Starwood Lurker

There is no room type at this hotel named as a junior suite.

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William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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controller1

I'm sure singtx was speaking of an Executive Suite which is the suite type utilized at this property for Platinum upgrades.

bigguyinpasadena

Quick trip report.
I was there one night last weekend and the place was very busy. There is a Gold/Plat desk but there is not stanchions in front so you have to look for the desk and be prepared for some"the line is over here"comments. Upgrade was to a nice exec"suite"(really a jr suite with wet bar. on a mid floor(25) with a great view of the river.

The room does need a little TLC but it is fine.A paint job is in order and a bit of work on the grout in the shower is really all that is needed.

Side note-the Accesable rooms flank the elevators so unless you really need one steer clear.

The lounge is on the 42nd floor which necesitated a change of elevators on the 29th. Lounge is nice enough but closes for b'fast at 9 a.m.-even on weekends. That is just crazy IMO and tells me that they would rather not serve folks but corporate is making them do so.
All in all since the lounge was not a factor for me I preffered the Westin down the street(bigger rooms,better service a little nicer finish) but the Sheraton is a good backup plan.

thaliajen

Thanks for the help- I'm looking forward to my stay. And yes, 9am is too early to close for breakfast. But it will give us time to search for cinnamon beignets, so it's okay with me. Honestly, I rarely make it for breakfasts unless they're open past 10am AND hot.

bigguyinpasadena

Cafe Begniet on Royal.An easy walk and much better than Cafe Du Monde(heresey I know)with much nicer staff.

prncess674

I suggest you pack a lunch if you are going to go out on a treasure hunt for a cinnamon beignet. You can search high and low, but there is no such thing as a cinnamon beignet. There are round cinnamon donuts at Krispie Kreme.My personal fave is Morning Call, but it is a bit out of the way for the average tourist.
http://www.morningcallcoffeestand.com/

thaliajen

Yep- no cinnamon beignets in NOLA. Now in Europe I had what looked exactly like a beignet and tasted the same, but had cinnamon/sugar, topped with less powdered sugar than the NOLA beignets. And staying at Sheraton we were lucky to be close to the Cafe Beignet, which actually had (dare I say this?) BETTER Beignets than Cafe DuMonde. But they were all good.

The Sheraton was a great place to stay. I was upgraded to a Governor's Suite (Claiborne Suite) that had AMAZING floor to ceiling windows throughout the living room and the bedroom. There were two bathrooms (The bedroom was a separate room completely with a different number) and there was a kitchenette with a fridge and bar with stools. A polished wood table was helpful when we used the computer AND for a meeting.

The location was perfect. We walked our legs off and took a streetcar, but mostly we walked. We were near the casino (where I left a bundle of money but had fun anyway) and the shops in the French Quarter were great, as were the restaurants. We got beaned by beads but it was fun. It was so crowded and crazy that I can't even IMAGINE Mardi Gras! But what a great hotel to be in IF you go for Mardi Gras.

The elevators are a trip! You punch in your floor and it tells you what elevator car to take. Then you get in and have nothing to push. Being on the top floor, we left for everything early as the elevator always seemed to have a lot of stops to make. The 1st evening I tried to get from 49 to 42 but the elevator kept telling me different cars to get in. I waited 14 and a half minutes for a car to get me to the lounge floor. Not the greatest spread, but free food is free food. Just wish they'd had a few hot appetizers.

Also, the day I left they had an elevator incident. A man got caught in one and had to be rescued. THAT was interesting.

The rooms did have paper thin walls, IMO, mostly for people who were across the hall from us. 49 looked like it was all suites and the suite across from us had a bunch of younger kids who enjoyed making noise from midnight to 6am. Their door was shut so I couldn't complain- they WERE in their own room, after all. Luckily my friend on the sofa bed couldn't hear them.

