jlin011

Staying at this property now. No upgrade for gold, stuck on a low floor too (not even on an SPG floor, even though there's nothing special about that).

All the other posters are spot on, standard rooms are pretty roomy, $20 valet is annoying, attitude of staff is hit or miss. Worn elevator buttons were one of the first things I noticed too.

platbrownguy

I've never been one to fault a property for worn elevator buttons...

Points from my stay this weekend:
Great upgrade. Came to check in at 1pm. Told we could have an executive suite (standard) right then, or wait for a Premier suite. Opted to wait and got the key at 2pm.

Nice room. Decent (though low) bed, good pillows, very spacious with A/C that got the room very cold very quickly.

Great platinum recognition. Received a folder letter at check-in detailing platinum amenities, to include points and complimentary in-room breakfast for two (the check came out to $43.97 for this ^). This may not be standard, it may on account of the complaint I had last year, but either way, it was useful and appreciated for this mini-getaway. No problem with 4pm checkout.

Free parking not difficult. The $20 valet is still in effect and absurd. Two valets for dozens of cars, everyone was waiting around the front of the hotel for their cars which were all parked within 50 yards of the door! I can't imagine having to wait 10 minutes for my car that's right in front of me, let alone paying $20 for the privilege. Free parking behind the Roche Bobois on Alpha and Noel.

The rate was higher this time ($98) than last time ($66) but it was a Best Rate Guarantee so same difference.

pinniped

Did my first LM Galleria stay last night. Rate: $92. Definitely worth it.

Received a Premier Suite, room 520. Very nice room...the only oddity is that there was no traditional desk. There was a high bar area with a bar chair...I did some work there and it was okay, but not as comfortable as a desk.

I received the note explaining that the platinum amenity is both points and breakfast. I didn't have time for breakfast but I appreciated the gesture and will be booking a couple of future stays there when I hope to be able to eat.

Bar is open with food service until midnight - that's a nice touch that so many hotels these days don't have. I checked in at close to 11PM and still was able to grab dinner in the hotel.

The valet thing is stupid - I just parked over at the Galleria. We're actually in one of those office buildings so I have a keycard to the parking garage, but I've only once actually seen the gate to the garage in use. (Perhaps due to special events in the mall during Christmas season...I don't exactly recall.) Anybody can park there pretty much any other time.

Tonight I'm at the Sheraton a few blocks away...hopping along for my free resort nights. Rate here is $65 but the LM is without question a better hotel.

The Westin inside the mall is always expensive when I look - sometimes 2x the Sheraton or more. I'm not really sure why that's the case outside of the holiday season. Oh well...I can't imagine it's too different from any other Westin in the world...

PIT_Flyer

I've stayed at this property on and off for the past three months. My top choice is the Westin Galleria, but whenever my company rate isn't available at the Westin, I hope on over to the Meridien. It's only a Texas block away.

All reviews posted here are spot on, but miss two important (for me) aspects:

1. Noise from the bar: The hotel is basically a big rectangle. There is a bar/restaurant at the ground level, and noise from this bar will permeate to the rooms near the bar (and I use near very loosely as I've been on the 9th floor and still had a lot of noise from the bar). For light/early sleepers, this is a definite problem.

2. No "fan mode" in air-conditioning: I need moving air and ambient noise to sleep, and I always flip the air-conditioner to "fan" mode. Well, there is no fan more at any room in this property, so be prepared for the AC to kick in and off through the night. Again, for people who want either moving air or ambient noise, this is a problem.

Off late, if the Westin Galleria isn't available, I end up staying at the Westin Market Center a couple of miles away so that I don't have to deal with the above mentioned issues...Good property, and is almost always cheaper than the Meridien (our corporate rate, at least)

pinniped

When I walked into the hotel for the first time, I noticed what appear to be inward-facing rooms above the bar area. (That is, rooms where the only window looks into the atrium area.) But...after a beer or two...I noticed something else: every single curtain was drawn.

So that made me wonder: are those really rooms? Were you in one of these when the noise was bothersome? I was there on a Friday night, so it's entirely possible that they simply didn't need any of these rooms that night.

platbrownguy

Presumably you mean the Sheraton Suites Market Center.

I have never received an inside-facing room; the premier suite I received was in the corner (906) so I did not notice any noise whatsoever.

