Which property in Boston?
Jun 6, 2003, 5:24 pm
Thanks for your help in advance
Jun 6, 2003, 6:21 pm
The following are only a short ride away.
Sheraton Boston Hotel has Club Lounge access for Platinum members and for those who pay for a Club Level room. Good breakfasts and hors d'oeuvres evenings. Connected to series of shopping malls and right across Restaurant Marché. An enjoyable place to eat.
The Westin Copley Place has the Heavenley Bed. Close to pricey but good restaurants. Connected to series of shopping malls.
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Got points ? Got smiles !
Jun 30, 2003, 12:06 am
Contrary to my previous experience last June, the upgrade was not much to speak of--to an executive suite, which was basically a room with a king bed and a sofa, not really a suite at all.
Jun 30, 2003, 1:43 am
Jun 30, 2003, 9:40 pm
I prefer the Westin Copley.
They are not far from each other and are connected through the shopping mall.
Jul 1, 2003, 5:08 am
Jul 1, 2003, 9:38 am
Jul 1, 2003, 11:05 am
Jul 1, 2003, 5:09 pm
Go for Hyatt Harborside...
Jul 28, 2003, 10:31 am
Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton St Boston, MA US 02199
Sheraton Boston Hotel (0 Photo)
Sheraton Boston Hotel
Just returned from a two night stay at the Sheraton Boston. the stay definitely wasn't as good as my last stay. things started off on a poor note when the hotel didn't reply to an email sent to the address listed on spg.com.
Check In
I was there with my parents (i am platinum, mom is gold) on priceline stays. arrived at 10 AM, my mom's room was ready. my room wasn't ready since i was "blocked for a suite." that's fine...we dumped all of our bags in the folk's room. would have liked a shower and time to freshen up, but no big deal. my folks had a beautiful view of fenway park and back bay and the room was nice, albeit small. but, heck, for the rate we paid, the room was nice.
Got back to the hotel around 5 pm. waited on the spg line for about 10 minutes. once at the front desk, i was told that i had to re-check in even though the first agent swiped my credit card and checked my ID. i was told that all of the information was cancelled since the room wasn't ready. i found that odd. also, i wasn't offered an amenity. as i was leaving the desk, i had to inquire. the agent apologized.
Room
The room was a huge disappointment as it was very small. normally on a priceline stay, i wouldn't have cared. but, since i waited 7 hours for the room and was told that i was blocked for a suite, i was disappointed. when i called down, i was told that the room was an "executive suite." out of the last twenty nights i have stayed in non-suite standard rooms (at HOT and non-HOT properties), this would have been in the bottom three in terms of size. it was nothing more than a standard room. calling this a suite is a drastic mischaracterization. this wasn't even a junior suite, in my opinion. my parents' room was a basic room and was, at most, 10% smaller than this "suite."
Service
Invoked the "sheraton promise" and a front desk manager got on the line. he insisted that the room was a suite so i said that we were going to have to agree to disagree. i offered my definition of a suite (a room with a separate seating area aside from the bedroom). he told me that the room was a suite due to its "wide open spaces." even if there were wide open spaces (which there weren't), that doesn't make a room a suite.
He offered to move me to another "suite" with a different layout. i agreed and he told me that a bellman would be up to bring me my new room keys. twenty five minutes go by...watching TV....no keys. so, i go downstairs, wait 10 minutes on the spg line, and get my keys.
Since my original room was on the spg floors, it had two bottles Poland Springs water. this room didn't have water and the manager that switched my room must have not bothered to alert housekeeping to leave me bottled water in the room (sloppy).
Upon returning late sunday night/monday morning (around midnight), i saw an all-too-familiar scene. there was one front desk clerk and a line of about 10 guests waiting to check-in. yikes, glad i didn't need anything.
Overall
All-in-all, a pretty mediocre stay. pros of this hotel are its great location/views and gym. the front desk staff wasn't nearly as professional as i remebered from my last stay.
I would still give this property another shot before moving back to the westin. maybe it was a bad weekend.
As for the shortage of front desk staff, i understand it is a tough time for hotels currently. but, i would note that the hotel was doing a great business this weekend. there was a business convention as people were walking around all weekend with name tags. and, the elevators were packed. i think this property is probably holding up pretty well if this past weekend was any indication.
Jul 28, 2003, 2:55 pm
Jul 28, 2003, 6:58 pm
Jul 28, 2003, 7:01 pm
...airport convienence...</font>
I just stayed the at Four Points Logan International Airport in Revere. Quite a misnomer. I admit that you don't have to go through a tunnel to get to the airport, but it was about 10-15 minutes away by shuttle van. I give it a thumbs down for that reason plus the lobby smelled funny.
Aug 31, 2003, 6:38 pm
called before my visit to have my spg # entered in the reservation along with that of my mother. i am platinum and she is gold, separate rooms.
checked in at the spg counter. pretty decent wait (eight or so people waiting in the regular line, three in the spg line). this was a recurring theme throughout the trip, huge front desk lines.
mom and i gave credit cards along with our plat/gold spg cards. assigned to basic mediocre rooms in the old tower, not even on an spg floor (this hotel has special SPG floors in both towers). no amenity offered for me despite the agent stairing at my platinum card while i was checking in. i have no idea how he could miss/forget to offer me my amenity??
when i got to the room, i called down to the service line. got a new room and an apology (told her i will take the points).
twice during the stay on separate days, i saw some of the longest lines i have ever seen in my life at any hotel's front desk (from the counter to the front revolving door--at least 20/30 people long??). amazing. long lines usually means good business but the front desk staffing really seemed insufficient. so, to get from the old tower to the new tower guests had to cut through the check-in line.
used the gym. it's a great hotel gym (run by an outside vendor). while it is small, they have equipment that maximizes the space (weight bars, etc.). if you are interested in a great pool with a gym and cardio equipment, definitely opt for the sheraton over the westin. there is no comparison.
edited to add: i had to call to have my SPG number added because i had a priceline reservation.
i would say the difference between my stays last year and this year is that: 1) the hotel really had its act together vis-a-vis elite blocking of premium rooms last year and 2) the unbelievable front desk lines.
also, at check-in i inquired about the elite spg lounge. it was closed during labor day weekend. i have no idea why they would close it during a busy holiday weekend.
also, (fyi) when i checked out there was a sign on the front desk offering upgrades to the club level floors for a flat $30 fee.
[This message has been edited by fly co to see the yanks (edited 09-02-2003).]
Sep 1, 2003, 4:12 pm
For my money, I always stay at the Westin. I have given the Sheraton numerous chances and found my stays there to be okay, but less than stellar. I, too, have been granted suites there that I just hated -- old decor and lousy layout. I'd much prefer a std room at the Westin. If you are staying at the Sheraton, you will not be miserable, don't misread me.....I just think that the Westin is a better hotel from most every perspective.