vivrant

For that price, if paying out of my own pocket, I would definitely opt for priceline, especially if it is only one night.

pinniped

Wierd.

I've stayed in that exact Sheraton for $79/nt. I did a one-nighter there during a promotion where I earned 5000 AA miles for the stay.

I can't imagine what could possibly alter demand sufficiently enough around the MCO airport to cause rates to skyrocket. I mean...it's a depressing airport hotel on a cul-de-sac with two or three other depressing airport hotels.

Only thing to be wary about with Pricelining this zone: I did it once at the 3* level and got jammed into a Holiday Inn. Somebody was playing it fast and loose with the three stars on that one... Not a big deal...one night, about $50 all in. (I think the bid itself was high-30's.) I haven't used PCLN in about 2 years now so no idea whether things have changed in this zone.

iahphx

The pricing does seem to be somewhat demand driven. Look at spg.com, there are a few nights in the next month priced in the low $100s, but there are a lot of nights priced at $199 or above.

It seems hard for me to believe that they can get many travellers to pay $200 or more for an airport Sheraton in Orlando, but hey, they probably wouldn't be pricing it that high if they weren't getting it. It does seem that MCO-area airport hotels are significantly more expensive than they were just a couple of years ago, but I don't know why demand would suddenly have skyrocketed. It used to be that you considered staying near the airport in Orlando to save some money, but pricing now would seem to generally discourage that strategy.

I have used priceline at MCO before, and I recall paying some extremely low prices as recently as two years ago. I remember getting the Airport Marriott for $27, which seemed insanely cheap. Nowadays, it seems that Priceline 3-stars there are starting in the $40s, but only on off-peak days (which appear unpredictable). Otherwise, folks are paying in the $50s to $70s. The Sheraton Suites is among the hotels that pop up unpredictably on priceline, but my guess is that if they're publishing a $215 rate, priceline will be unavailable there on those nights.

From a pure value perspective, if you have the SPG points to burn, it seems worth bidding up to about $60 on priceline, at which point using the points to stay at the Sheraton makes sense. I think I won't bid north of the $40s until a week or two of my arrival date, because it does seem that more cheap MCO inventory becomes available on priceline at the last minute.

Glass Bottom Boater

Theres plenty of other places to choose from right there by the airport! Unless objective 1 is to get the points at all costs I would look elsewhere.

craz

Hilton props are cheaper, but by no means cheap either.

Remember its Jan so its usually more now anyway. Im in the middle of a Hilton Promo and the cheapest Hampton Inn was $89 most were well over $100, and many of their props are sold out during the next couple of weeks when Ill be doing 2 MRs to MCO.

If it must be a SPG prop , then why not stay at The Safari for that $109 and rent a car. Ive been able to get mid-week Daily rates from Thirfty for $18 with all taxes and fees. Ok thats for an economy and with SAMS for the disc, then Ill use an upgrade coupon from Sams to get a Compact. Not a member of Sams no sweat neither am I. Just go to your nearest Sams Club and walk in the Exit when stopped, simply say as I do I forgot to pick-up the Travel Booklet and In I go and just a handful.

crazygrow

There is a huge developer's/environmental/etc. conference going on this week in Orlando. We had a difficult time even finding a hotel room Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. Many of the people I know going are going today and coming back next Sunday. That could be part of hte problem.

joeyvegaz

Just wanted to relate an experience I had regarding the hotel. I was reading all of the reviews regarding hotels in Orlando, and realized that the majority of the *wood properties were very poor. And I did not want to overpay for the Swan and Dolphin. So I decided on the Sheraton Suites airport because it was the cheapest. I am driving down to Disney, so being close really did noit matter. And I felt the Swan and Dolphin to be overpriced. Not only that, but I found it $10 cheaper on another site. So I did the BRG thing.
And I just received a call from the manager there, Cinthia. She called because the BRG people input the information wrong. So I explained to her what happened. She was actually totally unaware of the BRG and 2000 points deal. At first she offered 500 points just for having to call regarding my reservation. I explained everything and she fixed my reservation and told me she would be working the night of my arrival, looked forward to seeing me and to ask for her if I had any problems.
I just thought this was fantastic. I have never received a call regarding my stay. I felt like a GUEST, not a dollar amount. The other Orlando hotels could definitely learn from her. Hopefully the hotel is as warm and friendly as she was. I will post a report after the stay next weekend.

joeyvegaz

So I finally had a chance to report my experience. Not a bad hotel. Three floors. As a Gold was not upgraded, but I don't think there was much to get upgraded to.