This property is much "quieter" IMO than the Sheraton Dallas North across the tollway - the combination of $65 rates and lots of random conferences (last weekend it was the International Psychic Fair and the Performing Arts something-or-other at the same time) makes for a strange crowd, often noisy until late.

The LM has a very nice ambience IMO, and is more calming than exasperating.

pinniped

Holy cow, major +1 to that!! The Sheraton Dallas North has a rather odd feel to it...sometimes I walk in there and I get an odd Eastern bloc feeling. Other times I walk in and it feels like an airport hotel during massive irrops. Others, it has the feel of one of those off-brand hotels west of Times Square (I recall a Ramada Inn from years past.) Still others, like this past Friday, it feels like a mix of Youth Hostel and Holiday Inn.

Very rarely does it have a normal Starwood feel. And it *really* doesn't feel Texan (at least not to me, a non-Texan).

Mind you, I'm still booking those $65 nights and to their credit, I'm getting room 1525 a lot (the junior suite closest to the lounge). The odd decor/architecture/lighting of this hotel adds to the unusual feel as much as the clientele. But recently, the clientele has been even more eclectic than usual.

PIT_Flyer

AFAIK, the door of all rooms faces inwards (into the rectangle, towards the bar/atrium). I'm a light sleeper and the noise was bothersome enough that I had to call the front desk and complain about the noise (also because I was annoyed that the ACs didn't have a "fan" mode).

PIT_Flyer

Nope, it's the Westin Park Central (apologies!) off Merit Drive.

I agree, the Sheraton Dallas North can be hit or miss (mostly miss), so I've been rather successful in avoiding it and staying at either Westin Park Central or (mostly) the Westin Galleria. Should probably drive down to check out the eclectic flavor of the week.

pinniped

If you have to stay there again, maybe bust 'em a note ahead of time requesting an outward-facing room. For a Gold it seems like they should be able to accommodate that request. No noise problem over in room 520... I would think anything along that side of the building would be quiet. It faces Noel Road and an office building...not much going on there at night.

platbrownguy

Checked in, warmly welcomed by the staff, received the same welcome letter with comp room service or restaurant breakfast for 2.

Was then told that we were upgraded to best suite in the hotel. It is **25, larger than the premier suite in 906 with a living area about twice the size and none of the dead hallway space. However, to go along with some of the other mystery in this thread, it does face the inner courtyard and not outside, so the inner-facing rooms are not merely overflow. That said, we cannot hear any noise from the bar area, so it must have been especially loud when Pit_Flyer was staying.

Kind of strange minimalist decor (i.e. nothing really on the walls at all), but the lighting makes for nice ambience.

pinniped

I'm now 2 for 2 on Premier Suites. Got 806 last time... Moved a couple more future stays to this hotel at a $76 prepaid rate. ^

platbrownguy, do you recall what they call the x25 rooms? Is it another category above Premier Suite or just a bigger configuration of the same category? If it's the same category I might ask for one next time. Not that it matters much but I'd feel a bit guilty asking for another category above Premier since those rooms are excellent to begin with.

platbrownguy

Nice job on the $76. SPG.com or elsewhere?

As far as mattress running, this property is much more pleasant if one is actually staying the night, and the breakfast is an added bonus.

Although, the buffet in "Palette" downstairs was interesting. The made-to-order omelets were fantastic, with fresh goat cheese, etc. Unfortunately, the made-to-order pancakes and waffles might have been the worst we'd ever had. And the only juices available are of the Minute Maid sort.

pinniped, I logged in on SPG.com after checking in, and my reservation said, "Premier Suite Non-smoking , Spacious With Sitting Area , Lifestyle Suite Non-smoking , Inner View , 42in Plasma And 32in Lcd Tvs" - the only thing that would seem to set this apart from the **06 suites is the Inner View, so maybe ask for that?

pinniped

It was SPG.com. It was listed as a "30% off" prepaid rate. (Best regular rate being $109...) I locked in all of my confirmed stays at that rate. Now it's back up to $98 prepaid (10% off of the same $109), which is higher than the AAA rate of $93. I don't know if the 30% thing was is a regular or semi-common offer.

And that makes sense on the room classification. Just looking online, the highest room rate I can book is Premier Suite.

platbrownguy

It might have been Starpicks. Just looked and there is currently a Starpicks rate of $79 for next two weekends.