Sheraton Opens in Jacksonville, Florida [Master Thread]
 

Press Release Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Sheraton Opens Its Doors and Warmly Welcomes Travelers to Jacksonville, Florida
Tuesday July 22, 1:14 pm ET
The Newly Constructed Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel Offers Signature Brand Offerings and Area's First Shula's 347 Grill

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT - News) and Driftwood Hospitality announced today that Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel has opened its doors and is warmly welcoming guests. The newly constructed 159-room hotel offers guests Sheraton’s signature amenities and services designed to provide a welcoming atmosphere and exceptional guest experience. The opening of the Sheraton Jacksonville is part of the most aggressive global expansion in the Sheraton’s history -- with 54 hotels scheduled to open and 20,000 new rooms to be added to the brand by 2009.

Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel is located in southeast Jacksonville in the heart of Deerwood Park and just minutes away from popular Jacksonville attractions such as the Avenues Shopping Mall, the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, University of North Florida-UNF, and the new St. Johns Town Center Mall. Jacksonville’s sunny beaches are also just a short drive away.

“We are proud to welcome the Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel to our brand’s growing portfolio of more than 400 hotels around the world,” said Hoyt Harper, Senior Vice President for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. “Sheraton anticipates the needs of travelers who crave familiarity and comfort by providing spacious accommodations, updated technology and signature amenities – all designed to make them feel at home from the moment they walk in the door.”

Guests of Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel are invited to relax with fellow travelers in the hotel’s energetic and interactive lobby space. There, they will find the Link@Sheraton(sm) experienced with Microsoft(R) communications hub, which delivers the technology services guests expect while on the road, allowing them to check their email, research local attractions and even print boarding passes. Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel also provides 856 square feet of meeting space in two meeting rooms as well as related services, including AV, catering and event planning.

Press Release

Any reports on Jacksonville Sheraton
 

I'm headed to Jacksonville in a couple of weeks and am booked at this hotel. Has anyone stayed here yet?

I'm typing this as I sit in my room at the property. The building is pleasant, with a very convenient, yet quiet location (It's in a wooded, pond-side area off Butler Blvd). Its aesthetics aren't too dissimilar from those of a Westin.

My standard room is comfortable and spacious, if not gargantuan. My understanding is that the 6th floor is the Club Level. What's somewhat disappointing is that the evening snacks are served from 4-6 p.m.; for those working late, this is not convenient.

Now that Jacksonville finally has a Starwood property, my chances of reaching Platinum are much improved; at that point, I'll let you know how I fare here in the upgrade game.

I'm at the computer on the Club Level here at the Sheraton Jacksonville as I write this as well. This is my second stay at the property and I have only good things to say. As posted above, the rooms are spacious and well appointed with a very good sized workspace. The Club Level is comfortable and has a computer with real high speed access and a printer for convenience.

At check-in, our reservation hadn't transferred over from Platinum Concierge, which led to one of the best examples of customer service I have seen at any level of the Starwood family:

After a few minutes of confusion - it is a new property after all - a manager named Kevin Butler stepped in, took my reservation number and said he would be right back. After we completed checking in without the reservation, Kevin came up to us and informed me that he had cleared the our reservation through Platinum Concierge and returned the points to my account.

I called PC and they stated that the note on the account was that there was confusion at check in and that the hotel would take care of everything on site.

No promises of a few points down the road, no "this is why it happened", excuses at all - just a quick response by Kevin and the problem is solved. Thats what I would call truly exceptional response and service.

Were you upgraded to the Club Level automatically, without any need for prodding on your part?

Recent Stay at JAX Sheraton
 

Stayed there on Monday, Nov 3, 2008. I'm Platinum, so was automatically upgraded to the 6th (top) floor. The elevator opens directly into the Club Lounge, which was a bit odd. Since it was 11pm, nothing was happening there. The resturaunt (Shula's) closed at 10pm, and the bar served food through 11pm, so I was out of luck. It did look like they had an area where you could buy snacks behind check-in.......but I was too tired to head back down in search of food.

Room was standard (if not small) size, and had an odd free-standing closet (an armoire with room to hang clothes in it). The bathroom only had a shower (no tub)....much to my dismay. The bathroom also had 2 folding doors (instead of a standard door).

Large flat screen TV mounted on the wall.

Bed was OK

All in all, it was fine as a place to sleep, especially since I only paid $99 (my Corp. discount).

Spent last night here. Nothing much new to add. This place is a really good deal on the weekends. $84.
I was given a king club room and I asked if any suites were available the desk clerk went back and found me one. But I have to say, should I have to ask for a suite? This was a junior suite so I should have been given that first without me having to prod.

This property is another mixed bag. From furniture damage (dents, chips, and dings) to wall damage (exposed dry wall) and spotty communication and follow-through, I would definitely advise into booking the Four Points on Baymeadows. The General Manager more than made up for the issues we encountered during our stay, but signs of age are apparent throughout the property.

I booked a suite and was assigned the 4th floor, since the Club Level suite was already occupied. There is only 1 suite per floor.

The Club Lounge offers decent options, with the healthiest being the fresh fruit, vegetables, and cheeses. Make sure you have your Club card or else the attendant will demand to see it with a surly attitude (I made 2 trips for 2 bottles of water).

That's interesting about the wear and tear. They really must not be keeping up with the place. When I was there 2 years ago, and a 1 year ago for a seminar, both times the property was in stellar condition.

Do you know what restaurant replaced Shula's (the ground level restaurant)?

The restaurant is called Bold City Grill. It is affiliated with (but not owned) by a Jax microbrewery of the same name. American food is still featured but it's somewhat more casual and less expensive than Shula's 347.

Interesting. Had no idea...Bold City Brewery is a big deal in Jax (big microbrewery scene growing seemingly out of nowhere). Didn't know they partnered up with the Sheraton.

Thanks for the info--very useful!

Bold City is great, but Intuition wins my heart. :) It's okay since I live in Riverside, walking/stumbling distance to both.

In case anyone is interested, here's the walkthrough of suite 327. I mistyped earlier when I said I was on the 4th floor.

I live in Riverside too. What a coincidence! (And I agree re: Intuition over BC.)

renovated Sheraton Jacksonville
 

We have a suite here and the newly renovated hotel is really nice and fresh. It feels modern and the people who work here are friendly but it doesn't seem like they have enough people working- often nobody at the bar, restaurant, front desk, etc. Not sure if it's just timing or turnover, but it's noticeable. The location is good and we tried a few local restaurants and Seasons 52 was very tasty and healthy tonight. We'd stay here again if we needed to be in the area.

Is the Club open yet? We stayed in March and were supposed to receive 1000 pts for the Club being closed, but only one of the 1000 pts posted. The place is OK, but poor CS especially concerning the breakfast. A broken toaster seemed to be too difficult a problem to solve and the many offers to make some toast in the kitchen took 2 days to get to us. Actually, the first morning, she apparently forgot about it. The next day the guy proactively had some made and brought out, about the time we were finished with our meal. Third day it seemed to be better and we had toast. Of course, the breakfast was, well, marginal.