Sheraton vs Hyatt - Mendoza
 

Planning on coming to Argentina in two weeks and will spend a few days in Mendoza. Trying to choose between the Sheraton and Hyatt. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

The Sheraton was not completed yet when I was in Mendoza, but I would say that strictly on the basis of an ideal location, I'd pick the Hyatt. I didn't stay there either, though - I stayed in a good place for 1/3th the price that was 100 meters around the corner from the Hyatt called the Argentino. Somewhat small rooms, but a perfectly nice 3.5* hotel with a very helpful and friendly staff. And conveniently, it's next door to the Hertz office in downtown Mendoza, if you want to rent a car for wine touring.

http://www.argentino-hotel.com/site.html

Ive stayed at both various times and its kind of a coin toss... on paper, the Hyatt should be superior since its a Park Hyatt but in practice its a different story. Im afraid that service at the Hyatt is variable, kind of a hit or miss thing... and the Sheraton had gotten off to an excellent start but as of late Ive had less than stellar experiences.

I would choose by comparing rates or where you can use points.... and in terms of location, you will have to travel quite a bit by car if you want to visit bodegas so in my book, location per-se is of less value in making a choice.

Thanks for the replies so far. I guess I should be a bit more specific. I am looking at these two hotels because I have top status at both and at either one I stay, Sheraton or Hyatt, would be free due to points/promotion. Just trying to get a feel of which is a nicer hotel to stay at.

I definitely want to visit the wineries at least one day but I don't want to drive. I'm either thinking of doing a bus tour or perhaps renting a taxi for the day depending on cost.

Any additional advice or opinions would be appreciated! Thanks!!

Top status or not, I reiterate what Gaucho said. I stayed at the Hyatt when I was in town; the Sheraton was under construction. I prefer the location of the Hyatt as it is at the heart of the city facing an open square. But service was so-so for this diamond. Their desired clientele are the big gamblers in their casino.

Here are a couple threads that will give you additional info:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...argentina.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt...er-thread.html

Yes, you are correct, driving in Mendoza is not an option... when I wrote drive above I mean you sitting in a car and being driven... ;)

That is my take too. I think that the international chain hotels with hotel casinos in South America generally seem to be more oriented toward the big gambling visitors than the hotel top-tier status customers who are there for reasons besides gambling.

The Park Hyatt is a far superior hotel in my opinion. The Sheraton was built as a convention and group travel hotel and is much larger. The Park Hyatt is more intimate and (in my three nights there) has an excellent staff. Here's a detailed review of it: Park Hyatt Mendoza.

As others have said, the location is far superior as well, especially if you like to stroll around a new city. And it's close to a park that's bigger than Central Park in NYC. You can walk to lots of other restaurants nearby.

Book a wine tour with a company there like Grapevine. Many of the wineries are by appointment only.

We stayed at the Sheraton during a stay in late-September, and it was AWESOME.

On an unrelated note, there was some kind of modeling show/convention/party at the hotel, so the place was full of beautiful women.

But seriously, it was a good stay and walking distance to the downtown area and the main plaza. It definitely was not an intimate experience, but we enjoyed the huge bar (and the casino.) And the concierge helped us with all of our winery and horseback riding needs.