nyc500

Since there is not much info on this property since it was converted from a Hilton, I thought I would post a few brief impressions. The hotel is simple, no frills -- a roadside hotel overlooking interstate 405. The club lounge is under renovation until Sept. 30, 2004, so I can't report any opinions about it. In the meantime, the hotel is giving free appetizer and breakfast certificates for the hotel restaurant. The food at the restaurant (connected to the hotel via a portico structure) could use some work - don't bother eating there. The breakfast buffet was underwhelming as well. The hotel gym was about 100 sq feet (no joke) with just two new treadmills and a rack of free weights. One nice touch is that the hotel offers free certificates to use a Bally's gym that is about 5 miles away (10 min drive). So, I am not complaining at all. Fitness gurus, like myself, just need to hit the road. The best part of the hotel was the staff. Everyone from the front desk to the room service personnel were extremely friendly and helpful. Bravo. The rooms were unremarkable, nothing memorable but at least the funishing were relatively new.

A colleague of mine called the place a dump when I asked him for his impressions. I am more forgiving, but I can understand his rationale for making that statement since the rates at this property are not exactly cheap. I paid $159/night for a property that should have the 4 points flag flying outside and not the big crested "S". But again, this hotel has a great staff that tempers the shortcomings of the property itself.

PointWeasel

I am not as forgiving as you when it comes to this hotel. Although not on the low-level of the infamous Sheraton Safari near Walt Disney World, this hotel only had a few touch-ups to the rooms themselves during the renovation from a Hilton. The bedding and carpet were new but the walls were still marked as well as the doors themselves (front and bathroom).

My reservation was made requesting a room away from the I-405 and when we checked in the room we were given was...you guessed it, right on the freeway. It was almost midnight and after a long flight from JFK via SFO I just wanted to sleep (albeit with closed windows). The next morning I mentioned it to the FD person and she apologized that the remarks were missed (she saw them there she said) and offered 1000 Starpoints. Guess what? No Starpoints as of yet and it has been almost 7 weeks.

SST

I, too, had to follow up with SPG on posting of points. Got no platinum bonus (remedied quickly) nor the promised service promise points (took three more calls, a fax, and another month). When I suggested to both the hotel and SPG that all this chasing of points really deserved another service promise set of points (hey, three long distance calls and a fax, plus copying of invoices, etc?) all of them ignored my suggestion. I guess I'm just glad I got the points. But this isn't right. There's something odd about a hotel that has so little credibility; it gives points away liberally (if you get them) for serious mistakes, then clams up when you complain that they're not following up on the giveaway. Starwood was only helpful on my second call to them (maybe I got an untrained rep).

MIKEM

I would agree with nyc500's assessment. I have stayed at this property as a Hilton and a Sheraton. The top one-two floors are Club Level. For the rooms that face away from the 405 FWY, some have suite's and living rooms. Some of the rooms are big living rooms with no beds, the bedrooms connect. So, it is hard to get the rooms that face away from the FWY as there are few of them.

The bottom-line is that this is the best *Wood option in Bellevue. And, it is a comfortable stay.

The best steakhouse I have ever ate at is Daniel's Broiler. It's a few blocks away and sits atop the Hyatt Bellevue.

wth

I have stayed at this hotel a few times (both as a Hilton and Sheraton). I'll occasionally do a mattrees run here on weekends when rates are low.

I'm a very picky person, but some of you are much harder on this property than me. It is a little dated and and isn't the most posh property, but it is, as MIKEM put it, a comfortable stay.

Since I stay on weekends, I have yet to visit the Club Lounge, so I have no perspective there. When the Lounge is closed they provide a breakfast voucher which is now good for a free breakfast entree and one beverage. So you can order from the menu instead of facing the uninspired buffet. Evenings they provide a voucher for a free appetizer. While that is reasonably consistent with what you would receive in the Lounge (and it is better than most Sheratons offer in the same circumstances) it is less than they used to offer. Previously, they offered an appetizer and two well drinks (same as the Hilton).

As for the traffic noise, I usually end up on the I-405 side and noise is never a problem. The double windows are quite thick and, when closed, very effectively shut out the noise. Now if you chose to open them, that's a different story. The HVAC unit can be loud if set on high, but I prefer the "white noise". And it doesn't go on and off like some units do.

Sam's restaurant does have a limited menu, but I've always been able to find a nice seafood entree. And the Mexican restaurant next door is fair at best.

Until, the Westin Bellevue opens in November, this is the only Starwood option east of Lake Washington. And, it's reasonably comfortable.

freqflyNW

I have stayed at the property numerous times as a Hilton and a Sheraton. Most recently in April of this year.

First, even as a Hilton you got an appetizer coupon and the buffet breakfast. The appetizers are pretty good.

Second I find it incredible the lounge is closed for renovations. It is a new lounge converted from two rooms. My guess it really is closed for summer to save money.

The rooms on the club floor are OK. My biggest complaint is the shower heads in the tubs are only about 5 feet from the bottom of the tub. I aming over 6 feet and that makes it hard for me to get shampoo out of my hair.

One of the cheapest SPG stays in the Seattle area. Easy highway access (as previously discussed). Free parking.

I stay there every time I am in Seattle.

10sgirl

[QUOTE The best steakhouse I have ever ate at is Daniel's Broiler. It's a few blocks away and sits atop the Hyatt Bellevue.[/QUOTE]

If you ever get the chance you should try Jake's in Issaquah (10-15 min taxi ride). Great steakhouse! Not to mention "The Met" downtown Seattle.

