Upgrades and Platinum perks:
I was upgraded to an SPG / Club Level floor (27th) in the tower with what seemed to be an ordinary room. At check-in for my 1-night stay on Friday night, the clerk wrote on my key holder below my own room number, "Club Lounge Rm 2893." However, when I asked about breakfast hours in the lounge, he said that the Club Lounge doesn't have breakfast or evening hors d'oeuvres on the weekends. (I don't remember if he said it was "closed," and I guess you could argue that it's open as a place to just hang out, if you want.) I asked if breakfast was offered in the restaurant for Platinum guests since the lounge was closed, and he said that I could have breakfast in Joseph's Restaurant off the lobby and just give them my room number since I'm on the Club Level.

But upon arrival at Joseph's the next morning, I was told that they do not offer free breakfast when the Club Lounge is closed. I stayed anyway and charged it to my room. It was a decent breakfast and certainly better than what I'd normally get in a Club Lounge, but an attraction of a lounge for me is the ability to get something quickly. I know that the hotels don't have to give free breakfast when the Lounge is closed, but I shouldn't have been told that they would do so.

Upon my asking about an upgrade during check-in shortly after midnight, I was told that I was already upgraded. I didn't specifically ask for suite availability and honestly didn't care at the time since I wanted little more than a place to sleep peacefully. I didn't get a suite, but I suspect that suites were probably available since the hotel claims 80 suites and it wasn't anywhere close to full. In hindsight, I wish that I'd pressed for a better room because 1) the room that we got had very little ability to even muffle the conversations through the connecting door when the neighbors woke and 2) if the bathroom and shower in the Club Lounge is any indication of what they are like in the suites, then the suites have larger and better decorated bathrooms.

Pros:

• The room was a decent size. Current Sheraton styling. Clean and in good condition.
• LCD TV
• Comfortable bed
• Two free bottles of water (Club Level)
• Free wireless HSIA! (Wired port was there, too.)
• Convenient, free parking. (As long as it's not full with convention folks, I guess.)
• Coffee maker in room
• Club Lounge (but Mon-Fri only)
• HBO
• Attractive indoor/outdoor pool

Cons:
A small bathroom with dated wallpaper, bad fluorescent lighting, and a light greenish shower curtain -- not a mix to make your skin look good in the mirror. Was this overlooked in the renovations in 2000?

No bath gel provided. (I'm sure I could've gotten some if I asked for it, but I shouldn't have to. This seems to be a common problem at many Starwoods. If there were some consistency here, I wouldn't feel so compelled to bring my own.)

Noise through door connecting to adjacent room. (It sounded as if the neighbor was talking to us with the door wide open. The check-out clerk wisely recommended that next time I should request a room without a connecting room. I got the impression that this is a somewhat common complaint.)

Large convention hotel, so it could result in big crowds on some dates.

Exterior styling. It just looks like an old hotel stuck in a mall parking lot.

Interesting facts:
This hotel is owned by the same company that owns the nearby Grandover hotel. Golf enthusiasts might be interested in the ability to book a round of golf at the Grandover -- currently advertising any day and any time for $50 including cart and GPS. I wish that Starwood could bring the Grandover into SPG as a Westin or more upscale Sheraton.

The indoor/outdoor pool looked nice, but you have to go through the lobby to get to it.

When the Club Lounge is open, alcoholic drinks are available at extra cost. From the price list in the lounge:

• Liquor drinks $5.75 - $8.00
• Beer $3.25 - $4.00
• Clos du Bois wines $7.00
• Beringer White Zin $4.75
• My comment: Additional wines might be available. The restaurant has a decent selection of other wines by the glass in this price range, and they have about 60 beers from 20 countries.

There are two buildings for this hotel. The shorter building looks like a traditional 1970's Sheraton hotel and has the Sheraton name on the top. The taller tower has the Koury Convention Center name on it without the Sheraton name or logo. I stayed in the tower, and I wonder how the rooms in the shorter building compare.

Hotel opened in 1970. Renovated in 2000. Huge convention capacity. Located directly at Four Seasons mall. 990 rooms. 80 suites.

Summary:
Though the hotel has generally nice public areas and my room was clean, my bathroom could use some some updating and the doors between connecting rooms should be replaced with ones that have some noise insulation. The upgrade procedures for Plats appears to need some work. Free wi-fi is a very nice inclusion that is unfortunately unusual for most Sheratons.

But compared to rates at several other Sheratons in NC on the same night, this one cost me about 40% more but gave me less for my money. I was here specifically because I wanted to stay in Greensboro at a Starwood property. If in Greensboro again, I'd probably first check for other options for a better value or try to confirm suite upgrade availability prior to arrival. For a more luxurious stay and resort atmosphere, I'd consider the non-Starwood Grandover for a few dollars more.

Official Starwood photos:
Hotel buildings (Club Lounge is on the 28th floor of the tower)

Club Lounge


Unofficial photos:
Floor map from room 2796 (marked by red dot):


Bathroom room 2796:


Bathroom in Club Lounge: