jb3t

As you can read from the up-post, I stayed here for a few days this summer. The rooms are small, the lounge is small, but I liked it. It's in the heart of an old, New England colonial city. Not sure I could spend an entire week there but it was great for a few days. There are a few places in America where you can walk down the streets and see houses from the 1600s and early 1700s. This is one of them

Good food, cool little shops, and lots of places to explore.

Peatisback

I'm happy to report that as of yesterday, the club lounge now offers evening services seven days a week.

RCyyz

Recently stayed at this property. I had booked a 2-bedroom suite. My confirm noted that I'd be in a condo which is not part of the main building. Rate included valet parking. While filling out my reservation online, I requested bathrobes for the room.

A few days after making the reservation I phoned the property directly to verify I was in a 2-bedroom suite and not just a 2 bed suite. I was assured that it will be 2 bedroom. I was asked if there's anything else, so I just asked to kindly add a note to my reservation requesting bathrobes. All seemed well.

At check-in, there was a grand total of one (1) person working front desk. There was only one other person in front of me so my wait wasn't too long, but for a large hotel having only 1 person there seemed odd, particularly given that I checked in around 16h30 which is not an abnormal time of day.

The lady took a while to punch up my reservation. I was left with the impression that she was actually a trainee who didn't really know how to do things. Got up to the room (which actually was in the main building) and found a large suite with 1 bedroom. Sigh.

Back at front desk there was now a massive lineup. That same poor lady was trying to process all these people but frankly, she looked scared even though she was clearly doing her best. To her credit, she noticed I was back and quickly motioned me to the front of the line. I told her the problem and she went to the back room for a couple of minutes then re-emerged and told me that my other bedroom was another room next door. She had re-done my keys so they would now open both doors.

Back to the elevator to go up and there was a massive lineup there too. Eventually got up, unlocked the other room and found a staircase going up. My second bedroom was actually on top of the main room. Interesting layout but it worked.

And of course, no bathrobes in the room. Picked up the phone, hit the Guest Service button and nothing happened. Went to phone #2, hit Guest Service button and nothing happened. Sigh. Went downstairs to phone #3, hit Guest Services and it worked! Waited 30 min for bathrobes to be delivered.

The room itself was pleasant enough but quite old. Being there reminded me of being in an old person's house. At one point it was probably on the higher end, perhaps even moderately luxurious but today it just seems completely outdated and old. There was a kitchen in the suite and the electric stove was one of those old almond-coloured ones that seemed en mode in the early 1980s. Similarly the bathrooms were functional but simply out of date.

I think the suites are all privately owned. Meaning the property was built and private investors could buy a suite then get a cut of the revenue when the room was occupied. Trouble is, when the suite gets old it's up to the owner to renovate it and most investors just aren't going to bother. So the suites will continue to be ignored and get worn out and look ever more outmoded and out of step with reality.

The sitting area downstairs was large and had a pleasant wood floor with a gas fireplace. A Bose Wave radio was available but sadly did not have an iPod dock nor any aux cables to plug anything into. So I ended up using my own portable devices that I typically travel with. There was no wired internet anywhere but the wireless access was OK for simple things.

As others have noted, the lounge is a small affair. The biggest traffic jam at breakfast time was the toaster - a 2-slice affair that took a long time. (But did produce nice looking toast.) The breakfast was strictly continental. The only hot item was oatmeal that looked kind of sickly so I passed.

Overall it was an adequate stay. The property looks OK on the outside and the main lobby area is fine. My suite was terribly dated and in sore need of renovation. The location of the property is good with easy access to the highways and a simple, short and pleasant walk to town. If I was in the neighbourhood again I'd probably stay here but I'd get normal rooms instead of a suite.

nologic

Thanks for your update. I was very curious about the suites. Interesting that the hotel does not require the owners to invest in the current standard of renovations, or require the owners to pay into a renovation budget and renovate the rooms accordingly. A hotel quest should not have two experiences: one in a privately owned room and in a hotel owned room. The guest doesn't care who owns the room.

Flews

Interesting. This summer I booked, but had to cancel, the same two bedroom suite detached from the main building. We did this deliberately, after doing our research on what was best for our needs. I would have been very disappointed to have received a main building suite upon arrival. Although, I must say, it sounds like a really cool room. Thanks for the review.

milesmuncher

If anyone is interested in seeing a few photos of the rooms at this property, I wrote a short trip report a few months ago: http://first2board.com/foodwineandmi...th-harborside/

I was in a standard room ("Harbor View"), and it was quite small - the fact that it had an enormous four post bed only added to that sensation. I also found the bathroom lighting to be pretty poor.

It gets the job done, but this hotel isn't stellar IMO. The location is great - right in town, but it's also surprisingly expensive for the area (>$200/night every time I've been).

Peatisback

Definitely the dumpiest Sheraton I've ever stayed at. The property is humid and dank, especially in the bathrooms. Walls are paper thin and doors seem to have an extra loud slam feature. The property was very challenged to provide brand-standard worthy lounge offerings. We would have checked out immediately upon arrival had there been available rooms in the area during our dates.

djohannw

Bringing this back up...I look for a hotel north of Boston as a base for my annual shopping trip in January. Currently weighing my options, so far I always stayed at the Residence Inn across the street, but this year they are almost double of my rate at the Sheraton ($149 vs. $79) - I used to stay at the RI for under $100 in a 1BR. Other options would be staying closer to Boston, e.g. the Sheraton Colonial or a Springhill Suites in Andover since we will be driving around a lot anyhow - and I am Plat with both Marriott and Starwood, so different brands will not make a difference.

