IsleTraveller

http://www.vancouversun.com/Travel/R...244/story.html

The hotel is actually about a 10 minute drive from YVR, in downtown Richmond.

money_opp

any comments of the "new" Sheraton of Richmond BC/YVR are welcome!!

tkyoshi

Stayed there today, I have some pictures for you guys!

The tower on the opposite side of the building still seems to be under renovation, all the rooms look like everything has been ripped out right down to bare walls.

TV is pretty decently sized, all channels in SD though. But they do have full premium analog cable which is a plus.

HVAC has digital controls which is nice, A/C worked quite effectively. the only odd thing is the temperature is in farenheit. No big deal but might be confusing for some people.

The bathroom is also nicely modeled, curved shower rod. They have Kohler fixtures, the shower head is great. It's the same one as the Holiday Inn Kohler Stay Smart (Forte), has 3 different settings.

Club floors are apparently supposed to get free water but the bottle in my room had a card that said it was $5.95 if i opened it.

Room serivce breakfast seems a bit pricey but I guess about right for room service though I think the auto-gratuity is high. $2 delivery fee + 19% Gratuity in addition to tax are automatically tacked on.

Quite a nice property, everything's been renovated. Lobby is very modern, they have about 8 Link @ Sheraton computers (Dell XPS).

All the staff were very friendly and willing to help. I was given a room on the club level, I didn't get club access though so no pictures of that. Breakfast apparently runs till only 9am.

The only thing I didn't like were the elevators, they seemed kind of shakey (bounces up and down) and one of them doesn't level properly, the doors open before it fully stops. Seems like they were modernzied so no idea why they are doing that.

I'm not sure how much parking is but you do have to pay for parking, I think it's around $11/day.

There is an airport shuttle that goes between the hotel and the airport, I did not ask if it was complementary but I believe it is as it is shared with the neighbouring Hilton.

The verdict? Yes I would reccomend this property and would stay there again.

Hope this helps

================================================== =
Sorry for the poor quality pictures I only had my phone on me.

Room Facing Door:


Room Facing TV:


Room Bed/Balcony:


View from Balcony:


Other tower under construction:


Mini Fridge! (Not Minibar)


Glass Desk:


Bathroom from Door:


Bathroom facing door:


Shower:


Tub:


They have a breakout box on the counter so you can plug in stuff to the TV which is cool ^ Didn't get to try it as I didn't have any cables on me but it has: Composite RCA Audio/Video and S-Video, VGA/3.5MM Stereo minijack, HDMI, USB Power Charging Port.


iPod Docking Station/Clock:


Breakfast Card:

jimmychang

Had a stay this past weekend. Got upgraded to a suite but declined as we needed 2 beds. The agent said all the rooms in the west tower is 1 king and all those in the north tower is 2 Queen... how weird.

The deco and the bed is of the Sheraton 2.0 style a lot better than the old one.The club lounge is in the west so we had to travel there to use it. NOBODY except 2 of us was in the lounge during our 3 visits for soft drinks and coffee. The lounge can be accessed with the key 24 hrs but no breakfast and evening sevice during the weekend. 2 cont. breakfast vouchers were given instead.

The hotel restaurant serves bruch from 10:30 to 2 including coffee, juice, pastry, fruits and an entree of your choice. We planned to use our voucher and pay for the difference but the waitress waived that for us! ^

Also no charge for parking. The only complaint was the A/C being too noisy. But I guess not much can be done for that. Will choose it over the nearby 4 point.

cko64

I stayed there couple years ago when it was a Best Western.

I booked it thru Priceline as a 3 star hotel for $48. Even as a Best Western, I thought it was pretty crappy hotel, I can't imagine relabelling it as a Sheraton. Maybe another Four Point.

tkyoshi

Well it seems to be totally redone so I don't think you can really compare it to the old BW.

luxury

Thanks for the reports -- have a stay coming up here so was wondering what it was like. The 1000 bonus points is a big plus and certain weekends it is one of the cheaper SPG hotels (that earn the 1000) around. I too will report back after our stay in a few weeks time.

tkyoshi

Hey when you're there, ask about parking rates. Some people have mentioned free, and they told me it's pay.

Just wondering maybe it depends on the rate? I was quoted $12.60 for parking though they waived it when I was there.

Captain Canuck

[QUOTE=jimmychang;12097161]Had a stay this past weekend. Got upgraded to a suite but declined as we needed 2 beds.

You did not miss much.

I was upgraded to a "suite" here on a stay a few weeks ago. It was only one room - not at all what I would call a suite (it did not even have a couch in it !). For those of you who stay at the Shertaon Guilford (Surrey), it was the same size as their end rooms (bigger than standard, but they don't mislead you by calling them suites).

Stayed on the "opening special" rate which included $30 food voucher for their restaurant, but I arrived too late to use it. It also had a certificate for 2 free beverages at the Starbucks in the hotel, but when I went to use it the next day, I was told that it was only good for Coffee in the restaurant I was in too much of a rush to argue with them, but will mention it should I decide to stay here again.

Parking (unlike the Four Points) was gratis...

dmgt

Hello:

I have stayed there a few times with a car. No more free parking The free parking was associated with the following promo that had to be booked by July 31st with stays completed by September 7th.

" The hotel is welcoming guests with a Grand Opening special that offers
great savings on stays through September 7, 2009. For each day of their stay at the hotel, guests will receive a $30 credit for Harold's Bar & Bistro, two complimentary beverages at Starbucks and complimentary parking. The package is available starting from $189 per night when booked by July 31, 2009. The price is per room, per night, plus applicable taxes, gratuities and is subject to availability."

I booked in this time frame for my first stay, the person on the checkin had no knowledge of the promo. Went to the lounge and printed it off.

Property can't be compared to the old BW and from my perspective fits with the Sheraton brand. Some better some not a as good.

Most times I have had rooms on the Club Level, they were good.

Lounge has better offerings than many Sheratons, but not the best. Scrambled eggs is offered for breakfast. The 2 people that have worked the lounge when I have been there try hard to ensure everything is fine. They keep on asking, do you want this, do you want that etc. Hard to be left just to read. But they mean well and try very hard to ensure all is good.

Agree with the suite comment. I was given one and t was a single room, just very large, but everything else the same and hard to see the TV from the bed as it was so far away!

I have been happy with my stays but when downtown will still stay there. Doing some working Richmond these days.

IsleTraveller

Is the lounge open on weekends for breakfast? The hotel's website is not clear. How much is parking?

tkyoshi

Not sure about the lounge.

I think around $12.60 but that's only what I was told over the phone once. If you can put on your charm you can probably get it waived

colonius

Is that the former Best Western that was basically in one large city block with a Mariott and a Hilton?

tkyoshi

Yes it is!

anchor79

any recent update with this property?