The floor to ceiling windows have white shutters that open so it looks like you're going to fall right off the edge of the window. I made the mistake of leaving them slats down, and the room lit up like crazy as soon as the sun rose. And it heated the rooms like crazy. We just shut them everyday before leaving. The AC wasn't working and it was only in the 50's and 60's but maybe being up so high and not being able to open a window made it hotter.

They had the environmental/no housekeeping cards and with 2 bathrooms, it was easy for us to make it the whole 4 nights without housekeeping. We didn't have to call for towels as we each had our own full bath, and we weren't in the suite all that often. We DID have to call for blankets and pillows for the sofabed when my friend arrived, but that's it.

I checked out on the video thing as I had to catch a shuttle quickly, and as soon as I got home I had a new bill emailed to me with additional charges. Now THIS is something I will call about b/c I was not only charged for Oreos I didn't eat (the charge literally says "Oreo") AND TWO MOVIES. We weren't even in the HOTEL the night we were charged for them! In fact we were gone a LONG time. I have NO problem paying for a movie and I often DO watch them, but we never had the time.

Also, I met one of the kind ladies from the sales dept. I had just checked in and had been awake all night so I had changed into pjs. Suddenly the door flies open and a lady with a clipboard is there with 2 other ladies! She apologized and I said no problem. Then they came to the OTHER door, LOL! Seems the sales lady wanted to show a river side Governor's Suite to these ladies and mine was the only one unoccupied. (I had JUST arrived so they thought it was empty.) They started to leave but I invited them in. I was so awed by the view that I thought they should see it.

We talked for about 10 minutes and had a great chat. The Sheraton lady asked me what she could do since I hadn't made a fuss about them bursting in. I just laughed. She offered wine, beer, etc., and I told her no, I don't drink and I'm fine. Later a basket arrives full of root beer, beer, hot sauce, bags of chips and granola bars with a lovely note, and next to it 6 cans of Diet Coke & 6 bottles of water. A very nice treat. The NEXT day yet another basket arrived, this time with a bottle of beer, root beer, hot sauce, more bags of chips and granola bars and a mardi gras mask. 2nd basket had no note, no card, nothing.

I was very impressed with everyone I encountered at this Sheraton. Yes, the suite was the main attraction and allowed me to have room so a friend could join me, but the employees were all very kind.

I can't compare to other hotels in NOLA but I found this to be a great place to stay. I'm hoping all those cards we collected for not getting the room clean do actually post as points as described. I really like this feature.

Great location, great staff, and yes, a great upgrade.

Seat 1F

I've been to this property about 6 times. After my last visit I vowed not to return. Upgraded rooms, whilst sizeable, are getting very rundown. Also, don't get me started on the new elevator system. Its a mess and simply is not working. I HAVE however seen a similar system at the Park Tower Sheraton in London work perfectly well. Don't know why they get get it operating correctly in NOLA. You can wait forever for a car to arrive whilst other cars are doing nothing at all. Someone at the hotel needs to fess up that the new elevator system is not working correctly. Fix it.......or pull it out.

controller1

Review of recent stay.

ARRIVAL
Arrived by car around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. I was immediately met by valet and asked if I needed help with my luggage. Since I had a couple of heavy boxes for a conference where I was making a presentation, I said yes. The valet summoned the doorman who unloaded the boxes and luggage from the trunk of the car. The valet was very careful to explain the parking charge ($33.54/per night including taxes), and the unlimited in/out privileges.

CHECK-IN
Checked in for a one-night stay. There was no dedicated SPG Gold/Platinum check-in area. I asked the bellman if there was a special line for SPG Platinum. He replied "Not at this time." This was a first for me at this property. There were three agents at the desk. Line had about four people in it in addition to the three guests being served at the desk. Wait in line was about ten minutes. When I got to the registration desk, the agent apologized for my wait in line. He asked if I wanted the 500-point Platinum Thank You Amenity and also stated I had been upgraded to an Executive Suite. I was also asked if I needed a late check-out. Unfortunately, my schedule did not permit such on this trip. I was told of the lounge access however I did not have an opportunity to use the lounge on this trip. I handed the luggage check tag to the agent and was told my luggage would be delivered shortly. The luggage arrived about ten minutes after I got to the room.

