gregv

I often see this hotel on Travelzoo, Living Social etc. I was surprised to see the following in the current Travelzoo terms:

"As of April 1 a resort fee of $9.95 per night is not included and will be paid directly to the hotel. This fee covers parking, Internet access and complimentary fridge and microwave based upon availability."

I tried a dummy booking on spg.com in April and these terms were not listed. In fact free internet was still noted in the T&C.

I thought Travelzoo may have had the wrong terms so I contacted the property but they confirmed the $9.95 fee...but also noted a casino voucher is included. They also confirmed it would not be waived for Platinum SPG members.

Prior to April 1 I could recieve a fridge in my room at no charge (per signage in the room), free internet and parking was $5 only if a parking attendant was on duty or $5 plus tax if put on my bill.

Thank you for letting me vent. I dislike Resort Fees at properties that are not resorts and include little to no benefits.

A few things to note.

This hotel already has 16.5% tax.

A breakfast sandwich at their licensed Starbucks is $6.50 (plus tax).

Bathrooms were still not renovated when I was there a few weeks ago. Renovations are supposed to be done March 31.

AJLondon

Any recent stays/experiences at this property? Thanks.

gregv

I stay here fairly frequently and was there Sunday night. Here are some thoughts:

I am never sure if the renovations are done but as it is now 6 months past the last publicized date I will assume they are. In the rooms I believe they kept the bed, nightstands, dressers, bathroom vanity, fixtures, shower. They changed the carpet, soft seating, lamps, wallpaper, bath mirror, art, mattress?

I was surprised they kept the doors to the room and the peachy marble door #/hallway signage. Doors are in bad shape with larger than normal bottom gap which let in light and noise. Peach marble signage is dated and some signs are hard to read with white lettering/white veins in marble).

The Sheraton beds are comfy and I sleep well here. Any noise from AC unit is constant enough that it does not bother me (unlike some that loudly switch modes).

The hallways are the longest I have seen outside of Las Vegas. Far from the elevator will be quieter. Close to the elevator is convenient but can be noisy with people walking by. SPG rooms were recently moved further from elevator.

Sheraton mouthwash, shaving cream and shower puff thing + are missing in non SPG rooms

I have received a suite maybe 3 out of 18 total stays. On Sunday they could/would not honor my request for a room on the 6th (top) floor, no bed preference.

The lobby has several new seating areas, some with tv's. They tried serving the 90+ wine program there but I don’t think it succeeded.

Excess seating in the Starbucks was recently converted to an ice cream shop.

I have not used the gym or pool.

The lounge (6th floor) is decent with basic offerings. They have free wine and beer during the evening hours. Holly is usually working the lounge and is a gracious host. The printer (single computer) was out of service for about a year and now that it is finally working the first thing you see when you sign on the computer is a charge for printing… I don’t recall being charged in a Sheraton Lounge previously.

The property encourages new SPG sign-ups and offers a lounge for them and SPG gold members on the main floor (previously on the 5th floor).

$9.95 resort fee covers wi-fi, a bottle of water, fridge and/or microvave on request, parking and $30 casino voucher ($15 per person). Sunday was my 4th visit since the resort fee started. 1st time they wanted to charge me even though I booked before the resort fee came about and my confirmation did not include it (they removed it). Next 2 times I booked a government rate and at check-out they said fee did not apply and removed it. On Sunday I booked AAA rate and paid the resort fee as expected. At each stay I mentioned something like this "I have stayed at Starwood properties that reduce or remove the resort fees for Platinum guests, I believe Starwood requires an alternate amenity when you are charging me a fee for Wi-Fi etc already included in my Plat benefits, does the Sheraton at the Falls offer an alternate amenity?" Until this stay this has been met with blank stares. This time the check in clerk knew what I was talking about. He went to his manager and came back and advised that the alternate amenity at the Sheraton on the Falls is.....their extended lounge hours! Maybe he misheard his boss and the free booze in the lounge is meant to make up for the internet charge in the Resort Fee. Anyway, to ensure my satisfaction, he gave me a $10 coupon for Starbucks in the lobby (but that was not the alternate amenity).

Living Social and Groupon often have deals at this property for $79-$139 for a one night stay (not in summer) including credits at Casino, Starbucks and Friday’s +++, I have never been able to get a similar rate (room only) for the same nights on SPG.com, the hotel’s website or calling the hotel direct. I find this frustrating.

Lastly, if you are a tourist – you are on the wrong side of the border. Grab your passport, the Rainbow Bridge border crossing is walkable from the Sheraton.

