rmtrack

I did not see this property under the LA list. Not too optimistic based on other web site reviews, but can anyone shed any light on this hotel? I have a trip to Baton Rouge in March and am booked at the Marriott. I would like to stay at the Hilton because it's close to my business there, but it's booked.

Thanks!

ssullivan

I go to Baton Rouge frequently for work and usually stay at either the Marriott or the Sheraton. The Sheraton is about 6-7 years old now, and is fairly nice. It's nothing extraordinary, but always been very clean, well maintained, and the staff has always been friendly and knowledgeable. The beds in the rooms I've had on the Sheraton Club level have always been quite good. The lounge is fine, but nothing special; usually one hot item in the evenings, plus assorted veggies, cheese, crackers, and cookies. Mornings are pretty basic, with pastries, bagels, toast, and oatmeal. My only real complaint about the Sheraton is the ceiling height in the bathrooms, which is ridiculously low (around 7 feet). As a result, the mirror is very low, and too low for most guests who are around 5'11" and taller. The ceiling is so low that my head almost touches it while I'm in the shower (I'm about 6'4"). I've experienced this at some older hotels, but not at a hotel that's as new as this one is. It's an annoyance, but not so much of one that I won't stay there. I just find it absurd that hotels are still being built with ridiculously low bathroom ceilings. It's pointless.

The Marriott, on the other hand, is a much older (mid-1970s) build, but has seen a lot of renovation in recent years, including a current project that is wrapping up in the next couple of weeks to update the bathrooms of the guestrooms and the hallways. Other than the lack of LCD TVs (the Sheraton doesn't have them either), the rooms at the Marriott will be at the current full service Marriott standard once the renovations to the bathrooms are complete. I find it has a nicer lounge, with a wider variety of food in both the evenings and mornings, and the concierge lounge staff at the Marriott is typically friendlier and more outgoing than that at the Sheraton. Keeping with the wider variety of food in the lounge at the Marriott, the Marriott also has a larger room service menu, and on the occasions that I've ordered something, it seems that the Marriott's food is of better quality and taste. Not that it was bad at the Sheraton, but it just tasted better at the Marriott.

Overall, I don't find much wrong with either of those two hotels. Both are quite similar in room comfort and amenities, and despite the Marriott's older age, the property has done a good job of upgrading and updating itself on a regular basis. I wouldn't expect W-level service out of either hotel, but if you're looking for something that's quite comfortable, clean, and reasonably up to date in amenities and appearance, both the Sheraton and Marriott are just fine.

Location wise, the Marriott is closer to more restaurants than you'll find in downtown Baton Rouge. If you're working downtown, the commute will take 15-20 minutes in normal morning traffic from the Marriott. The Sheraton is only a few blocks away from the Hilton, and if you're working near the Hilton, the Sheraton will be closer; likely within walking distance.

rwsatl

Thx for yor thoughtful compare/contrast ssullivan of the Sheraton and Marriot. I'm pretty much a SPG person, but the insightful comparison between competing properties is always helpful. Just curious if you stay at the Hilton which is nearby the Sheraton? I notice you're a HH Diamond but did not include the Hilton in your remarks.

ssullivan

I've never stayed at the Hilton. I'd like to sometime, but it's just worked out over the last year that I have almost always needed my trips to Baton Rouge to help qualify me for a bonus with either SPG or Marriott Rewards, or to renew elite status. As a result, I've not made it to the Hilton yet. Also, the project I'm working on has contracted rates at both the Marriott and Sheraton, which has influenced my decision on where to stay some as well.

rwsatl

Welcome to the ATL ssullivan! Hope you enjoy it here!

ssullivan

Thanks! Been here going on a year in just a few months. Time flies.

rmtrack

Thanks for the review, ssullivan. Much appreciated. The reviews of the Sheraton Baton Rouge on sites like tripadvisor make it sound like a dump, so thanks for a different perspective. Some people also complained about the area around the hotel, that it can be unsafe.

ssullivan

One additional suggestion about the Sheraton — don't use the valets for parking. The hotel has a free self parking lot that's maybe 200 feet farther from the elevators than the valet drop off area. The valets there are SLOW SLOW SLOW — I have called down to have the car brought up 20 minutes before going downstairs, only to arrive and then wait another 15 minutes for the car to show up. The self park lot does require your room key card to access, so I suggest parking the car in front of the hotel while you check in, tell the valets you'll be using self parking (they won't be thrilled but just hold your ground) and then go in to check in. Once you have your key, go back out, pull out of the valet area, turn right onto the street that runs down the side of the hotel, and the lot will be immediately on your right. You can then park there and save yourself about $12/day and a lot of hassle waiting on slow valets.

