheraton Downtown Denver this past December and that is a great location in the heart of Denver.

This hotel has many nice features including a large outdoor pool in the interior grounds, a fine restaurant, and garden grounds with trees. The apartment complex design is what I find objectionable about this property. This place just doesn’t seem like a modern hotel. The hotel is a series of separate buildings, some connected by exterior walkways and gives the appearance of an older apartment complex in the Silicon Valley.

The location in the high tech corridor of Santa Clara County results in rates regularly over $200 during weekdays and $79 to $99 on weekends.

The two hotels on my shed list are great properties for promotion fulfillment at bargain rates, but hardly the kind of places that bolster the Sheraton Hotel brand image.

I am curious to know. Out of 400 Sheraton brand hotels, what are the bottom 2% that you think will or should make the final eight?

News story source: http://www.hotelresource.com/article45577.html