LIH Prem

I stayed there in April. At the time, the lounge was open. My room was right accross the hall from the lounge, though I didn't use it at all except for coffee on the 2nd morning. I think the property is fine. I was lead to believe it was a dump, and it isn't exactly a dump. It's an ok property. (I had a corp rate of $129.) I wouldn't go out of my way to stay there, but it's close enough to uSoft to be a reasonable choice, though there are better and more expensive choices in that area. The rooms I was in had the new bedding and it looked like the hotel had been recently renovated.

I have high marks for the staff. I checked out the second morning and didn't fly out until much later in the day. When I got seated on the plane and looked for my Bose headphones, I realized I left them in the room. So, I called from the plane .. fortunately the room was still empty. They found the headphones and a few other odds and ends, packed them up and sent them to my house.

On the other hand, when I checked in (very late, maybe around 2AM) I found out they had walked my co-worker and saved me the last room since I'm plat. (We didn't arrive together, I had taken the last flight out of SFO to SEA and it was delayed getting into SFO.) I had reserved a smoking room and got a non-smoking room. They said they would move me the next day, but I didn't bother to pack or anything. I was just going to forget about it. When I came back the 2nd day, my card key didn't work. They moved me to a different room. If I really thought they were going to do that, I would have packed up and I wouldn't have left my dirty laundry on the closet floor. Everything did get moved though .. my dirty laundry was on the closet floor of the new room. They offered my 2500 starpoints for the inconvenience.

I would stay there again, based on the corp rate I had, and the fact that the nicer properties in Redmond and Bellevue were very expensive. There's a Courtyard in Redmond that was at or over $200 per night. I would say that this property is much nicer than a typical Courtyard. There's a new Marriott in Redmond, my rates there was coming in at over $300. There's a Hyatt Regency in Bellevue that had no availability for the nights I needed, and the rates there were also very high for me.

-David

wth

To clarify, the Club Lounge is open week days. The renovation refered to was actually the creation of a lounge area, which the Hilton never had.

You are correct about the height of the shower heads. While not inconvenient to me at 5'10", I have wondered how taller people coped. Other than that, it's a nice Speakman shower head (although a cheaper version -- plastic vs. metal) with nice flow.

cxn

I have stayed here twice in the past month. I would call this the little hotel that could.

The Hotel Staff is one of the best Hotel Staff I have encountered in a long time (in the US). They seemed generally concerned about your well being and always quick to offer help. I feel like I am back in my little home town and not in a large city. I have stayed at the Westin, W and Sheraton Seattle. Overall, I will most likely stay here again due to the fact that I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for parking.

The Club Lounge was as nice as one could expect. Breakfast included Hot Items, Bread, cold cereal, yogurt, and milk. I haven’t had a chance to sample the evening menu as I was always working.

Of course, like others, I am going to be giving the Westin Bellevue a try once it opens later this year. If the staff isn’t as great (or more stuffy) I will most likely ignore the Westin and head back to the Sheraton

MIKEM

Again, the staff here has come through for me. They are sold out in the coming week and still managed to get me in - on the club floor - at a discounted rate.

This hotel is the shining example for service. The property can lack physically, but if there is excellent service the customer will be happy. The Bellevue Sheraton continues to exceed my expectations.

crsshiplover

I stayed there last year and the staff left a bit to be desired. I didn't get wake up calls two mornings in a row, and found "someone else's" amenities left in my bathroom--half empty bottles of lotion and shampoo, and even my soap unwrapped!

The recent comments are good to hear--so much that I would give the hotel a second chance.

gleff

At the Sheraton Bellevue right now.

Club lounge is closed on weekends, so they gave me free breakfast coupons and free appetizer coupons.

Elevator requires room key to go up to 6th or 7th floors, which are designated as club floors. One of the 7th floor suites is converted to club lounge.

Parking is free. Internet in the room is free (via cable, not wireless). You have to go through the motions as though you were going to pay, but they won't charge any SPG member. (This is per the front desk, but also on the hotel's website.)

Club floor room is furnished in dark wood, bed has the purple bedspread rather than white. Some scuff marks on the furniture, carpet a bit worn, but no big deal. Robe in the closet and a couple complimentary bottles of water.

The Mexican restaurant next door isn't terrible.

This isn't a luxury property (I mean, there wasn't anybody to assist with luggage at checkin or anything) but it does the trick. Prepaid rate on the SPG website was $99 for tonight, and they participate in cash and points.

My room faces 405, but no noise from the freeway. Being up on the 7th floor may help.

wth

Just stayed at the Sheraton Bellevue this weekend to get a little AC and a good night's sleep (FYI, Seattle just experienced it's hottest weekend on record and few homes have AC).

First, the property now has wireless HSIA in all rooms. Unfortunately, it is no longer free to SPG members. Apparently, that was a "test" funded by Starwood. Access is now the standard $9.95.

Also, they have downgraded (IMHO) the in-room coffee from Starbucks to Maxwell House.

Still a solid hotel, although a questionable value at the $200+ rates they are asking this week. Even then, it is still cheaper than the Westin or the Hyatt.

Boraxo

Weekend stay at this property in mid-June.

On the plus side:

Nicely renovated rooms on the SPG floor. Comfortable bed. Parking lot is super close and free.

On the minus side:

Front desk clerks do not read reservation comments (does any hotel?) and had pre-assisgned a room facing the freeway, then told me I would have to pay $30 a night if I wanted to "upgrade" to a n/s king on the renovated SPG floor. The upgrade fee included free breakfast for 2 plus free appetizers at the restaurant next door, so we decided just to pay it and consider it a wash. But so much for special treatment of SPG Gold members.

Personally I thought the Sheraton Bellevue (note correct spelling) was a decent value at $79/night (weekend promo) but the traffic across 90 (94?) was brutal at mid-day Saturday due to another bridge closure so consider traffic patterns if you plan to stay here. Downtown Seattle would definitely have been more convenient, but the rates and parking fees are steep.