JohnnyP

We checked in recently for a weekend stay. The front desk staff were very friendly and welcoming. We were given a small gift bag with chips and water on arrival. I had requested in my reservation for a room facing away from the highway, and that had been assigned accordingly. As SPG Gold, we were upgraded to the Club Level (and our friends were also kindly assigned the room next to us). The rooms were comfortable, if not typically Sheraton. The Club lounge was open for continental breakfast 6.30-9.30AM (e.g. toast, yoghurt, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, etc.) and for light snacks in the evening (e.g. hot wontons, carrot and celery sticks, tomatoes, cheapo red and white wine, etc.). The Club was always accessible, which we loved, to access the computer / chill out, or access water bottles in the fridge. We found the location surprisingly convenient, within walking distance of Target, a shopping mall, cinema, Chipotle and other restaurants. Downtown was less than 15 minute drive and relatively easy access to major highways and airport.

They told us at check-in that they did charge for parking, and we had no issues parking on the street in front of the hotel. You can park up as far as the car dealership next door as long as the car is out of its spot by 10AM on weekends.

My one negative feedback would be the fitness centre. It had the necessities (e.g. a few treadmills, ellipticals, stair-machines, etc.) but only one bench and free-weights. There was no area to do floor exercises and no mats provided. Likewise, no exercise balls. The room itself lets out onto a large outdoor patio, which is very cool, but they made no effort to take advantage of that in any way.

docbert

Had 3 one-night stays here over the past few weeks. As Gold I was upgraded on all occasions - and upgraded relatively well! As the previous poster said, you get a bag of chips and a bottle of water on arrival (in additional to 2 bottles of water in the room - at least on the club floors)

First stay (Friday night, C+P) was upgraded to a corner suite on the club floor. Fairly standard 2-room suite. No fridge/minibar/etc.

Second stay (Saturday night, Starpicks pre-paid rate booked the night before). Upgraded to a normal room on the club floor. Basically the same as the suite, but obviously just the one room.

Third stay (Monday night, corporate rate). Upgraded to a corner suite on the top (14th) floor. Basically a 3-room suite, although the 3rd room is really just an L extension on the main room with nothing more than a desk in it. 4-seated dining table, lounge, sink, mini-fridge (empty).

All rooms have nice big (40" or so?) HD LCD TV's which sounds great, except that they seem to take forever to tune to a HD channel - so if you're flicking between channels there's about 5-8 second of black whenever you change to a new HD channel.

Club Lounge is as previously described - canapes in the evening, buffet breakfast in the morning (toast, cereal muffins, hard-boiled eggs if you're lucky, juice, coffee, etc). Open at all hours with water and possibly soft drinks in the fridge.

Internet was free on all 3 stays, which I think is a gold benefit (and not just because I was on the club floors). With the exception of the 14th floor suite, all rooms had zero free power points near the desk (or anywhere at all, for that matter!). Plugging in a computer involved getting on hands-and-knees to disconnect the coffee maker.

Parking is $14, although if you're on a corporate rate check to see if it's cheaper - my corporate rate has it at $5 (although they didn't mention that to me at check-in), and someone checking in before me had free parking in his corporate rate. If you're cheap like me, there's a few parks on the street in front of the hotel and down a little that are completely free, and then some further down the road that are free but with a 2 hour limit between 8am and 6pm on weekdays/Saturday.

Location is good if you have a car, probably not so if you don't. Ask for a room at the back as it'll get you away from the road noise.

Erasmus

Somewhat surprised given the previous posters' experiences. Checked in as a Plat and did not receive any form of upgrade. The carpet in my traditional king room is absolutely disgusting. So stained, in fact, that I felt compelled to go downstairs to complain. They remarked they were in the process of changing the carpet, but starting at the top floors (again, I wasn't upgraded, so was not on a high floor). They did, however, offer some slippers which I gladly accepted as I will not be walking barefoot in this room.

The front desk claimed 80% occupancy. Too late (past midnight CST) to check SPG to see if higher room types are for sale, and too lazy to call the Plat concierge.

About the only positive thing to say is that parking is free (purportedly due to my status), but the lot gates were up anyway, so seems anyone can come and go as they please.

I took a bunch of pictures and plan to send them to the manager when I get a chance, as the condition of this room is worthy of a Motel 6, not a Sheraton.

mbluecpa

Just returned from three nights at this property and I can confirm recent comments posted upthread:

1. Parking: was posted at $14/night but the gates were open at all times, thus ultimately no charge.
2. Club level: Upgraded as gold to club level. Club lounge was very crowded and understaffed - we used only for a quick cup of coffee in the morning. We looked in at 5pm (4:30pm opening for evening service) and no staff or setup there. I'd received a $20 club upgrade offer earlier in the week.
3. Internet: Free, I believe for being gold.
4. Facility: Two elevators which were usually crowded; one went out of service whlie we were there but the staff redirected us to the freight elevator. Carpeting is stained in both hallways and our 12th floor room. Freeway-facing rooms do indeed get a lot of noise.

