starpoint_galaxy

Just a quick update as I don't have time to write a full review and did not download my photos yet.... sorry for being so incomplete.

I've been in the new Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort for three days now. It's been open two weeks and I think the team here has done a great job considering how new the property is. I read some reviews on the new W in Bangkok, which also recently opened, and the Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort seems much better (as far as a brand new property goes).

Here is a bullet list:

(1) The staff and team here are very warm and friendly. I have found them to be much warmer than the W in Seminyak. The warmth and sincerity creates a nice vibe.

(2) There are some very exceptional staff here and some speak English very well. Some of the less experienced staff are not very good English speakers, so if you really need to communicate with the team (in English), make sure you ask for one of the duty managers or room director.

(3) Kris, the director of rooms came over from the W Seminyak and she is doing an outstanding job. Other team members have been equally exceptional in their customer skills, warmth and service quality.

(4) As an Ambassador guest, I did get a upgrade to an ocean front suite. Platinum guest will more than likely get a regular suite, but you can always ask

(5) My SW Ambassador did a great job of notifying the property of my arrival in advance; and the check in process was perfect; the staff charming, caring and friendly. I enjoyed the check in experience.

(6) The room (oceanfront suite) is OK, but it's not the best suite I've seen. However, it does have a nice Italian espresso machine that works well

(7) The Internet has worked flawlessly. It is fast, multiple devices are not a problem and it is not necessarily to log back in every time you close your laptop or take a break (like some properties). I give the Internet a solid A.

(8) Room service has been good. Housekeeping good. No real complaints at all.

(9) The team has been very good to me and have provided really cute small bottles of wine, cheese, crackers, and fresh fruit daily. The way they serve the wine is in a small "elegant little" bottle with a hand written tag with the details of the wine (vineyard, type and year) is really a nice touch (and very cute!)

(10) There are some small hardware issues in the room that need to be modified. The executive team is aware of the problems/issues and are working toward getting them fixed. These issues are:

• No normal voltage power outlet in bathrooms - so hair dryer cannot be used there - (management is aware and working on the fix).
  
• Night lights are hard wired into the room; so there is no way to turn them off - (management is aware and working on the fix).
  
• There is no "electrical / docking station" on the desk so I had to get an run an extension cord to charge laptops and phones - (management is aware and working on the fix).
  
• My suite was on the front (beach side) and there is a busy street outside. The glass is single glazed, not double glazed, so there is road noise - (management is aware and working on a fix - and if it is a problem they will offer ear plugs) - frankly, I was not bothered by the noise but I could see how it could be for some people. I have heard some of the "further back" rooms are double glazed; but did not experience that myself.
  
• There is no electric outlet in the suite 1/2 bath. No drying your hair there while your partner is in the other bath!
  
• The fitness center thermostat is controlled by the spa, which makes the fitness center way too cold (management is aware and working on adding a working thermostat in the fitness center, so they say). I will use a different fitness center tomorrow, but that's OK.

(11) The location is excellent for Kuta. There is a open air mall with great food and nice shops right next to the property (same owner). I found a nice GUESS t-shirt at 70% off and found a nice little sushi place where I could get 4 pieces of tuna (maguro) sushi for a bit over 3 USD and it was fresh and good!

(12) Lots of people enjoying the beach, surfing, surf lessons, etc.

... well I hope you get the idea.

The GM, Dario, is a great guy. He has a passion for both Starwood and the property, and it is easy to see how they were able to do so well at opening compared to other new properties. I think Dario and the team will work out all the small kinks over time and this is going to be an excellent SW destination for Bali... it will be a different vibe than the W Seminyak.. it will be a unique Kuta experience, and so far, the Sheraton Kuta Bali has exceeded my expectations.

One more thing, like any new property, there is always something to fine tune; so please, if you stay here, don't hesitate to give your comments to the team; they are very receptive to guest feedback and sincerely interested in making your stay enjoyable (from my experience over the past view days).

Happy Holidays!


Moderator Note:

For pre-opening discussion of this property, please check http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...egory-4-a.html

broadwayboy

I had a one night stay at an Ocean View Suite recently. The layout and design of the suite is pretty abysmal.

Few points...