AJLondon

Thanks gregv. Very helpful. ^

I have stayed many times on the Canadian side hotels, but the meetings are on the US side this time. Hence debating between this, or some of the other chain options in Niagara USA.

sam33

I don't recall seeing the resort fee on my bill here but I must say that I get suite upgrades here about 70% of the time and that the front desk and staff attitudes are a pleasant change from the nasty attitude and lying by the front desk over at Sheraton On The Falls!

gregv

Update.
My stays are usually Sunday nights off season so I have received a suite upgrade on all my 2015 visits.
They have ended the second SPG lounge on the 5th floor.
Part of the Fridays restaurant has converted to an arcade and behind that there is now a Rainforest Cafe.
Parking price went up from $5 to $15 but is still included in the resort fee.
They have some one bedroom family suites now that has a twin bunk over a double. TVs in each bunk plus 2 more in the suite. King in bedroom.
This property has many excellent staff and I recommend it if you need to be in Niagara Falls, NY. Some great rates in the winter.

eRRRRRFDS105633

My wife and I just got back from a stay at this hotel, I'm a Platinum and was upgraded to a Jacuzzi room facing the Falls which we really enjoyed. The hotel is a nice property, a lot of hustle and bustle, it's mainly a tourist property, some family get away packages, a water park is connected to the hotel. they sell a lot of romance packages and they do draw a lot of Niagara Falls tours. The room was fine, the bathroom is a little tight and the Jacuzzi and shower stall could be bigger but overall acceptable. There is a resort fee of $12.95, sort of nuisance charge, the free bottles of water, coffee in room, free Wifi, etc. are standard Platinum benefits anyway. They do have free local calls, not too much of a benefit with most people using their cell phones. This is the only Starwood property we've been to that has a resort fee that is not on a beach.
We were given passes to the Club Lounge, no problem. On some past stays, we received a breakfast instead of Club access along with a note that the Club lounge was full, blah, blah. That seemed odd since they would offer to sell you access to the club lounge at check in or let you use more points to gain access but tell you it was full if you wanted access as a Platinum!There was another thread on that same topic, I could not find it. The "free" breakfast coupon wasn't really free, $50+ for the breakfast buffet required a decent tip and children were extra. Plus, no access to the lounge for drinks and light food during the day. Anyway, maybe they are finally allowing Platinum access into the Club, I'm sure they had complaints about no Club access.
Other than that, we like the property, it's a very pretty area and much to do. the view of the Falls is spectacular and I recommend this hotel for a much needed getaway for all of us business travelers.

dc2005b

I agree in recommending this hotel. On my recent brief stay I was upgraded to a suite on 6th floor very near the club lounge. The lounge was small but had everything you'd need, except a table to eat from.

The surprise of this trip was two nice gift bags in my room upon arrival. One was for a stay number milestone and the other was seemingly just a welcome gift, both had nice personal notes included. The bags were filled with goodies from Starbucks (including gift cards) which, if added all up I believe had a higher retail price than the room rate I was paying that night!

Ive always had good experiences at this hotel and will certainly be back. And as others have said its easy walking distance to the USA side of Falls and even the Canadian side as well.

gregv

Resort Fee is now called Facilities Fee and has increased from $9.95 to $14.95.

Only change is they have added the last item, a coupon book. Parking is valued at $10-$15 depending on season.

Facility Fee (daily) of $14.95 includes:
1. $50 Casino Slot Voucher (based on double occupancy/$50 coin in required)**
2. Two (2) Bottles of Water per day
3. Parking
4. Unlimited Wi-Fi
5. Adventure Passport

I contacted the property as reservations made on spg.com add both the Resort and Facilities fee! Even a different reservation which did not have a Facilities Fee on my confirmation now shows both fees under my upcoming stay details.

And as an update to my previous reviews, they now have fridges and microwaves in all rooms. Patrick and Karyn are the usual lounge hosts. There is no longer a charge to use the printer in the lounge (there may be a page limit).

seawolf

Checked in as Plat. Upgraded to club room. Had a nice gift bag containing Starbucks mug, gift card and cookies. Staff in Club Lounge very service orientated and friendly.

However, this does not make up for the fact this place is a dump (Sheraton-wise).

My club room is "newly renovated." I would hate to see what the room was like before renovations. Even some of the service items during breakfast could use "renovations" as they are worn.

1. Carpet in room feels "sticky" under bare feet.
2. Elevator area on 6th floor has an odor. Smells like old carpet.
3. In the evening of the first evening, smell of cigarette started flowing into our bathroom...Hope they fine the guests underneath us. While this is outside of hotel control, it nonetheless contribute to a not so sub-optimal guest experience.

Was going to move to another property after the first evening but everything is sold out for the long weekend.

Good thing this was a 7,000 a night award stay instead of the $300/night rate.

Can't wait for the Westin Buffalo to open.

piyush

Any recent experiences here with late check out for a Gold? We're SPG/Marriott Gold and deciding between the Sheraton and the Fairfield Inn. We'll be in Niagara to visit the falls.

Also considering the Double Tree since I'm a HH Gold as well.

One of the main criteria is the 4:00 pm checkout.

Looks the Sheraton is located closer to the falls but I'm guessing the Fairfield Inn will probably be easier to get a 4:00 pm checkout with.

Thanks!

Keyser

the resort fee has now been raised to $19.95 per night....

3Cforme

You might look at the 4P Fallsview. It is pretty well-located and there shouldn't be a problem with a 4PM checkout. The hotel is not luxurious and elegant but if a typical Fairfield could meet your needs so could the 4P.

piyush

Thanks! I guess should have mentioned that I have to stay on the US side due to visa reasons.

gregv

I stay here at least 10 times a year and 4pm checkout is never an issue. Keys usually expire at 3pm so if you are returning to your room after 3pm stop by the front desk first. You will have lounge access as a Gold at this property (unless things have changed recently).