ROOM
Reserved: Traditional King
Received: Executive Suite (location on the 32nd floor)
In the past five years, only once have I not been upgraded to an Executive Suite and that was during the BCS National Championship game in January 2008.

The room has a good picture of the parlor area on the property's website. This is not a suite where there is true privacy between the bedroom and parlor as there are not doors separating the areas.

The parlor side of the room has a wet bar, two bar stools, refrigerator, sleeper sofa, coffee table, lounge chair, desk and desk chair, 42 inch flat-panel TV, and two bottles of water with hang tags indicating they are compliments of SPG.

The bedroom side of the room has a king bed, lounge chair, and 32 inch flat-panel TV.

The bathroom is a good size with a combination tub/shower. Toiletries provided were: shower gel, conditioner, shampoo, body lotion, mouthwash, shaving cream, two bars of soap, and a vanity kit containing cotton swabs, cotton balls, and an emery board. There were no robes in the room.

HOUSEKEEPING
The room/bath were spotless. However, placing a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door apparently only means there will be no knocks at the door. When I came back upstairs on Friday to change clothes for travel after my presentation at the conference, there were two or three housekeeping personnel in the hall directly opposite my room door talking so loudly to each other that you could hear every word inside the room. If I had been sleeping in late, I would not have been pleased.

INTERNET ACCESS
This property has three different internet speeds with three different costs. I chose the fastest speed and chose the "charge to room" option. As a Platinum, this was to be complimentary and the charge was not on the folio I received the next morning.

BELLMAN SERVICE
I called for bell service at 7:00 a.m. for help in moving the two heavy boxes to the conference area on the 4th floor. A bellman arrived less than five minutes later and everything was delivered to the 4th floor in time for me to meet my first appointment (breakfast) at 7:15 a.m.

RESTAURANT
As I was meeting two gentlemen (not registered guests) for breakfast, I did not go to the lounge. The restaurant (located on the 2nd floor) had a very good-sized breakfast buffet with an omelet station. Food was good as was service.

CHECK-OUT
Typically, I choose video check-out when I stay at this property, but something on the folio caused me to go and check-out at the front desk. That something was the statement at the bottom of the folio which said "As a Starwood Preferred Guest you have earned at least 0 Starpoints for this visit Pxxxxxxxxx." With the exception of one time three years ago at a Westin in Texas, I've always seen an amount other than "0" in this statement. And, sure enough with that experience three years ago it took me a month to get the previous amount to post so I wanted to head this off and give the property the opportunity to correct this instead of starting at Starwood Customer Service.

Well, after about five minutes of trying to tell the check-out agent (and by the way there was a dedicated SPG Gold/Platinum area during check-out) about the issue I really received no satisfaction. The agent thought the "0" indicated how many points I had in my SPG account prior to this stay. I explained that the number in the statement was supposed to represent the number of points that would be posted for this stay. After leaving the front desk for a few minutes, the agent reappeared telling me everything was OK because she had two supervisors tell her that it would take from 7-10 days for the stay to post to my account and anytime there is an amount in the statement on the folio, that the number represents the amount of points I received from my most recent previous stay in the Starwood system, not the current stay. When I indicated that was not correct, she said that both supervisors said it was. I said OK and went to retrieve my car. I'll update this review when/if the points post and give details of any interaction I have to have with Starwood to bring about such posting.

DEPARTURE
Retrieval of the car from the valet service took about ten minutes. The driver was very helpful in loading the luggage into the trunk.


Overall, a decent stay in New Orleans. This property continues to be my preferred Starwood hotel in NOLA (have not stayed at the Westin Canal Place, though) and I hope the SPG point issue is a one-off issue and not something I'll see repeat at this property.

umamy

Did this ever get resolved? I just booked a stay at this hotel for the Sugar Bowl and am hoping to not run into the same problem.