Based on the rate I got it seems that the hotel will be at very low occupancy during the time I will be there, but due to circumstances it would be important for me to get at least a Studio, preferably a real suite. Tried to use SNAs but was told that they cannot be applied at that hotel, so I wonder if all their suites are considered "non-standard" suites and as such are not available for upgrades at all...anybody has experience with that? The information in this thread seems to suggest that suite-upgrades at that property are really hard to get...

Thanks for your help on this!

Greetings - Dirk

jb3t

Personally, I'd call the hotel, ask for the FD manager, and tell him your situation. Maybe that will increase the chances of getting a suite. He may even pre-block you if they are at low occupancy. I've stayed here before and while the layout of the hotel is odd and the typical rooms are small, Portsmouth is great little city with lots of food options and trendy shopping within walking distance of the hotel. It's a throw-back to the 1700s. IMO, that trumps something like the side-of-highway Colonial hotel (which I also happen to like but Portsmouth is just a cool location). Plus you're close to the Maine Outlets and within striking distance to the tax free Merrimack Outlets.

milesmuncher

Wanted to offer an update on my last post: the newly-refurbished rooms are a big improvement ^

I'm checking out this morning, and was pleasantly surprised when I got to my room. Pics here: http://first2board.com/foodwineandmi...th-harborside/

IMO the biggest improvement was in the bathroom:


They've also changed their Plat Amenity policy: you get 500pts + a choice of local amenity (craft beer or hot cocoa). I wouldn't call Sam Seasonal a "craft beer" per se, but I do like it ^

FYI for upcoming bookings, the 3rd floor is fully re-done; 2nd and 4th are scheduled to be updated later this year

SanDiego1K

If you stayed as a couple, would you pay $50 extra to get the condo in order to have more space, despite its shortcomings, or would you save the money and go for a regular room?

travellingcari

just completed a one night stay here and that was hard to come by as the hotel was sold out for the weekend. Persistence paid off as did points as they were getting $379/night here. Not surprising given how full the town was, but this property, while better than expected, is not a nearly $400/night property.

It is, however, a hard to find one. Use the hotel's address and not what Google Maps throws up, otherwise you'll be driving in circles. Once we got there and parked (valet, $18, we just wanted to be done with driving. Self park is $15), we didn't touch the car until we left. They're one of an increasing number of properties where you can text for your car, and it was ready by the time we checked out. It's the perfect location for exploring downtown as you're a quick walk to Congress Street and Market Square.

Check in went smoothly and our room (303) was nice. No train noises to contend with and the bathroom was nice. Loved the makeup mirror. Staff was good and the restaurant served a good breakfast. It & Riverwatch Lounge had nice views of the bridges to Maine. The hotel was a little crowded and chaotic due to a wedding, but we weren't really bothered by them. Fitness center is small but in good order and pool looked to be good. Odd quirk that they don't have vending machines for drinks in the ice rooms on the 2nd or 3rd floors. There is, however, a small shop adjacent to the front desk with snacks.

PSA: The main (brick) building has only two elevators serving it and only one of which goes to the club level. If you're able bodied and not laden down with suitcases, take the steps.

I'd stay here or one of the other chains (Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott) right downtown if I came back to Portsmouth, but I wouldn't pay the peak rate.

H3A3H3

I don't know where to begin describing this place, other than to say that I've renamed the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel the "House of Horrors" and "Land of Misfit Toys."

The outside of the hotel is well maintained and attractive in appearance. The same is true of the lobby. All ends there. Go to the elevators, guest room corridors, and guest rooms, and it all falls apart. The renovated rooms look like they were renovated on a very frugal budget; the quality of the materials and furnishings are so poor, that they are already trashed. Maintenance is poor; I have never seen so much carpet permanently stained in one hotel in my life. The fourth floor, which has not yet been renovated, is in a state of ill repair; there are too many items to mention that are trashed.

One has to wonder how/why Starwood keeps the Sheraton brand name on this place? Is it solely a case of the hotel generating adequate revenue to pay Starwood's fees?

The highlight of this amateur operation was at the Club Lounge. The "Sky (penthouse) Lounge" of the "House of Horrors" is supposed to open at 6:00 PM for horderves and beverages. On this evening, there is no staff person or horderves or beverages to be found until the staff person arrives at 6:25 PM and announces "there are four banquets tonight, and I was at the bottom of the totem poll." Mind you, the food presentation should have been set prior to the scheduled opening of 6:00 PM, not at 6:30 PM.

For a company in the hospitality business, I'd call everything that we experienced, something far less than hospitality. Really, the place is the House of Horrors and the Land of Misfit Toys.

EdV

Having never stayed here, read this whole thread. Now have some hope and trepidation. Anyhow, called hotel to confirm as a Plat I'll get Club access: true. And also was told could only use my suite night awards to request "Junior Executive Suite" which seems consistent with what's been said here and I'm fine with as sounds like bigger ones are stuck in time warp.

Will update post stay with more info.

jb3t

I've stayed here many times and been to Portsmouth many times. The hotel is a little oddly shaped, rooms are a little small, but the service is good and all has always been perfectly fine for me. I think you'll be peasantry surprised. It's a unique property.

The best thing about the hotel is that it's in the great little town of Portsmouth, which is a throwback to colonial New England. Hopefully it's nice out, abandon that car, and go explore the quaint downtown, alleyways, and nooks and crannies. Tons of good food, history, and exploring.

If you're not from the area and have some time, take a ride down RT 1A south of Portsmouth into Rye and Hampton and see the awesome coast line and stately old homes. Take a spin around New Castle while there. If you like Lobster, Warrens just over the bridge in Kittery is a bit dumpy but a local favorite where they pull lobsters off the boat (there are more local places around that are not as touristy like Browns).

It's a cool town. I would not worry too much about the hotel and take the chance to get out and explore Portsmouth. You're a few min walk from downtown.