If you're planning do to things around San Diego, the location is fine - everything was a relatively short drive away. The staff were generally pleasant, but just seemed either untrained or overwhelmed.

The rate was about $75 cheaper (at least $100 factoring in parking) than other SPG properties in the area - honestly, I don't feel like it was worth the savings.

belynch

Just completed a one night stay. Since the removal of the Sheraton World in Orlando from the Starwood affiliation, I don't think I had any "do not stays" until this hotel popped up.

Simply put, do not stay here. My basic requirements for a hotel of clean, quiet, and comfortable went 0 for 3.

As a Platinum I was "upgraded" to a larger room on the 7th floor. The larger room simply provided more surface area for the lack of cleaning. After the room next door started throwing a party (not the hotel's fault) I threw in the towel and went down to the front desk and was moved to a 5th floor room facing the 8. Exact same condition as the first room (and loud).

Dirty and stained carpets (I wore shoes walking around the room and slept in socks), furniture that wouldn't have been out of place in a dorm room that I wouldn't have sat on in a Tyvek suit, and a disgusting bathroom with shower pressure that can generously be described as "San Fransisco mist." The door to the bathroom doesn't even open because the toilet is in the way.

Free parking and internet for being a Platinum as well as Club room access. Unfortunately when they moved my room they didn't recode my key for club access and each trip on the elevator involves about 15 minutes (each direction) because of there only being one elevator in service. When I finally got into the Club lounge I found it to be overcrowded and picked-over so I threw in the towel and ate breakfast in the restaurant. Eggs were cold, but at least I didn't have to fight 50 other people.

Gym is a disgrace. I've seen nicer gyms at Hamptons.

When I mentioned the fact that the hotel should be condemned at check-out the FDA said "oh, we know. But we're getting new carpets next year." Thanks.

Without exaggeration I've stayed in non-affiliation hotels in third-world countries that were cleaner than the Sheraton Mission Valley. It's more Rodeway Inn then Sheraton.

ramalama8

Glad I came here to check out reviews on this hotel. I've booked a stay here for three nights next week so that my wife, toddler son and I can attend a wedding next weekend. Wedding is at the LDS Temple, really close to the hotel. We plan on doing a couple of other things while we're there, but nothing too big. I saw a couple of sour reviews on the SPG website, but guess I didn't really take them to heart. But now I think I'll go ahead and change my reservation. Only thing is the price! It's only going to be 10k points for all three nights. That's really hard to beat! Ahhh! What to do? What to do?

dgordon

I have stayed at this hotel many times and will stay again when I go back. The location is good - probably had an affair at the same temple. I think the hotel is very nice - stayed with my cousin and brother in adjoining rooms. Beds were good. Rooms clean, service good. it's a nice hotel and great for the price. I don't know what all the complaints are about. I parked on the street for free because they wanted to charge for parking even though I was gold at the time. So I parked on the street. Free internet for Gold. I am no longer gold so next time it will be their internet room. You'll have a nice time - how much time are you spending in the hotel anyway.

ramalama8

We probably won't be spending an inordinate amount of time in the hotel - we hope to get out and see the zoo, go to the beach, Balboa park, etc. But we prob won't leave the hotel until 11a each day and will prob be back by 7p. So a good 15-16 hours each day.

When have you stayed there? Seems most negative reviews have been from the past few years. Was it recently?

ramalama8

I have GOT to report on the worst hotel stay ever - a three-night experience at the Sheraton Mission Valley in San Diego.

This is a lesson in learning from others' experience and trusting their trip reports, because I heard from others that this is a dump of a hotel. And boy are they right! The reasons I stayed here were: location, price (redeemed points as Cat 2 on weekend), presence of a lounge. In retrospect, each of those pros were as miniscule to the cons as a blade of grass is to a palm tree.

First, no upgrade as a plat. I can't really knock them too hard for this as no suites were available to purchase, but I didn't even receive an upgrade to a club/preferred floor. I wasn't TOO miffed by it, but still...

Second, cleanliness of rooms. So we get to our standard room and it's pretty dark and dreary. Low ceilings, filthy windows, and worst of all, the carpet looked like it had been to hell and back. After spending a the night and next morning in the room, the bottoms of our feet were nearly black, and my infant son's knees were just as bad. So I called down and spoke with the manager - she committed to moving us to a better room by the end of the day, around 6:00p that evening. So we pack up all our bags to have them ready to be moved. And then as we left the hotel, I dropped by the front desk just to verify that they would be moving us to a new room. I spoke to the same manager - she apparently had forgotten to write down my request, but had remembered that I called and once again confirmed that I would be in a new room when we got back.