Hotel: Free Parking. Three Floors. Indoor/Outdoor pool all in one. 2 Free internet accessible computers. Only about a 10 or so minute drive to Disney (read: Animal Kingdom).

Room: The room was a normal Sheraton Suites room layout. There was no complimentary water available, just the large 3 dollar bottles. The sheets were horrid. They felt stale and like they had been starched. They definitely took away from the Sweet Sleeper I have grown to love.

Service: Regarding the room, we left at 1215 the day after arrival and apparently this was too late, as the room was not cleaned. We are not picky so it did not really matter. Check-in was quick. There was a "Preferred Check-In" lane, but it did not seem to make a difference. There was only one other guest there. (The two ahead of us had booked two queens, but were relegated to one king--it was a father and his teenage daughter).

Restaurant: Normal sports bar-esque restaurant. Food was typical of a Sheraton. The only "vending machines" are located in the shop connected to the restaurant. Vending = buying from the shop. Service was spectacular in the restaurant, even if the food was moderate at best.

Billing: I had an approved BRG claim that I assumed was taken care of (see above post). But when I checked out the rate was the normal rate. All I did was print out my reservation and everything was set. The points did not post, but all I did was send an email for missing points and got them the same day.

Overall not an over the top Sheraton. But compared to other Orlando reviews and for the price, seems like the best option available in the city.

p8riotsfan

I stay there twice a year to go to Red Sox games. Great service a couple of glitches last trip, but responded to well by management. All rooms are the same, so I don't think that Plat will help in that regard. Rooms are dated, but have reportedly been worked on. I haven't been there since this past summer.

johnndor

This is the most recent thread I turned up by "search"...

I need to stay one night near the MCO airport (so I can return my car Tues. and take the shuttle to the airport the next day) with my wife and 2 kids. Looks like this Cat. 3 location has an indoor-outdoor pool, and indoor jacuzzi, and shuttle, so it should fit the bill with the fam'.

I wanted to stay at the Embassy Suites, but it priced out at $201 AI, so that's a no-go.

Here, I have a few options:

7000 points
2800 + $45 cash & points
$110 (AI) AAA-rate (cheaper than the internet-only rate)

I am assuming that most here would think the $110 option is best - any thoughts?

I'd also appreciate any advice as to recent experience at this hotel.

wth

This hotel is death to me so I have a hard time endorsing it.

That said, $110 seems to be a decent price for the area. And esp. since you are saving another day's car rental, it's hard not to consider. There are a number of restaurants in the area that are walkable (unless you have young/cranky children).

PDILLM

I stayed there a few months ago and would rate it average. Room was clean and no problems. As a Diamond, I got a free beer.... I would stay there again if it was beneficial to my flight schedule, but the property is nothing special or worth seeking out.

sophiegirl

Any recent updates on this property?

Need a basic 2 - 3 stay at a good price...

No special event, family vacation, etc - just a place to sleep!

quinella66

I stayed there most recently in May. It is sufficient as a place to sleep but not too exciting for a long stay. I would not recommend it for people wanting to see Orlando area attractions since it is not near much except for the airport. I have seen this place advertise at $59/night. Being a local, I was tempted to use it as a mattress run hotel if I needed a stay for platinum.

yyznomad

I agree. If you need a cheaper place to stay near MCO then this would be it. They have standard Sheraton Suites rooms that are typically tired and older, but for the price I don't mind.