Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel [Master Thread]
Jul 31, 2011, 3:51 pm
#16
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Club Awesome
Posts: 112
Dec 5, 2011, 6:47 pm
#17
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 110
Stayed here in May (my wedding night actually) and it was awful. Room wasn't ready and my bride and I were sitting in the lobby in our wedding clothes for 20+ minutes while other customers were embarrassed for us. They had to "check" to see if I room was available even though I booked the room weeks in advance.
I tried to contact the manager afterwards to let him know what happened but he never replied. Stay away.
I tried to contact the manager afterwards to let him know what happened but he never replied. Stay away.
Dec 5, 2011, 9:39 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: MR LT Titanium, SPG LT Plat & Plat 100, SWA A+ & CP
Posts: 1,093
I've stayed here a number of times. No issues. Decent place. You have to pay for parking in a garage that's across the parking lot.
As for rooms, I am a plat and have been upgraded to their cabana rooms, which are nice two room suites right on the pool. Very nice. The club floor is decent too. I have no issue staying here.
Other area SPG hotels are..
1. VB Westin - Nice. No club lounge. Good rooms. Unlike mentioned previously, I've never paid for parking. In "downtown" Virginia Beach... not on the beach. About 15 from Norfolk.
2. Chesapeake Aloft - Its an Aloft in a commercial area. New and updated. Cheap. Close to Norfolk.
3. Sheraton Virginia Beach - Right on the beach. Awesome beach location. Hotel is tired and rooms are tired but location, location, location. If a bit of a hike to Norfolk. Even though they are next door to eachother, it's a 30 min drive.
As for rooms, I am a plat and have been upgraded to their cabana rooms, which are nice two room suites right on the pool. Very nice. The club floor is decent too. I have no issue staying here.
Other area SPG hotels are..
1. VB Westin - Nice. No club lounge. Good rooms. Unlike mentioned previously, I've never paid for parking. In "downtown" Virginia Beach... not on the beach. About 15 from Norfolk.
2. Chesapeake Aloft - Its an Aloft in a commercial area. New and updated. Cheap. Close to Norfolk.
3. Sheraton Virginia Beach - Right on the beach. Awesome beach location. Hotel is tired and rooms are tired but location, location, location. If a bit of a hike to Norfolk. Even though they are next door to eachother, it's a 30 min drive.
Jul 12, 2013, 6:55 am
#19
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
Recent stay and everything was fine...upgrade to club level corner King...FD staff was great, room in good condition, lots of families. The walking distance area is boring and the food choices are limited if you dont want to get in a car. Boardwalk are is nice to walk during good weather.
I filled out a survey and pointed out the club options have dwindled from eggs, sausage, bagels, etc, to porridge and bagels - wasnt expecting a response - but here it is.
"On behalf of the entire staff of the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, I would like to thank you for taking time to participate in our survey. You are correct in what we used to offer in our Club Lounge. We have been asked to bring our offerings in our lounge to Starwood standards. By offering more than what is expected, we were involuntarily causing harm and poor scores to other Starwood properties that were in compliance. A full continental with hot oatmeal are our morning offering while we offer light snacks and beverages in the evenings.
I apologize to your for any inconvenience this may have caused you and if there is anything I can do for you in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly."
-singtx
I filled out a survey and pointed out the club options have dwindled from eggs, sausage, bagels, etc, to porridge and bagels - wasnt expecting a response - but here it is.
"On behalf of the entire staff of the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, I would like to thank you for taking time to participate in our survey. You are correct in what we used to offer in our Club Lounge. We have been asked to bring our offerings in our lounge to Starwood standards. By offering more than what is expected, we were involuntarily causing harm and poor scores to other Starwood properties that were in compliance. A full continental with hot oatmeal are our morning offering while we offer light snacks and beverages in the evenings.
I apologize to your for any inconvenience this may have caused you and if there is anything I can do for you in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly."
-singtx
Last edited by singtx; Jul 12, 2013 at 7:02 am
Aug 31, 2013, 8:22 am
#20
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: MR LT Titanium, SPG LT Plat & Plat 100, SWA A+ & CP
Posts: 1,093
Stayed here again this week. Im a Plat... Here are some notes:
- Check In... Was fine. I did have a slight problem when I got to my room and it was quickly and professionally resolved at the front desk.
- Room... Club Level king. Was comfortable, clean, and roomy enough. No issues at all.
- Club Lounge... Typical fare for morning and evening. I concur with the above post. It used to be better but it is by no means skimpy. Just the standard fruit, cereal, bagels, oatmeal, etc. they do have the high-end coffee/cocoa maker which I liked.
- Parking... Still have to pay in the garage next door for $12. You probably could park on-street for free. However, I typically find this hotel less expensive that the VB SPG hotels. So, even with the parking, the rate may still be cheaper.
