Starwood Preferred Guest - Recent stay at Sheraton Needham MA

This was the last New England Starwood hotel I hadn't stayed at --- until this week. Went a little out of my way Monday night to stay here for a meeting the next morning about 20 miles up the road.

In a general sense, this hotel is well located for those needing to be WEST of BOS with reasonably easy access to both I-90 (Mass Tpke) and I-95. It would not be a good recommendation for anyone planning to spend most of their time in downtown or enjoying the city sights that Boston has to offer.

In a more specific sense, the hotel's actual location is a tad odd. It's up on a hill that makes it easily seen from the Interstate, but at night after exiting, it's a little tricky figuring out just how to get up on top of that hill. It's essentially in a smallish professional park with several clusters of small office bulidings flanking it. All the more reason to be SHOCKED (yes shocked) to see a sign on their garage park indicating a nightly fee of $8 to park.

Okay, let's call a spade a spade. That's simply ridiculous and inexcusable. I have no problem paying for parking in a downtown hotel's garage. Parking in Manhattan, Boston, Toronto, etc, etc, is at a total premium. But for this place at suburbia's edge to charge is simply unacceptable. What's to keep every Holiday Inn across the fruited plain from charging folks $5 a night to park on their parking lot? Really a bad way to start off the stay. :td:

Check in was okay. I used the check-in kiosk which, as is often the case, was out of keys (thank you front desk staff who seem to have no interest in stocking these little babies with blank keys), so after fiddling around with the kiosk for 5 minutes, I got to stand in line to see an agent. Agent is able to give me keys and off I go to the third floor (club floor is 5th floor and I had not been pre-assigned to a room. By the time I checked in at 8:15pm, no more left on 5th floor.) Trouble was my key got me to my room, but wouldn't work on the elevator for 5th floor access (arrrggghhhh) -- this wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't made the extra effort to ask the agent if this would be a problem. (She assured me it would not.) Had to take the fire stairs to 5th floor to get to the club lounge.

Once there, I see that things have been about 94% picked over. Down to one remaining diet Pepsi (yuck!) and cherry peppers next to a half cookie and some tired grapes. This lounge is always unattended and is simply a large room with no doors with a TV on all the time and about 4 tables with 20 chairs. That's it. No coffee available, no water, no nothing except that lone diet Pepsi. Frustrating and disappointing. Grabbed a cherry pepper and headed back to floor 3 to get some work done.

Back in the room, I went to find a bottle of water and --surprise-- none in the bathroom. In fact, no water in the rooms except the $5.95 Poland Springs for sale next to the coffee maker. :td:

A few hours later, I called it a night.

Next morning, I headed for breakfast in the lounge early. In there about 6:40am and it was hopping. Again, unstaffed, but an array of boxed cereals, nicely presented fruit tray, yogurts (on the very warm side), juices (not on ice or otherwise chilling), breads, etc. I'm not pleased that the cold foods are NOT refrigerated in this lounge. I'm doubly sure the Mass Dept of Health would be most displeased. I got a yogurt that was very close to room temperature and after one small bite, I tossed it.

In sum, that was my experience. Midweek, this can be a VERY expensive Sheraton and it's fine for what it is. It's owned by Host Marriott, but Starwood managed (one of those deals). In all, I'd give it a solid B with some reservations. The charge to park is simply outrageous and I don't use that word often. I really was gobstruck to see them charging to park and suspect that every night there are dozens of folks like me here.

Your observations are essentially identical to those expressed by my in-laws that have stayed there the last couple days. They were quite shocked to see the $8 parking charge.

For those staying at the hotel, there are a number of good restaurants in town. As you exit 95/128, head the opposite way from the hotel (toward Needham, not Newton) on Highland Ave. Follow it to West St. for Blue on Highland (Next to Starbucks) for ok casual Italian.

There are several great restuarants in and around the town square. For much better Italian go to Sweet Basil located on the corner of Highland and Great Plain (kitty-corner from the town center). This is one of the best italian restaurants in greater Boston. It is BYOB and very small and does not take reservations or credit cards. It does a very brisk takeout business.

For Indian, try Masala Art. For casual American, try Not Your Average Joes. Upscale dining includes Quince and Fava, both of which are around the corner from Joes.

All are quite good and highly rated. You can probably convince the shuttle driver to take you to any.

You can also drive or have the shuttle take you to the commuter rail stops in town. Service is about 1/2 hour into Boston South Station or Back Bay and is $3.50 each way and does not run on Sunday.

I stayed at the Westin this week and noticed for the first time that they have a $9/night self park fee posted. I have no idea how they collect it, no one asked me a thing and I just parked as usual.

Guess they're just waiting to spring it on you :td:

I stayed at the Westin this week and noticed for the first time that they have a $9/night self park fee posted. I have no idea how they collect it, no one asked me a thing and I just parked as usual.


That's even MORE ridiculous than the Sheraton Needham charging. The Westin sits way up on that hill very nearly by itself with that huge parking garage that's been there since the day this hotel was built.....and that goes back a long ways.

I'm really frankly shocked that this is allowable. Perhaps Starwood has no such restriction in place for which property can charge for parking and which ones may not, but these two examples are simply egregious charges. I find it mind-blowing that they are charging guests to park after decades of not.

I half expect the next time I go to the mall to be charged to park now.

I stayed in this hotel in May while in Boston for an interview. Having no SPG status, I was assigned a regular room which I was very happy with. Had dinner at the bar which I was also happy with.

Just a couple of comments about transportation: It's a $55 airport shuttle ride from BOS to the hotel plus tip (and it is in a weird location...I could see how first-timers would have a hard time finding it). I took the hotel shuttle from the hotel to the local T-line stop (green?) into Boston and that was very convenient (make sure you sign up for the shuttle the night before).

I'd stay here again.

2 day stay

I arrived late at night with my Mother, who was exhausted. It took 15 minutes for them to help the guest in front of me. When it was my turn, I asked why it took so long, and I was told there was no other desk agents to assist with check-in. I asked about an upgrade, and was told there were no more rooms left in the hotel but mine. I was given a handi-capped accessible room next door to a meeting room. As my Mom and I walk in at midnight, we see that the meeting room has an event starting at 7 AM.

I return to the front desk, waited 5 minutes for a staff member, and finally learned two were in the back conversing, neither wearing name tags. As I pushed for a different room, and was finally given one, only after the desk clerk talked with another staff member (#4) who said they had to get some sleep before their 6 AM shift. I courteously told the staff member "Good night" and got the distinct impression (though I was too tired to be sure) that she told me it would be a good night because she was sleeping in a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed. I felt like she was staying in a room... and I was begging for one.

They charge for parking (automatically, you don't even have to tell them you park there). There was no lotion or conditioner one day. There were no clean glasses or fresh soap the next day.

I was going to meet someone for personal business and had invited them to the lounge. I called the hotel to ask about the lounge hours. They said they weren't sure, but after I was passed to the front desk, I learned the lounge closed at 7 pm, the time I was going to meet the other person for a snack. We decided to go elsewhere, and it was only when my mother called me from the lounge to ask if she should bring me a drink, that we found out the lounge actually closes at 8 pm.

While there, another guest brought their dog to the lounge, pet the dog, then used the same hand to get cheese and crackers and vegetables. My mother is allergic to dogs, and this person seemed to be without basic hygeine, so I asked the guest to remove their dog from the food area. The guest got huffy, turned to the lounge attendant, and told him that since she had been staying there for 5 days, she was allowed to keep the dog in the food. I called the front desk, but they didn't pick up. So I called a poor Starwood Platinum Concierge to track it down.

I still haven't decided wether or not to mention this to the Boston Health Department.

I have more details, but they aren't worth the bother. Let's just say the story gets worse...

The redemptive factor was the Front Desk Manager who addressed my concerns and did not charge me for any portion of the stay. The single most laughable point about this, is I couldn't tell more than one persons name, because these Starwood employees are apparently exempt from wearing nametags! When I asked what the FDM thought about the hotel, they said they were moving to the Westin Waltham in two months... I suggest you consider that too!

-- CaptainG

The single most laughable point about this, is I couldn't tell more than one persons name, because these Starwood employees are apparently exempt from wearing nametags! -- CaptainG

CG --

Like you, I find it maddening when the front line staff of a hotel decides to stop wearing the REQUIRED (I'll say it again, REQUIRED!!!) name tags. This is not optional and is fully required. If staff is not wearing Sheraton nametags, this is an issue with management oversight. I strongly suggest that you report your mediocre stay to both SPG Customer Care and the hotel GM.