ericj

I stayed three times at the Sheraton Stockholm and it was better each time, so I guess this massively ugly concrete cube is an acquired taste...

First time was awful, but then I was Gold.My upgrade was, I think, the "You've been upgraded" sticker on my key jacket. When you come to think of it, this is a master idea of an upgrade

Second time was Platinum and went up to the Towers Floor, which is worth it only for the Molton Brown amenities, the lounge being a depressing two room flat even though it has a tiny terrace with a great view on the Stadhthuset - which is definitely where the Nobel Prize banquet is held, in the Blue Room.

Third time was a corner suite on a relatively low floor, but the room, for all its Scandinavian akwardness, was endearing. The view was fine on the water and Stadthuset. And they comped a bottle of bubbly, so I guess I am now popular as a returning guest...

Staff is mostly nice. It's a convention/group hotel, really, so do not expect anything fancy. In my opinion, do not forget that Swedes are quite egalitarian and not easily seduced by status or luxury, so a dose of self-deprecating humour will get you a long way.

Last but not least be warned that food is horrendously expensive - as most of anything - in Scandinavia. But Sweden is great, and Stockholm a lady.

GUWonder

My opinion about the "status or luxury" aspect is radically different (but that's an OMNI-topic).

^^ and thanks for the details about your experience at the Sheraton.

jfar28139

I have stayed at the Sheraton Stockholm three times in the last year for +/- 20 nights. I have been there as both a gold member and a platinum member. When staying as a gold member, I basically got the impression that they don't upgrade golds to suites. When I stayed as a platinum member I was upgraded to a junior suite (the *01 rooms). The junior suite is a spacious room by Stockholm standards as Stockholm hotel rooms tend to be quite small.

I second the recommendation to the German restaurant. Robert, the manager, is great. It won't be there long though as they are removing the restaurant during the renovation process going on this summer and will just have the regular hotel restaurant remaining.

Try to get a rate plan that includes breakfast (platinums get free breakfast). Otherwise the buffest costs something like 35 USD per person.

This is my favorite place to stay in Stockholm. When I can't stay here I stay at the Radisson SAS Strand. The Grand Hotel may be nice but I can't stomach paying 500-600 USD per night for a small room (go there for their traditional smorgasboard lunch though!).

As for the service, I find the employees very nice and helpful but that may be because several now recognize me and we know each other by name.

The hotel is very convenient to the area of town that tourists like to frequent. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I normally visit Stockholm a couple of times per year.

Also, I can't stomach paying the prices there for laundry so I go to a Kemtvatt (laundry service) on the main road in Kungsholmem (3 or 4 blocks past the Stadshuset) just west of the hotel about a kilmoter. The rates are very reasonable for wash and fold laundry although drycleaning can be extensive (but not as much as the hotel).

stimpy

I've had lots of good stays here in the past, but after this week I wish I had booked another hotel. I had no idea there was renovation going on. I got no upgrade as a Platinum member. I have a renovated room at least, but it is small with a courtyard view. The club is closed for renovation (no warning in advance on that) and Platinum members do not get free breakfast as compensation. This sounds wrong to me. William?

The new rooms have modern bathroom design (although mine is far too tiny) nice beds and flat-screen TV's. The wallpaper design looks 30 years old though.

Starwood Lurker

If the club level lounge is closed, they don't have to offer an alternative. The benefit is access to the club level lounge, not for breakfast.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

stimpy

Thanks for the confirmation William. I'm fine with that interpretation, but not fine with not telling me the club is closed. We knew the hotel was under renovation, but the Club was open during the early part of the renovation. I have stayed at this hotel many times and used the Club. So I fully expected the Club to be open for this stay. There was no warning when I made the reservation that the Club would be closed. It is sort of a bait and switch, even though I don't think they did that on purpose.

Starwood Lurker

I'm not sure how/if they could have notified you if you booked online, but I found this on their hotel overview page:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...298#conditions

It seems they were expecting people to contact them if they had questions, but it may never ocurred to you to do so if the lounge was open previously during renovations. If you feel that is insufficient, then I would take it up with Hotel Customer Service.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

stimpy

That statement is in my reservation confirmation and as I said above, we knew that renovations were going on. But I also saw Flyertalk posts during this period saying the Club was open during their stay. That statement you linked doesn't say anything about the Club being closed.

I think the point is that we, Starwood Platinum members, who have access to all Starwood Clubs, would like to know in advance if for some reason the Club will not be available. We expect the Club to be there and Starwood should be a bit more proactive in letting us know if the Club will be closed during our stay. Its not a hard thing to do. Of course they should (and perhaps do) do the same for anyone who directly books a Club room.

And if the argument is that we should call the hotel in advance to find out if they have the services that we expect, well that ignores the realities that face Starwood's best customers. We are flying around from city to city and time is a precious commodity. We don't always have time to ring ahead to every hotel to ask them such questions. We expect the hotel to be ready for us. In most every aspect, a good hotel understands this.

Starwood Lurker

No, it just says to contact the hotel if you have any questions about how the renovations may affect your stay.

So, how would you suggest the message be imparted? SPG doesn't have it. The hotel does. Hence my suggestion to call Hotel Customer Service to let the property know that they did not meet your expectations in this area.

But not every guest is a Platinum member expecting the club level lounge to be open and waiting to serve him/her. Again, I suggest letting the hotel know that they did not meet your expectations. The easiest way to do that is through Hotel Customer Service.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

veritas

I recently stayed at the Sheraton Imperial in KL (made the booking online) which is also undergoing renovations. Prior to the stay I received an email from the hotel informing me that renovations were occurring and that the Club Lounge was closed. It sounds like the Sheraton Stockholm should've done the same.

FYI...being the fine hotel it is, the Sheraton in KL has relocated the exec lounge to another area of the hotel during renovations which I found out about upon checking-in

Starwood Lurker

Exactly my point...call Hotel Customer Service and get them to tell the Sheraton Stockholm that they did not meet the expectations of being a fine hotel.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

stimpy

But both Starwood and each hotel know which guest is Platinum and which is not. And they know who has booked a Club room and who hasn't. Having a lot of IT experience, I know that Starwood could exploit their IT much more than they do now. It is actually a pretty easy thing to do. Obviously the hotel currently loads into the system the rates and the current description. The hotel could update that information on a daily basis without too much trouble. As Starwood builds the email of the reservation confirmation to us (and as it shows on the web), Starwood could take their knowledge of our Platinum status and add in the local information that the Club is closed. Such database configuration is quite easy and you should already have all the information you need.

I know I'm asking for something that isn't the most important thing in the world. But neither is it very difficult. And since we have a lot of choices of hotels in most cities, knowing that we will or will not get Club access is kind of important to some of us, in some situations.

stimpy

As did the Sheraton CDG recently. But not the Sheraton Stockholm.

GUWonder

What happens to those who booked a room with lounge access and then don't get lounge access because it's closed for renovation or simply shut? Is it the same policy on a paid stay as on an award stay, or is this something Starwood leaves up to the hotels?

GUWonder

Perhaps we need a thread that lists all current lounge closings for Starwood hotels. For those of us with a choice of hotels that give us lounge access either as a benefit of status and/or as a benefit of selected room type, this might help with those hotels that are not so proactive in informing the customers that they have gotten less than what was part of the customers' understanding and/or booking. I wonder what happens when the customer discovers after the fact that they've not gotten what they should have? A bunch of Starwood points again?