alanslegal

Introduction With 4,001 rooms spread over two 40 level towers - this is the World's Biggest Sheraton.One of the two tower buildings:- Check In If this hotel was at capacity and one had to check-in / check-out at the main registration lobby, I would expect something close to armageddon. With just over 4,000 rooms, you can just imagine why.Adjacent to the main check-in area, there is a separate check-in lounge area for SPG members so that could be quite useful for non-Platinum guests.However this is the main check-in area (around 9:30am) -Now thankfully we did not need to use the main lobby because as Platinum members we were able to check-in directly at the lounge located on Level 4. This is the first of two check-in desks at the Executive Lounge:- Room After spending the first night in Macao at the adjacent St Regis Macao we moved ourselves to the Sheraton Grand. We had been upgraded to a very elegant Metropolitan Suite at the St Regis so we were not looking forward to our move to the Sheraton, which in effect, is a downgrade. Boy, were we surprised, very surprised (well at least of the room we were upgraded to)!We had booked an entry level Deluxe Room (42sqm/452sqf) and, as Platinum members, were upgraded to an Deluxe Executive Suite (125sqm/1346sqf). The Suite was very impressive.Entry foyer looking at Living Room:- Living Room and Dining Room:-Separate Lounge/Entertainment Room:- Bedroom:- Bathroom:- Guest toilet:- Service Executive Lounge staff are good / helpful.No evening turndown service (but with 4,001 rooms, I can see why it doesn't happen or did we just miss out?) Dining We only ate at the Executive Lounge during evening happy hour and breakfast the next morning. This is definitely the biggest lounge that I have ever been in, and it did not feel tranquil, relaxing or inviting. It felt more like a huge dining buffet restaurant, and with hundreds of guests who could be eligible to use the lounge - it doesn't take long to realise how busy and loud this lounge gets.There are three separate zones; the lounge, bar, and dining room (these photos were taking at the start of happy hour):- Location Excellent, directly opposite the flamboyant Parisian Macao Hotel, and right in the heart of the Cotai Strip. Overall This Sheraton is huge and it feels that way, in every single way. With so many guests it can feel very impersonal and the guests, no matter what your elite status is, will feel like you are lost within the hundreds of guests.The Deluxe Executive Suite is huge (125sqm) as you can see from the photos, however the service levels below par for a 5 star hotel. For example, there was no turn down service for my room.Check in and check out via the Executive Lounge on Level 4 made the process less stressful, I can just imagine what happens at the main registration area during peak times (and the long waits too).Now, at around 1,000HKD++ per night, you might be able to get better value (if you have no/low SPG status) [at maybe the Parsian Macao across the road] however with Platinum status, scoring an upgrade appears very likely.Would I return (as a Platinum)? Yes, however if the adjacent St Regis Macao is not much more expensive (say up to 20-25% more), I would definitely head there first.