I am a new Starwood member and decided to try the Sheraton Auckland property whilst on a recent trip to New Zealand.

These are my first impressions. I make these comments without any prior knowledge of what to expect with Starwood hotels, except to note that they won a whole load of Freddie awards recently. This was partly why I signed up as a SPG member.

The booking I made on the Internet was very easy to transact, and the rate of NZ$120 for a superior room was reasonable. An executive room was available for an extra $20. I considered upgrading but decided against it because I couldn't see the difference between the executive and the superior rooms. (The photos and explanations on the web site didn't help to clarify.)

I rented a car in Auckland and drove to the hotel. Parking at the front door is very tight. (Does the taxi rank need to take up half the available parking?) Trying to unload my baggage was an effort and the concierge was of no help. I decided to use the valet service to park the car ($15) instead of parking it myself ($5).

Check-in was uneventful, and I was assigned a room on the fifth floor. Unlike Hyatt, the check-in staff do not ring to see if you are happy with the room. The room was pleasant enough, however some minor maintenance issues were annoying.

The swing door on the TV cabinet would not stay open and kept swinging into the room which obstructed my passage. I had to jam a piece of cardboard under the door to keep it open.

Before dinner I decided to swim a few laps of the pool only to find the pool roped off and half empty of water. I guess it was due to maintenance. There was no signage and the fitness staff were absent. I returned to my room.

The king bed was very comfortable and I slept well.

After a great shower (really liked the rose), I reached for a bath towel on the towel rack. As I did, the rack came off the wall. This gave me a real fright as I tried catching it whilst standing in a wet bath.

Check-out was an almost silent affair on the part of the receptionist apart from the usual mini-bar question. I reported the towel rack and TV cabinet problems and then waited about 15 minutes for valet to retrieve my car. I think it was the Duty Manager who retrieved my car. Perhaps the valet had called in sick.

All in all the whole experience was rather plain. As an introduction to the Starwood group, perhaps the Sheraton Auckland was not the best choice of hotel.

I am taking my family to Thailand next month. Prior to the AKL stay I booked three rooms at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok and three rooms at the Westin in Chiang Mai. If my experience is the same at these hotels as the Sheraton AKL I'll have to reconsider my hotel supplier.

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Latitudes.

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)