The Sheraton Penang is a mid-level hotel that would compare favourably to many suburban type Westin (Waltham, for example) or Sheraton (Cerritos, for example) properties. If you have elite status (Gold or Platinum) you will be put up on the Executive Floor and have access to the Loounge. If you're a Platinum, you'll be upgraded to a lovely suite. In the evening, Nadia will serve you drinks (incl. alcohol) and offer you some hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, while Ernest will cook up some of his famous made to order eggs for breakfast. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk (via Burma Ave.) from the central Komtar Centre, and close to Chinatown...oops, what am I saying...all of Georgetown is Chinatown! The Sheraton has a fairly good fitness centre, but the pool area is small and most often in the shade. There's a nice Korean restaurant on the second floor as well as a themed buffet restaurant off the lobby. Left of the hotel's main entrance and past Burma Ave by about a block or so is an outdoor hawker food centre that comes alive during the evenings. Cheap and plentiful food selections are consumed in great quantities by locals...a testiment to its quality and thrift. There is also an overhead walkway connecting the hotel to a small shopping mall comprised mainly of a supermarket and apothacary.

Are there better hotels? In a word, yes, but at a price. There's the Shangri-la near the Komtar Centre (a little too noisy an area for my tastes) and the venerable E & O waterside on Farquhar St (think of Raffles in SIN). However, on a cost/quality ratio the Sheraton is a clear winner. Friendly and accomodating staff, loyalty recognition and a good location in a quiet yet central area make this my hotel of choice in Georgetown.