Ocn Vw 1K

Am in-house now for a professional conference. Unf. this is also the HQ hotel of the American Bar Assn. and a lot of PLATS are in house so suite upgrades are as rare as rain in S.F. this winter.

Thanks to the hotel's lead FD agent, I had a choice of a 47th floor river-view Club level king or a much lower-floor executive suite. Took the 47th floor as it was ready on check-in and I wanted to use the fitness ctr. before dinner.

Construction alert: as shown on the SPG website, this hotel is under major reconstruction. Floors are being redone in groups and the need to close floors also shrinks numbers of avail. Plat. upgrades. The temp. fitness ctr. on the 8th floor was unusable due to loud jackhammering. The hotel made an arrangement with a nearby health club, but it was raining and didn't feel like venturing outside to work out.

The good: excellent, caring staff, willing to work with SPG elites on any service or room issues.

The bad: Complex elevator situation as discussed upthread; major construction on groups of floors with possible noise during the day;
lots of little issues - no light bulb in desk lamp, white coating in tub worn out in one place (this group of floors hasn't been remodeled yet), standard and club-level rooms are small; Club lounge breakfast is spartan, basically fruit, pastries and hot beverages: no cereal provided and newspapers were gone by 7:30 a.m.

Update: cereal and choice of milk was added to the Club lounge bkfst starting 2/3/12.
Water in the 47th fl. shower was tepid to cold. on the eve. of 2/3/12.

Esp. during this construction period, the nearby Westin is the way to go.

RogerD408

Checking into the Sheraton on Canal. Usually the Gold/Platinum sign is on the far right desk (usually with no staff ). This trip it was on the second desk amongst all the check in activity and not very visible and no means to separate from all the people checking in. Mixing the masses makes the sign useless. Spoke with a manager and was told Gold's & Platinum's were to step to the front of the line for quicker service. I don't think so...

This was not the only problem this trip but the service here just seems to have dropped drastically.

Jake Gittes

Just had a lovely weekend stay at the Sheraton New Orleans. Normally I stay at the Westin down the road, but we got a great rate and I figured I'd just give the Sheraton a shot!

SPG plat status got me upgraded to an Executive suite; however the room definitely looked a little rough around the edges. Fortunately we weren't there to hang around the room.

It looks like the hotel is indeed going through a refurbishment, and our suite wasn't one of the ones they've gotten to yet. The wetbar featured an old, rusted sink and a Formica finish straight from the 80s.

The room also featured shutters as opposed to blinds or blackout shades. That proved to be pretty annoying after an evening "enjoying New Orleans" when the sun rose and woke us up.

I still definitely prefer the Westin, but I won't say no to coming back here if I can get another awesome rate. Maybe one of these days I should try one of the Ws, but normally I'm just not a "W" kind of guy!

I've only been staying at Starwood hotels for 2 years, but I've never actually seen the SPG Gold/Plat line actually be dedicated for Gold/Plats. Maybe it's just weird luck on my part.

LOL at the idea of cutting the whole line with "OH NO IT"S OK I"M A PLATINUM MEMBER." Hopefully that was just the manager coming up with a quick on-the-spot "idea".

oneduhy

I guess that you can be spoilt by the Sheraton's in Asia/Pacific, so much so that when you go to a US property you wonder what has happened

1. flowers that were to be a surprise were siting at the Bell desk not taken to room
2. soap never replaced - had to call down
3. no shower gel - had to call down
4. no shower caps - had to call down
5. little bottles of water - never replaced
6. no platinum suite upgrade
7. and other even more minor annoyances

.. these all add up!!!

yes they are undergoing renovations... but, lousy housekeeping looks like it needs to fixed as well

and putting up with this for a 6 night stay - so is the Westin better than this

Vuelos

One other thing to note, the hotel had quite a few rooms taken offline by the Hurricane earlier this month... A few of us staying there were in rooms that were effected...