I've read some of the negative Trip Advisor reviews and just don't get it. I haven't experienced most of the negative issues that they write about. Apparently the hotel did renovate in the last year or two, and some of the complaints about it looking worn may predate that renovation. The bathrooms really are tiny, but I've never found that to be a major issue. Really, I don't see that most of those negative reviews are justified.

socalplat

This property is terrible. They have no idea whatsoever what the term "Starwood Platinum Guest" means in any way shape or form.

Their front desk staff has no knowledge at all of how to even properly check in a Platinum Guest. The worse part is that management doesn't even care how the Platinum Guests are treated at their property. Don't come to this property if you would like to receive any of the Platinum perks.

No such thing as room upgrades at this CATEGORY 2 property!!! Are you kidding me?? No welcome amenity or any other amenity offered Platinum Guests. They even have the audacity to charge your card for your room even before you arrive at the hotel to check in. That's not for a "prepaid" room but for a normal reservation. With or without your authorization.

ssullivan

Just an update on this property. I'm at it again this week, still having mixed feelings about it. It's not awful, but it's not great either. However, it is the only Starwood property in the city. I haven't stayed here in some months, and have seen some changes with this visit. There's also a new fence around the parking lot, with new gates, obviously designed to make it harder to get into the lot. While that's good, it is a sign that they've had trouble with cars being broken into while parked in the hotel's lot. They've also improved the offerings in the club lounge, but it's still just as empty as ever.

On the other hand, I really don't know what this property's future is. It's very possible it's on the verge of a rebranding. When I checked in this week, there was a maintenance worker measuring the Sheraton logo and sign behind the front desk, and looking behind it to see how it was attached. I've also noticed that the Sheraton logos have been removed from some signs around the property. There's nothing to indicate that the hotel is leaving the Sheraton brand on the Starwood website, but it does appear that this Sheraton may not be a Sheraton much longer.

tripaddict

Must say that this property is pretty terrible. Made the mistake of booking my parents a room here one weekend for an event (Dec 2008) and they had to switch rooms twice. The first two rooms were already occupied with bags and clothes strewn about the rooms! Was the staff just playing trial and error?

Now that the property is a cat 2 it may be a worthwhile stop for football games on pts.

ssullivan

While I've tried to be optimistic about this property, and forgive some of its shortcomings, this morning at check out I once again did not receive a bill under my door, and had to wait in line for about 20 minutes at the front desk to get a receipt while the lone person working the desk slowly checked out guests. Of course, if Starwood was consistently able to provide final receipts by e-mail or a PDF file under your account like Hilton, Marriott, and Intercontinental always do, getting the receipt would have been a non-issue. In any case, when it was my turn, and I got my receipt, the Internet charges had not been removed. The front desk clerk argued with me about this being a Platinum benefit, and said that Internet was always a charge, no matter what your status, unless the rate included it. As I was already running late, and we were talking about only $25, which my employer will reimburse without question, and my patience is already shot after a long week at work with a difficult client, I just took the receipt and left. It wasn't worth the time and effort involved in pulling up the SPG website on my phone, arguing with this guy more, and probably having to call a manager to get the charges adjusted. But there are some real issues with this property. The rooms are generally fine (average Sheraton) but the staff is continuing to get worse.

However, I really think this property is leaving Sheraton soon. I noticed a few more missing Sheraton logos today that were there when I arrived on Tuesday.

For future trips to Baton Rouge I'll be at the Marriott or Hilton. At least both of them have great staff (Marriott is especially good) and the rooms are generally pretty equal across all three of those hotels.

controller1

The Starwood website indicates the Sheraton Baton Rouge will be leaving the Starwood family on April 15.

controller1

The Sheraton Baton Rouge will become an independent hotel named The Belle of Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel. IMO, whatever problems were encountered while a Sheraton will only be multiplied since the owners will no one to answer to other than themselves.

Keyser

another property leaves spg this year....by my count this makes it 6....or is the number higher????