I'm afraid I've shared Markie's experience -- suite upgrades at the Skyline are hard to come by. My Platinum status is always recognised, though, and the amenity is waiting in my room before I arrive.

Here are some thoughts about this hotel from a recent trip report of mine:

Having read a number of reports on Flyertalk about this hotel, my expectations were high. It's the constant triumph of hope over experience, I fear - despite good reports from many others about this hotel, our experience was disappointing.

I was greeted by a trainee CSR at the front desk. Friendly as she was, her grasp of English was tenuous as best and she seemed unaware of the SPG program and benefits. My enquiry about a suite was treated as self-indulgent and spoiled; never mind the fact that, on a space-available basis, it's a benefit of the SPG program.

Despite a phone call to the Platinum concierge and a fax to the manager, the only suite upgrade that was available was to a twin-bedded room. Not quite the romantic encounter I had hoped to surprise my wife with.

Pet peeves and praises:

Answer the telephone!
Trying to phone down for an iron (see 'ironing boards and irons' below) was next to impossible. After 30+ rings to the guest services number, I tried reception, housekeeping, even room service. Not a good start to my Starwood experience, as I had to walk down to the desk to ask for an iron. Mind you, we're not talking about 3am here - it was 9pm, hardly 'late' by airport hotel standards.

Standardised platinum amenity:
After all the fuss earlier this year about standardising the Platinum amenity across the Starwood brands, I was surprised to discover that there was no choice of amenity at the Sheraton Skyline. I really would have liked the points instead of a bottle of wine.

Ironing boards & irons:
Please provide an iron and ironing board in every room. Unless you're going to provide a butler, I imagine most business travellers would welcome this addition to the room.

Trouser presses:
One of mankind's great inventions, and a welcome delight in most high-end British hotels. Kudos to the Sheraton Skyline for providing them - why can't top-end hotels around the world provide this service? Does the introduction of casual Friday in the US mean that the trouser press has no future there?



[This message has been edited by MatthewClement (edited 08-15-2002).]