Due to the location of the stairs in the corridors, the bathroom is accessible only from the living room. The designer then chose a clear glass to separate the living space and bathroom, as well as a clear glass to the toilet and shower area. There is a shade that can enclose the bathroom, of course, but once the shade is down, the room feels even more depressing. Guests have a choice of a depressingly barren room or view of a toilet from the sofa.

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps12421a50.jpg


The suite feels under-furnished and cold. Walls are simply painted white with a full-height mirror located behind a table and a lounge chair.

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...psd5c3760c.jpg

There is not a single comfortable seating choice in the suite. The sofa is hard as a rock with no lumbar support. The lounge chair is extremely hard as well and has no arm-rests.

The living room lighting is all recessed downlights with no floor/table lamps. To make matter worse, the light switch that controls the living room's lighting is located in the bedroom, above the night stand on the far side.

The bedroom has nice corner windows, but the white painted coffer ceiling with low beams feels and looks strange in such a small space.

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...psfd3cae22.jpg

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...psb9596b1f.jpg

Construction quality is poor, but that's common, I suppose. What baffles me is that this is a brand new hotel, built from the ground up, but it has many design and layout flaws.

Service is warm and friendly, of course, but I found it weird that the sit-down reception desk had only one attendant each of 3 times I visited.

BUT, it has a great location next to a cool shopping mall and a nice sunset view from the balcony.

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps9632e6ea.jpg

starpoint_galaxy

Yah, sure agree with that. The bed / mattress is OK, but the rest of the furniture is really uncomfortable. I cannot think of a Starwood property I have stayed with more uncomfortable furniture - it is really kinda 'cheap" and poor quality.

tinkybelle

Just checked in to this hotel
the staff are most pleasant .
Plat upgraded to ocean suite.
I can see some design problems with the verandahs as they flood and it comes into the tracks of the sliding doors.
It wont be good long term as they will corrode and jam I expect.
its torrential rain here at present and the wind is howling around the resort.

They sent a lovely cheese plate at night
chose breakky for the amenity which almost equaled the st regis BKK for array and quality of food.
I was impressed overall with the service and offerings.
the juices were in individual sealed bottles and there was about 10 different varieties.

this hotel will be great for someone not wanting the quiet bali style but wanting to be in the midst of things.

The mall next door has some fab shops and eating places.
Im a tony Romas fan.
the ribs were identical to USA standards though very expensive for bali( full rack $US32)
but scrumptious!

dll

For folks who have stayed here, would you say the pool is at all suitable for swimming laps? Booking a 3-night SPG stay and debating between Laguna Nusa Dua (stayed there before), Le Meridien Jimbaran or this property. Location-wise would actually prefer it here but also like to get in some good morning laps during my stay.

SanDiego1K

What kind of view do the ocean front suites have?

Are any of the suites non smoking?

Calcjr23

Did stay here in march earlier this year & realized the pool is more for lounging rather than actually doing productive swimming.

Another thing is that they didn't recognize my gold status till after check out, hence not really getting any benefits for my stay hmm...

SanDiego1K

We stayed here for one night. With such a short stay, the room is everything. On a longer stay, you begin to experience all the services of the hotel and the area. We had the good fortune to be given a 1,000 sq ft suite facing the ocean to the front and to the side. We were absolutely thrilled, but this would not predict anyone else's experience who got a different room.

We had a different suite than broadwayboy, and were content with its layout. On walking into the suite, a half bath was immediately to the right. The living room was straight ahead with a spectacular view of the beach, ocean and surf. The view to the left was down the coast, and also very pleasant. The bedroom was specious, with a bathroom off of it. There was no door between the living room and bedroom, a little surprising given the size of the suite. We had a deck on the two ocean facing sides of the room. It was great to sit there and watch the sun go down.

I agree with the list that starpoint_galaxy gave of improvements that need to be made. The desk actually is more of a buffet with a desk chair. It's odd that outlets were considered. We travel with a small extension cord that has 4 outlets, and I recommend anyone who stays here to bring one. The desk was sited with a dead on view of the water, and I enjoyed working while seated there.

The layout of the hotel is a bit puzzling to me. Think of the hotel as a V shape with the ends of the legs toward the water. We were at the tip of the right V and the restaurant was in the tip of the left V. We tried to find a way to access the open area and walk straight across but were unsuccessful. Instead, we had to walk back and over to the reception, then were led thru an area that looked like the lobby of conference rooms then out to the restaurant. We took breakfast as our platinum amenity. It was excellent.