- Area... You're right downtown. There's a mall next door with a few restaurants in it. I have not explored too much but even though its downtown, in a good location, there does not seem to be much to do in direct walking distance.
- Customer Service... Excellent. Above the norm for me. Front desk was great. The morning lounge attendant was very friendly and attentive.
Overall it was a good stay. I'd stay here again for business when I'm on Norfolk.
- Check In... Was fine. I did have a slight problem when I got to my room and it was quickly and professionally resolved at the front desk.
- Room... Club Level king. Was comfortable, clean, and roomy enough. No issues at all.
- Club Lounge... Typical fare for morning and evening. I concur with the above post. It used to be better but it is by no means skimpy. Just the standard fruit, cereal, bagels, oatmeal, etc. they do have the high-end coffee/cocoa maker which I liked.
- Parking... Still have to pay in the garage next door for $12. You probably could park on-street for free. However, I typically find this hotel less expensive that the VB SPG hotels. So, even with the parking, the rate may still be cheaper.
- Area... You're right downtown. There's a mall next door with a few restaurants in it. I have not explored too much but even though its downtown, in a good location, there does not seem to be much to do in direct walking distance.
- Customer Service... Excellent. Above the norm for me. Front desk was great. The morning lounge attendant was very friendly and attentive.
Overall it was a good stay. I'd stay here again for business when I'm on Norfolk.
Oct 14, 2016, 9:42 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington DC
Programs: BA GLD, AA GLD 1MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,700
I completed a two-night stay here last weekend following two nights at the Sheraton Virginia Beach.
I initially booked a one-night stay for 3,000 points and applied a SNA which cleared 5 days in advance. Upon arrival, I was informed I was the "Guest of the Day" and received free valet parking, free breakfast in the restaurant (instead of the lounge), and 500 bonus starpoints. Since we arrived just after Hurricane Matthew reached Norfolk, I gladly accepted the valet parking to avoid the pouring rain. Our room was a proper one-bedroom suite with a small balcony looking back toward Portsmouth. The living room had a couch, chair, fridge, and four-top dining table. The room was superior to the suite we had just left at the Sheraton Virginia Beach and in general the hotel exceeded my expectations based on my memory of what the hotel was like when I last stayed here in 2014.
The club lounge was staffed by a very friendly fellow and the evening offerings were typical - fruit and cheese plus a "lamb cigar" - basically lamb in pastry. Due to the torrential rain from the hurricane, we had two sandwiches from the bar for dinner - pretty average but reasonably priced for a hotel. The bar does have pretty good specials during football games with $4.50 drafts, including local beers, and a few $5-6 appetizers.
Breakfast in the restaurant was fairly typical, very nice views out over the water and the staff were very friendly and especially so to our one-year old. We checked out the lounge but it didn't have any hot food and so we were glad to have the breakfast coupons. If it weren't for that, we probably would have gone out.
After our first night here we intended to return to Virginia Beach, but both SPG properties on the oceanfront were impacted by flooding and so we ended up staying a 2nd night here, unplanned. The staff worked with us to ensure we could keep our suite which was appreciated.
The staff at the hotel all seemed to try their best to make sure we had a pleasant stay - everyone was friendly, the valet service was very quick, and I had the impression all the staff wanted to do their best to leave a good impression. My "guest of the day" letter indicated that the hotel would be undergoing renovations in 2016 though I wasn't sure if they had started yet.
If visiting for the beach, the Sheraton VAB is clearly the better location but Norfolk does have a couple of sights to see on its own. I would return in the future, especially if I had an SNA to burn.
I initially booked a one-night stay for 3,000 points and applied a SNA which cleared 5 days in advance. Upon arrival, I was informed I was the "Guest of the Day" and received free valet parking, free breakfast in the restaurant (instead of the lounge), and 500 bonus starpoints. Since we arrived just after Hurricane Matthew reached Norfolk, I gladly accepted the valet parking to avoid the pouring rain. Our room was a proper one-bedroom suite with a small balcony looking back toward Portsmouth. The living room had a couch, chair, fridge, and four-top dining table. The room was superior to the suite we had just left at the Sheraton Virginia Beach and in general the hotel exceeded my expectations based on my memory of what the hotel was like when I last stayed here in 2014.
The club lounge was staffed by a very friendly fellow and the evening offerings were typical - fruit and cheese plus a "lamb cigar" - basically lamb in pastry. Due to the torrential rain from the hurricane, we had two sandwiches from the bar for dinner - pretty average but reasonably priced for a hotel. The bar does have pretty good specials during football games with $4.50 drafts, including local beers, and a few $5-6 appetizers.
Breakfast in the restaurant was fairly typical, very nice views out over the water and the staff were very friendly and especially so to our one-year old. We checked out the lounge but it didn't have any hot food and so we were glad to have the breakfast coupons. If it weren't for that, we probably would have gone out.
