Sheraton Waikiki trouble in paradise 04/26/2006
Gotta read number 8 below if anything!
Please let me start with a couple comments. I book this Hotel since it is on the beach and the very reasonable annex rates. I realize it is a tourist and convention Hotel so I do not come in with lots of expectations. What I do expect is a staff that will recognize my Platinum status and get me out of the Manor with a view of the ocean if a room is available when I check in. I also like this Hotels parking garage. If you have ever tried to park a car say at the Hyatt you will understand. It is for lack of a description a spacious garage with easy in/out to Ala Moana and HNL. I noticed on this booking the Princess was pricing consistently cheaper. A friend who is also a Platinum got a great upgrade off the lowest price to a ocean view/Diamond Head facing room. Just a room. I realize it may now be time to move away from this property and onto something else. I spent a very pleasant afternoon yesterday while my wife was getting a massage visiting with the staff in the Executive Lounge of the Kalia Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. They know what service is. I am also looking a booking the Princess versus this Hotel for my July 2006 stay. Now onto the negatives-
1. When you enter the lobby one of the first things you notice is the Shearton Suite Sleeper set up. One would think they might see this is a room they are assinged. This set up has been around for a number of months. I have been here a few times and have not seen a touch of it. I was told the renovations have been completed on 17 to 28 but not the suites on these floors. That leaves lots of floors to go. Therefore most rooms have not been renovated.
2. We had two mini floods in our bathroom due to the shower curtains. The curtains are so old the inner curtain actually absorbs water then transfers it to the outer curtain where it falls to the floor. Our standard for taking a shower is inner curtain in and outer curtain out. Seems reasonable. The shower does not have the curved rod so it is constantly touching your body. I called down to housekeeping which quickly offered some towels and to mop up the mess. They also offered to replace the curtains with a more repellant new set. Now if they know they have a problem why don't they just replace them period? $
3. We only have one phone in the room which is a joke. It is located by the night stand and no where near the desk. The message light has been a solid red since we arrived. I called down twice so far for messages and was told both times no. A friend called me out yesterday wanting to know if I received his message left on our phone. That was lost in space. I reported this problem when we arrived and only yesterday evening did someone offer to replace the phone.
4. There are no available plugs near the desk. I actually had to pull the plug on a lamp to get a socket for the computer.
5. I was told by a member of the staff on the P/G check-in area that if you choose to book a annex room even as a P DO NOT expect a upgrade. The Hotel did not upgrade of these rates and that if I did want a upgrade book at least a city view room in the main tower. He explained the reason for this is that the Hotel unlike others SPG props in the area has a Manor. I called down and spoke with a Duty Manager and that should be fixed now.
6. The AC in the room is off sensor wise. To keep from being chilled out we need to set it near 80 or it will go on. We have opted for chilling the room down then shutting down the unit before we sleep. We also found it just has a mind of its own and blows directly to the bed area.
7. The bed. The bed alone is a reason to change hotels. I should check for tags and see when it was manufactured. It probably had its last life at the UOH.
8. I need internet. The HSIA in the Hotel is wired in the rooms. I have checked for wifi signals and nothing. The first day I could not log on. I spect 20 mintues with a speaking with tech support of a large company who is responsible for the system before getting it to work. The whole system is Mickey Mouse with two splices in the room alone which are clearly visible off the Cisco box. Yesterday I needed to log in before going to dinner. Not a chance. I spent another 22 minutes with my computer telling me weak or no signal or cable unplugged. Well that was just stupid since it was just working 10 hours before. With a little help from Hotel engineering I found the box behind our bed and made a direct connection. Somewhere in the room the splice is bad. A absolute total waste of time. It is such a joke. That wiring was installed by the large company according to engineering. It has been a constant problem with lots of complaints. I now have a table pushed up against the side of the bed with a side chair running my laptop on battery power to reach the connection. Just stupid.
Well that is it. Punishment at the Sheraton Waikiki. Every single item above could have been prevented by the Hotel. And shame on them for letting things get out of hand. They have no problem taking our money but can not even invest in their own facilities. Fortunately this is our last day here.