We arrive back at the hotel around 9:00p with an exhausted 13-month-old (we were out later than I anticipated) and expected to have already been moved to a new room, so that we could bathe my son and put him to sleep. I walk up to the front desk to get my new room key, but there is no record of my request to move to a new room. Apparently the manager completely dropped the ball after taking my request and receiving a reminder. That was really annoying, but I was taking it all in stride as I expected to be in a decent room in the next 10 minutes.

We were moved to a new room (actually, we moved ourselves - they didn't even offer to have our bags moved for us) but soon discovered there was water dripping from the ceiling. I called down to tell them we needed yet a different room - they said to come down and they'd give me another room. Adding to my frustration and wait times is that the elevators are INCREDIBLY S---L---O---W, and it's taking so long that my kid is fussing uncontrollably and has now peed through his pants. They only had one of the two working at the time - an average wait time for the elevator, going up or down, was anywhere from 4-5 minutes. I go down to the front desk to get a new room, and they assign me a corner room on the 14th floor. We walk in and my wife immediately notices that the carpet is a bit wet. We don't think anything of it, so we start getting my son ready for bed, bath and all. But THEN, we notice that the carpet being wet is a much bigger problem then we thought - we discover pink mold growing all over the carpet near the wall. I took pictures of it. A secondary issue was that the furniture was in worse shape than you'd find at a second-rate garage sale - it was so ragged and dirty - but after all we had been through, I would have just dealt with it considering what we'd already been through that night. So I call down and tell them I need yet ANOTHER room - the fourth of the day. At this point, we interrupt my son's nighttime routine, and while I'm quite frustrated, bordering on angry, my wife just about loses it. She wants to move to a different hotel altogether and report the mold issues to the department of health. She is completely fed up, and understandably so - we weren't moved to a different room as promised, the next two rooms were completely unacceptable with one of them posing a health risk, and nearly one and a half hours later, we still aren't in a room.

So one of the front desk agents meets us upstairs, gives us the keys to yet another room (this one right next to the club lounge - noisy in the morning which woke up my kid, but at least it doesn't pose a health hazard), apologizes profusely, and I show her where the dripping water and the mold are. I let her know of the manager that dropped the ball, and that I would be pursuing a complaint with SPG.

We finally get settled in at a far later time than a competent establishment would find acceptable. The manager in question called up to the room in the morning to ask about the ordeal last night, and frankly, I didn't feel like talking to her at the moment. So I told her that I was unhappy with the situation and that I would be pursuing a complaint to SPG - if she wanted further details to talk to the staff on duty the night before. I was a bit surprised that she wasn't already informed and thus deeply apologetic.

Anyway, we just had a horrible, horrible stay. Stay away from this hotel at all costs.

gabo02

If I'm not mistaking. I think we got the point. You don't like The Mission Valley Sheraton.

ramalama8

You're exactly right, and for good reason.

Just thought I'd post my trip report in a few different forums in case others looking for info about this hotel looked only in one of those forums.

ramalama8

Just heard back from the front desk manager. A VERY kind apology and refund of all points used for that stay. Also gave me a free 2-night stay at a suite in the hotel at a future date. It's good to know that SPG listens and responds when things go wrong!

jcore

Stayed 2 nights (cash and points) and used suite upgrade certificates. My 3rd time staying at this property during past few years. Looks like the property had a facelift. Checking went smooth, had a 14th suite facing mountain ( well nearby hill but not highway). Bed great as always and room seemed recently renovated. only ding was what sounded like running water or shower in room next door but closing bathroom door silenced the noise.

Club lounge on 12 open 24 hrs with evening snacks until 10pm I believe. I'm lifetime platinum so can be picky but enjoyed this place. Wonder if I would of been upgraded without using certificates but figured don't use me certs
very much so why not. Breakfast and evening snacks nothing special but good coffee. Picked up hertz rental next door to avoid airport taxes (ok I'm cheapskate) and could park on road. Would give thumbs up, convenient to some great beer bars off el cajon and 30th.

LovetoTravel83

Stayed for one night on a BRG approved claim. Tried to use SNA but couldn't get it through the system but I was upgraded to a suite on the 14th floor. It seems all suites are on the 14th floor inlcuding two presidential suites (one with a king bed and one with 2 queens), they recently renovated the hotel so everything is brand new, the lobby looked nice and the suite was well appointed.

The parking was 14 USD per night, the club lounge was meh, breakfast spread was very VERY minimal.

Overall, an ok stay for the rate I paid.

Wildfan88

I have stayed at the this property3 times. Got upgrade twice to 2 room suites. It is a tired property and all is true from the above posts.
Only real reason to stay here is the location and cost. It is close to downtown and much cheaper than the downtown hotels in my experience