Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Tampa (Clearwater Beach) [Master Thread]
 

I just booked a room in St petersburg/Clearwater Florida at the Sheraton. I did a search but didn't find any comments on this property. I was told it is a 35 to 40 minute Taxi ride from TPA, seems soooo long. Just wondering how the location and property is. How is the location to other attractions, restaurants, shopping etc. Should we rent a car?

Thanks!

James

I was there a year ago and will be going back in about a week.

Nice property, not great, but still nice. Probably on the best stretch of beach there, but a veeeeeery long walk from hotel to beach. I was told the long set back was because the beach area itself is a park.

Biggest disappointment with the property is its marginal restaurants, so plan to dine elsewhere if you want some really good meals.

It does take a while to get there from "Tampa", this is because you are traveling over causeways with limited speed, but lots of traffic.

Renting a car will be the cheapest route, espicially if you plan to leave the property for dining. I have not had good luck with cabs in the area.

A car is all but essential ... the hotel is nice but isolated (separated from the clearwater beach area by a toll bridge, and all the good restaurants are on the other side of the bridge). It has the flavor of old Florida (though surrounded by high-rise condominiums now). Still to be recommended.

A car is a good idea and the bridge no longer has a toll.

High Fives to Sheraton Sand Key
 

Just got back from a stay at the Sheraton Sand Key, second time in two years, and I can't say enough about the service. This is one hotel that really knows how to treat the Plats. Nice large room (really a suite, but no interior walls that define a suite to me), an upgrade that I didn't have to ask for. Great service at check in, got me in my room early. Access to the "club level" for a really nice continental breakfast.

The hotel was booked solid and this is a resort, but they extended my check out 2 hours and then gave me a room to shower and change in as I had another 3 hours before I left.

Really appreciated all that they did for me.

The only downside? That I didn't earn Starpoints for all of the mais tais!!!!!!!!!!

William, who/how do I pass along kudos for this stay?

Thank you.

Thanks for letting us know about it, PLangian. This hotel won the corporate hotel of the year award not too long ago. Sounds like not much as slipped since then.

Believe it or not, Corporate Services is the department to contact. They not only handle complaints and general inquiries, they also pass along complimentary comments as well. When I was in Corporate Services, I always enjoyed taking these calls. Hearing nothing but complaints all day tends to make one rather jaded, so these calls were a real breath of fresh air. You can reach them at 800-328-6242.

By the way, your input will also end up on their monthly guest satisfaction index scores if you compliment them through Corporate Services. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

PLangian-
Thanks for your comments about the Sheraton Sand Key. A couple questions, if you don't mind: How kid-friendly would you rate the place? Did you see many young kids there, in general?

I have two young'ns (ages 2 & 4) and am looking at the facility for a family vacation.

The place is very kid friendly, in fact, the majority of the guests while I was there were families with children aged 5 to 12 (I didn't take the time to do a room to room survey, so my results are unscientific).

One warning though, it is a long walk to the beach over sand (the pictures of the property are very artful in making it look close to the beach). To compound the distance problem is the fact that there are no food/drink services by the hotel on the beach.

GREAT stay at Sheraton Sand Key
 

Well folks, chalk up one more SPG Platinum member who was given red-carpet treatment at the Sheraton Sand Key. I chose this hotel for my family vacation largely based on the positive feedback from other Plats posted here at FT, and was not disappointed in the least.

I had booked two rooms for 5 nights each. The Sand Key is a Category 3 facility, so booking two rooms required 56,000 points. I had requested nonsmoking adjacent rooms, one with King & one with 2 Dbls; was advised that these could only be noted as a request, but that my Platinum status would make my requests very likely to be met.

Not only were the requests met, but we were given an ugrade to a top-floor suite, with a connecting standard-sized room with 2 Dbls. The setup was perfect, as the suite included a small refrigerator & microwave, and a lot more room for our two young children to spread out & play. The fridge was pre-stocked with beverages: 2 cans each of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Bud, and Bud Light--all gratis.

Due to my SPG status, we were given access to the 9th-floor club room, which provided free continental breakfast each morning. This was very key for us; the breakfast spread nor the room were huge, but certainly sufficient for our needs.

This hotel isn't the most gilded upscale resort in the world, but it would seem to be one of the nicest hotel options in & around Clearwater Beach. Further, the consistent & pleasant service serve as a model for other Starwood hotels.

The location is nice, on the south end of the Clearwater Beach hotel strip on Sand Key, which is separated by a short bridge. Most of the other properties on Sand Key appear to be condos, with the exception of a downscale Radisson across the street. Most of the restaurants & bars are further north, and so a car is almost certainly necessary to get around. What's nice about the more remote location is that the beach isn't very crowded at all. The beach is a good hike (probably 150 yards) from the hotel, but nothing unmanageable.

The pool area is nice and well-groomed, but somewhat small. It gets a little bit crowded during the peak times of the day.

Housekeeping was consistent and managed most days to work around our schedule.

Thumbs-up:
- very helpful & pleasant bell service
- Platinum suite upgrade
- large uncrowded beach
- consistent, if unremarkable, room service
- very kid-friendly facility overall

Thumbs-down:
- Platinum amenity points (2 x 500) still have not posted, even though points for incidentals have. Suppose I need to call Starwood once more...

All in all, I would highly recommend the Sheraton Sand Key for Platinum members and/or families. The service & facilities, coupled with the relatively modest points-redemption category, added up to a very satisfying choice for me.

Sheraton Clearwater Beach
 

Any personal experience one could share about this property? Considering a stay the
week after Easter? Thanks for any thoughts.

Stayed there a decade ago and the beach is very nice but the hotel was in need of renovation. Presumably by now it has been renovated. In any case the location is great! Don't expect luxury but it is a good mid-range hotel.

There are a few other threads on this facility, so I suggest a search. I have stayed at the Sheraton Sand Key a few times, most recently last June on a family vacation, using SPG points.

We had a great time. Service was consistently friendly and attentive. We were upgraded to a suite with adjoining standard room (we had reservation for two rooms). Our mini-fridge was came pre-stocked with gratis soft drinks. Room service was consistently good, if not outstanding. Grounds & room condition were above average for a Sheraton.

The pool area is small, and gets somewhat crowded. The facility is right on the beach, but it is one whopper of a beach--200+ yard walk to the water. As you might imagine with a beach that size, it's not crowded at all.

For a mid-priced (Category 3) resort, I think the Sand Key is a great choice. The only caveat is that it's across the bridge from the majority of activities on Clearwater Beach. If you're traveling with a family, then that's probably a good thing. If you're younger and looking for nightlife, well then...

The hotel is showing its age and while its technically on the beach it really is a looong walk down to the water. Still, decent service overall.

It is remote without a car.

I had a one night stay (business) and was very happy with my stay:

* As Platinum, upgraded to an Executive Suite (one giant room with a long balcony overlooking the Gulf).

* The club is excellent and the only club I've seen in my travels that has Glenlivet.

* Free high-speed Internet!

* Very reasonable room service prices (as far as room service goes).

I would highly recommend staying here if your travel takes you to the area.

Yes!
 

I stayed there last year was upgraded to sea view, nice hotel although pool is small. Hotel did have a lounge but whilst I was staying they said would no longer be available for guests after my visit :confused: Great restaurant over the road called Backwaters, and fantastic sunsets