I've stayed at this hotel once or twice a year since 2006. This hotel certainly has its challenges. But its not nearly as bad as the OP makes it out to be.

1. The front desk staff is always pleasant. I have yet to hear an unpleasant or curt word in the past seven years. The problem is that the front desk staff seems less trained than in other hotels and completely unempowered to do anything without getting a manager.

2. They are the stingiest hotel in creation when it comes to giving upgrades. And once they lied about upgrades. One day when the hotel parking lot was nearly empty the front desk clerk tried to convince me that they were out of suites. I curtly told him that I wasn't stupid, could see the empty parking lot, and knew that they didn't have any groups.

3. The hotel has two towers. The old tower looks like a motel 6. Perhaps the OP was placed in one of those. Generally, SPG members are placed in the newer tower. Once they tried to place me in the old tower and I politely declined. They quickly changed and placed me in the new tower.

But its the only Starwood in the entire city. There are maybe 5 full service chain hotels in the entire city so its often the least of the various evils.