After our first night here we intended to return to Virginia Beach, but both SPG properties on the oceanfront were impacted by flooding and so we ended up staying a 2nd night here, unplanned. The staff worked with us to ensure we could keep our suite which was appreciated.
The staff at the hotel all seemed to try their best to make sure we had a pleasant stay - everyone was friendly, the valet service was very quick, and I had the impression all the staff wanted to do their best to leave a good impression. My "guest of the day" letter indicated that the hotel would be undergoing renovations in 2016 though I wasn't sure if they had started yet.
If visiting for the beach, the Sheraton VAB is clearly the better location but Norfolk does have a couple of sights to see on its own. I would return in the future, especially if I had an SNA to burn.
May 12, 2018, 9:14 pm
#22
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,928
Just finished a 3-night stay here. Booked regular room on points, upgraded to Club Level water view (nothing better was available on a test booking). When we returned to the hotel early evening on Thurs, I asked the front desk whether our neighbors next door were staying another night, because they had been loudly, um, enjoying each others' company (coincidentally enough the other time this has occurred was at a different Sheraton). I mean, happy for them and all, but sometimes you'd like to sleep. (It wasn't *too* bad, they stopped some time after midnight). Switched to the 8th floor, still water view. (It seemed like there were deluxe harbor view rooms available for the remainder of the stay that they could have moved us to also, but I didn't ask)
A sign in the lobby mentions ongoing renovations:
which will be welcome -- IMO the property is still serviceable but could use a lift. Mattresses seemed very soft/tired in both rooms, worn carpet with at least one torn spot.
I'd return though esp. if the price in points stays the same. Location was nice, easy walk to the Waterside District building with restaurants next door and the Nauticus/USS Wisconsin museum a bit further down.
The design of the shared driveway is a bit weird. Per posts above, self-parking is at the Dominion Tower adjacent, but if you obey the lane markings, you can go from the hotel carport/entrance to the parking garage, but on exiting the parking garage you cannot return to the hotel without exiting and doing an immediate U-turn (those who care less could probably ignore the lines and just cut across). Oddly, though room charges have posted to my CC, the parking charges haven't yet -- wonder if just delayed, overlooked, or comped for Plats.
Club Lounge could probably seat 25-30 people at capacity. It was fairly deserted the first two days and busier Fri/Sat as could probably be expected. Continental breakfast including a scrambled egg dish which looked the same all 3 days we tried it, and contained sausage, mushrooms, spinach, possibly onions, bacon bits etc. and was not labeled in any way. Heard two guests asking if any alternative was available and they were able to order just plain scrambled eggs from the attendant. Starbucks coffee machine was marked out of order the first day and instead they had one of those large containers of it. It seemed to be working, very slowly, on days 2-4. There's also an espresso machine next to it, though I overheard some problem with the milk connection for lattes etc. So still some kinks being worked out in both cases it seems.
Had evening hors d'oeuvres twice, included a "hot" appetizer (which had no heating fuel under it the first evening until I mentioned it) that was mini chicken burritos one night and chicken cordon bleu mini-bites the second night (with heating canister in place). Bottled drinks/bowl of fruit were available after hours.
Seems at least one airline has a contract here because there were crew checking in each evening (I think WN, didn't look closely)
A sign in the lobby mentions ongoing renovations:
which will be welcome -- IMO the property is still serviceable but could use a lift. Mattresses seemed very soft/tired in both rooms, worn carpet with at least one torn spot.
I'd return though esp. if the price in points stays the same. Location was nice, easy walk to the Waterside District building with restaurants next door and the Nauticus/USS Wisconsin museum a bit further down.
The design of the shared driveway is a bit weird. Per posts above, self-parking is at the Dominion Tower adjacent, but if you obey the lane markings, you can go from the hotel carport/entrance to the parking garage, but on exiting the parking garage you cannot return to the hotel without exiting and doing an immediate U-turn (those who care less could probably ignore the lines and just cut across). Oddly, though room charges have posted to my CC, the parking charges haven't yet -- wonder if just delayed, overlooked, or comped for Plats.
Club Lounge could probably seat 25-30 people at capacity. It was fairly deserted the first two days and busier Fri/Sat as could probably be expected. Continental breakfast including a scrambled egg dish which looked the same all 3 days we tried it, and contained sausage, mushrooms, spinach, possibly onions, bacon bits etc. and was not labeled in any way. Heard two guests asking if any alternative was available and they were able to order just plain scrambled eggs from the attendant. Starbucks coffee machine was marked out of order the first day and instead they had one of those large containers of it. It seemed to be working, very slowly, on days 2-4. There's also an espresso machine next to it, though I overheard some problem with the milk connection for lattes etc. So still some kinks being worked out in both cases it seems.