The staff with whom we interacted were excellent, focused satisfying the customer. Mr. Orsini, the GM, is very responsive. While Kuta isn't the Bali that I want to experience, if I only needed a one or two night stay, I'd stay here again.

aussielori

Are there no recent stays here?
I am due here tomorrow and website showing UG to ocean room ,
Lets hope they allocate me the suite!

tinkybelle

Has anyone stayed there as platinum on an award . did you get the suite upgrade?

no1cub17

Bizarre - quite dead for a master thread. Also wondering about recent stays? Looking at going in October - decent redemption rate available. Let's hear something about it!

worldtravel123

I stayed here for 1 night before departing to Lombok. It was fabulous. I arrived frustrated and stressed as I did not have my pre-arranged car show up at the airport (Note, I did not book it through the hotel, and found out later they were there but we couldn't find each other). As soon as I stepped out of the car at the resort I was greeted with a flower in my hair and given a welcome drink. It was fabulous and really set the tone for the next 18 or so hours. It took about 20min or so to get from the airport - there is traffic so allow plenty of time.

Platinum Benefits: I stayed here as a Platinum member and was given an upgrade to an ocean facing room. I received a platinum welcome gift of wine and cheese, and was given a coupon for 30% off spa and food at the resort.

Room: the room was lovely. They had a rain shower head.

Staff: The staff were very welcoming and friendly.

Food: I chose breakfast as my Platinum benefit over points. The breakfast spread is great and there are so many options. It is buffet style. I also ate in the lobby and had a delicious passion fruit drink and sandwich. The lobby is open air so it was a nice, quiet, breezy place to eat.

Spa: I got the Balinese massage. I received 30% off and paid $20-30 for it (I cannot recall the exact amount). This isn't the cheapest massage in Bali, but compared to the US and the fact they had a nice locker room with showers, I felt it was worth every penny.

Pool: the do have an infinity edge pool on the 2nd level, so you can gaze out at the ocean through/above the treeline. The hotel is located across a road from the beach. The road is busy and you can hear noise. I was at the pool in the morning before the road was super busy so perhaps the street noise wasn't as bad. I didn't find this to be a negative. The pool is for everyone (i.e. not adults only). There were kids making noise and splashing. Personally the splashing annoyed me since they were getting it on me (I was in a chair), and it seems the parents don't notice in these situations. Anytime you sit by the pool there is a chance of getting splashed, but a water fight is in a different category imo. But there was nothing to really be done so I ended up moving myself so I wouldn't have to be annoyed. I found a nice quiet spot away from the pool. Something to keep in mind.

Resort Area - Beach/Shopping Plaza: I didn't spend time on the beach but it looked like a nice width. There is a dining and shopping complex right next to the hotel as well. I didn't come to Kuta for the nightlife but had heard it is crazy. I didn't have any issues.

I wouldn't spend a week here, but it would be great for 2-3 nights.

nazca8

Totally agree. I was there for 2 nights with my family and it's a great location if you like the Kuta area. The rooms are very nice and balcony is enjoyable. However, the pool are small and don't quite have the Bali beachy feeling you get at other beach resorts like W Seminyak or Westin or Laguna. To get to the beach, you have to cross the street and walk past street/beach vendors, plus it's not a swimable beach & a bit dirty. The service at the restaurant (the Italian one) was a hit or miss on the two days we were there. However, the front desk people were top notch in service and friendliness.

canalskater

I didn't stay here but checked it out. i went on the beach and saw rats scurrying around. That made me happy that i hadn't planned on staying here. If you stay here, there is a fantastic restaurant in the fancy Boardwalk mall, next door.

http://www.bebektepisawahrestaurant....u-beachwalk.ht The deep fried crispy duck is amazing. We ate there 4 out of 5 nights, and we were staying in Jimbaran. The menu is a combination of Balinese and Indonesian. It is spotless and has friendly service.

no1cub17

Gross - I guess we'll be staying away from the beach. Mixed feelings about staying here but we got a good redemption rate on an oceanfront room so let's see how it goes. Good thing we have a few days at Koh Samui later on. What do y'all recommend for getting to the hotel from the airport - the hotel website advertises airport pickup for 179K IDR - wondering if we should book that or just get a pre-paid taxi upon arrival. Thx!