dwahba

After one week of re-opening, the reviews so far have been great. Official photography is being done after the Super Bowl and will be posted on our website shortly thereafter.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business...0,261069.story

/mod

Preopening discussion can be found here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...e-opening.html

dwahba is Director of Sales for the hotel.

Any TripAdvisor report prior to January 15 or thereabouts is of the prior hotel.

/mod

lulutoo

We've just had the first review posted on TA regarding the remodeled hotel ( see link) and it appears positive, though I certainly would have liked to hear more detail

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...e_Florida.html

phish1209

I am in the middle of a two night stay and would recommend not choosing this property since the Westin/W are significantly superior. The renovation seems very superficial, hallways/stairways still have the tired feel to them and the room decor is more similar to a 4pts then typical Sheraton.

Valet is 25 a night or self-park across the street for 10...When I checked-in I was not offered an amenity and had to ask for it, the front desk person was nice enough just seemed really new. As far as upgrades go they only have 5 suites completed out of an eventual planned 11 I was told and none were available though SPG.com shows available for purchase... didn't feel like arguing so I went to my room.

The room is very small with the same popcorn ceilings as before and a bathroom that hardly seems renovated (I will post pictures later). To top it all off when we first got to the room and pulled the cover of the bed we found a pair of womens underwear and small black hairs! I was sure it was a joke but sadly it was not, so I called the front desk and they sent some one to "re-clean" and at some prompting from me they offered me 5k points also. Still kind of amazed at this, I would guess the maids just pulled the covers back with out checking the sheets during cleaning.

I haven't had a chance to see the pool or other public areas outside of the lobby yet, but based on my experience so far I would strongly recommend the Westin, W or Diplomat if you want to stay in the area as the qaulity of those hotels is significantly better.

StevenH123

phish1209 - thanks for the update, I am now leaning towards canceling the room I have booked for later this month. I would love to see your pics when you get a chance.

60614

I stayed there the weekend before last and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. The hotel stretches across four buildings, one of which is on the west side of A1A opposite (not on) the beach. I was lucky enough to get a room in the beach club building (no doubt due to Plat status), and it was quite a hike from the front desk, some of which involves an uncovered walk across a parking lot, which would not be too great during rainy season. My room was small and had very basic finishes, but was new and spotlessly clean.

I hesitated about posting because the hotel was clearly still in the opening process. They were carrying mattresses and furniture into some of the rooms, and still working on a few areas, so the place will probably have a very different vibe in two weeks. But I can make a few observations that may be helpful.

One of the elevators was out of order during my entire stay, so there were long waits. But the building is only five stories, so I took the stairs most of the time, except when I had luggage.

There are two pools, which seem quite small for a property of this size. One was still being painted and had no furniture around it, although the pool was open and usable. It was in a bare concrete courtyard, and was kind of depressing, but that could be easily fixed with some furniture, people, and decorations. The other was a small but nice infinity pool on the beach side.

As another poster mentioned, valet parking is $25 per day, which seemed high. I did not eat in the restaurant so I can't comment on the food.

Wifi was free, which was nice.

Location is about 0.8 mile south of Las Olas on A1A. The city has trolleys that run up and down A1A, which are free on weekdays and pay on weekends.

I have also stayed at the new-ish Westin just up the street (formerly Yankee Trader), which I liked better, but it was almost twice as much money the weekend of my stay as was the Sheraton. Not sure it's worth the difference in price.

bsdstone

Man this is disappointing to here. I was hoping for a cheaper (points and cash) alternative to the Diplomat. We've always had wonderful experiences there, it's just expensive...looks like we'll stay there and enjoy the beautiful hotel and private beach...I guess you get what you pay for.

Weez

Staying here at the moment. In the main building. Moved from first room as right on the road, and the road noise was very obvious (no double glazing at all). There are 2 pools - new infinity pool right on beach, and the other is just off main building - with new chairs etc. Despite hotel being full pools etc v quiet. Room is nothing special, bathrooms certainly haven't been renovated. Sheets and towels etc definitely feel brand new though -and wifi isn't free!

StevenH123

Has anybody else stayed here since the reopening? I was hoping for some pics & more reviews. I'm booked for this w/e and will report back on the property (and how they treat lowly spg golds). It will be about 3 weeks before I will be able to post my review.

60614

Old thread (linked above) also has three post-renovation trip reports: #23, #27 and #29

SanDiego1K

Very helpful. Thank you. I've moved those reports into this thread.

Weez

Sorry there were no photos but camera is broken. All the staff are new and helpful but as they were full (2 medical conferences).
Louise

DownUnderFlyer

I stayed there a couple of weeks ago.

Lobby areas are re-done and have a modern airy feel to it. I was upgraded to a room at the beach building (also mentioned by 60614). I would call the walk there a hike but it is a bid odd that you are going via the parking lot. It looked a bit as if some part of the renovation is not finished yet.

The room I got had a clean, modern decor and great views across the beach. Wifi had a price attached but it was not charged on my invoice. Some of the rooms hardware (doors for example) have not been re-done so things do not look as new as it could have been. Nevertheless, the room was nice, the view good. It is a decent alternative to the W IMHO if you get the right room.

Self parking was supposed to be $10 (for a short overnight stay) but again this didn't get charged.

DannyS

Stayed there on February 19th. My Gold Status (which wasn't in their system, but they updated at check in) got me a room in the South Tower. It seemed like they had the room already decided, and nothing changed after I had them update their records to show status.

Overall, we really liked the place. It is nothing that knocks your socks off, although the new decor is nice and modern. The Wreck bar looks FANTASTIC - straight out of the movies. The room was also redone, and nice enough, as others mentioned, the room key hardware wasn't updated - it took 5 or 6 tries to get our keycard to open the door.

We were staying on the opening rate, which included a beach view (no balcony), valet parking, and breakfast.

Here's a picture of the room: http://www.twitpic.com/145ryq
Our view from the room: http://www.twitpic.com/145pz5
Ryan Siegel's Bar Mitzvah was Jan 10. For some reason, a yarmulka from the affair was on our lamp when we got to the room. (We left it there for the next guests to "enjoy"): http://twitpic.com/145qw1

travellingcari

I was waiting for reviews to show up as I considered changing my reservation from the Westin Beach resort. I guess I will be sticking with the Westin.

iamfrugal

Just stayed for a night pre-cruise on points.Iam gold .No upgrade.Hiked to marina tower room.After a series of complaints ,called corporate and was refunded all points.I agree,a partial reno was done.If a wedding is in progress,you are going to feel part of it.Never have I heard music,only to 11 mind you,so clearly.Signage in elevator,on walls illegible so good luck finding your way around the facilities.Almost a match complaint for complaint as previous posters,so I won't bore you all.Lobby is very attractive.No club lounge,no vouchers.And for the kicker,over $ 100 phone charge.....I called 800 numbers for a shuttle.Was told since they have no resort fee, they charge for ALL calls.Nice.