Had evening hors d'oeuvres twice, included a "hot" appetizer (which had no heating fuel under it the first evening until I mentioned it) that was mini chicken burritos one night and chicken cordon bleu mini-bites the second night (with heating canister in place). Bottled drinks/bowl of fruit were available after hours.
Seems at least one airline has a contract here because there were crew checking in each evening (I think WN, didn't look closely)
Nov 30, 2019, 6:26 am
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 71
Stayed here for a week for work. Good Uncle Sam rate. Housekeeping is outsourced as the maids wore shirts with the name of a contractor company, not the hotel. Maybe they were just temp workers. Who knows because I think the managers or supervisors were Sheraton employees but the people cleaning the room were different every day. Housekeeping was weakest part of the stay. Room needed a good deep clean. Body hair in bath tub and on bedding. Mattress sagged in the middle. Toilet seat was a different color (more of a yellow) than the white toilet. Sink basin and shower/tub needed new sealing or grouting. No nightstands just two small glass tables. Rooms need a thorough renovation beyond lipstick on a pig. Gym was nice, maybe the best feature of the hotel except for the outdoor pool that looked like it would be nice in the summer. No bellman or doorman just valet parking attendants that didn't seem interested in helping guests with luggage. Club Lounge was horrible. Only good for grabbing soft drinks and going. Food was inedible at night. Thankfully, elites could have breakfast in the restaurant if they wanted.
BTW, this property is managed by Atrium Hospitality, which owns but doesn't manage the Marriott Waikiki Beach (managed by Marriott). If you look at their portfolio you see they own or manage a lot of nondescript, completely unmemorable Marriotts and Sheratons. https://atriumhospitality.com/our-hotels/
BTW, this property is managed by Atrium Hospitality, which owns but doesn't manage the Marriott Waikiki Beach (managed by Marriott). If you look at their portfolio you see they own or manage a lot of nondescript, completely unmemorable Marriotts and Sheratons. https://atriumhospitality.com/our-hotels/
Aug 15, 2020, 6:39 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington DC
Programs: BA GLD, AA GLD 1MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,700
Just completing a two-night stay here. Last time I stayed here was 2016 (See upthread). We booked this hotel for two reasons this time:
1. Wanted to visit Virginia Beach but found the oceanfront itself too crowded on our last stay
2. This was one of the few Hotels with balconies in the area
We booked and received a balcony queen/queen room. The hotel has no rollaways, so no option for King + Rollaway. The balcony has no furniture (we confirmed with reception that no chairs are available “for safety”) so really didn’t fit our purpose of wanting to have a place to sit outside after our son went to bed. I suppose next time we book a hotel for a balcony, we need to call first to ensure the balcony actually has furniture.
The room is small and old. It has been refreshed, but is still fundamentally old. The windows let in lots of noise from outside, e.g. the ferry honking and cars crossing the drawbridge. The door to the room doesn’t quite line up with the frame and there is a visible gap to the outside. Etc.
Breakfast is on offer, but no accommodation for Titaniums. Even coffee is $2 for Titaniums. I have been spoiled by the Hyatts I’ve stayed at which continue to offer Globalists breakfast. I didn’t bother with breakfast so can’t comment on it.
no valet parking and the hotel charges $13 for surface parking. I parallel parked across the street from the hotel for free.
I’ve never stayed at the Marriott but since it’s newer, I think it must be better. The Renaissance Portsmouth is also a nice option but slightly less convenient. I don’t think I’ll bother with the Sheraton again.
1. Wanted to visit Virginia Beach but found the oceanfront itself too crowded on our last stay
2. This was one of the few Hotels with balconies in the area
We booked and received a balcony queen/queen room. The hotel has no rollaways, so no option for King + Rollaway. The balcony has no furniture (we confirmed with reception that no chairs are available “for safety”) so really didn’t fit our purpose of wanting to have a place to sit outside after our son went to bed. I suppose next time we book a hotel for a balcony, we need to call first to ensure the balcony actually has furniture.
The room is small and old. It has been refreshed, but is still fundamentally old. The windows let in lots of noise from outside, e.g. the ferry honking and cars crossing the drawbridge. The door to the room doesn’t quite line up with the frame and there is a visible gap to the outside. Etc.
Breakfast is on offer, but no accommodation for Titaniums. Even coffee is $2 for Titaniums. I have been spoiled by the Hyatts I’ve stayed at which continue to offer Globalists breakfast. I didn’t bother with breakfast so can’t comment on it.
no valet parking and the hotel charges $13 for surface parking. I parallel parked across the street from the hotel for free.
I’ve never stayed at the Marriott but since it’s newer, I think it must be better. The Renaissance Portsmouth is also a nice option but slightly less convenient. I don’t think I’ll bother with the Sheraton again.