MSPeconomist

I'm surprised as this one is on my nice list.

Lounge food tends to have some creative choices at both happy hour and breakfast, but the veggies etc. on the center table can be depressing. [The cheese meat and bread option tends to run out quickly and isn't replaced. Sometimes the same is true of the interesting mini deserts.] There's often some nice wine being offered in the club lounge for a reasonable price, although happy hour wine in the lobby and restaurant can be better at half price per glass. The restaurant Lela has an award winning chef and has been having a series of chef's table and wine dinner events. [I know the hotel and restaurant well from the latter, including meeting the guy who founded the ownership/management group (and his wife, who was instrumental in organizing a very special wine dinner that I attended).]

BTW, this property started life as a Sofitel. It was completely renovated for the Sheraton flag, but the qualify F&B emphasis remains, as do a few surprising French touches. Due to this history, in many ways it's a unique USA Sheraton.

BTW, this place is so much better than the Sheratons at Minneapolis North Plymouth and Minneapolis Midtown, although close to Bloomington there's a nice Westin (with lounge) at Edina Galleria. Both are under the same ownership and the same GM who seems outstanding, with the Westin consistently winning best Westin service in the USA awards. Locals with hospitality career ambitions really want to work for this GM and sometimes willingly accept a title downgrade for the experience.

fdem

Please don’t tell me people eat cakes as hors d’oevres, even in the US! I find this grabbing of food in lounges really sad, can people staying at these hotels not afford dinner!

SHLTP

Yeah, we who like proper food in a lounge to save costs are not as big spenders as you. You are lucky to be as rich as you think yourself to be.

howtofreetravel

When the food runs out I call downstairs and ask them to refill it's not so difficult.

travelista

OP, the Sheraton in Bloomington (yes, MN) has gone through some major renovations. It previously was a Sofitel for decades.... and it has improved through the Sheraton renovations.
This property gets lots of corporate stays and their restaurant Lela is very good (for a Sheraton).
I stay at a lot of Sheratons - the rates are fairly moderate for my regular business travel, and I have stayed at this property many times (mattress runs).
It's not that bad of a Sheraton, in fact... it's better than your average Sheraton.

I agree w you though, that the Club Lounge service there has always been poor. Poor attitudes, food & drink that's highly picked over, and lack of attendants.

heraclitus

The restaurant in the Sofitel was one of my favourites anywhere in MSP... Chez Colette. It was fantastic. I haven't been there since it became a Sheraton. Is Lela as good as the restaurant it replaced?

MSPeconomist

It's very different. One of my objections is that it doesn't have a consistent theme: crudo, pasta, and (grilled or more generally cooked, not butcher style sausage etc.) meat???? Is it local or Italian or seafood or steak or what? It's also quite informal and can be very noisy.

BTW, do you remember when the Sofitel had the informal French bistro as well as the more formal French fine dining restaurant?

I've also heard rumors that the place once had an indoor swimming down in the atrium, but I don't remember that at all. Do you?

bhrubin

Sheraton Univ City Philly was undergoing its second public space and lobby renovation in almost a decade this past spring when I was there several times. See my review of 5 stays:

https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...ittle-bad-1956

I agree that I wasn't as fond of the Sheraton Downtown Philly property, which is much larger and hosts many conventions and meetings. It's an older, tired building, for sure. That being said, the lobby area had been renovated a few years ago and was much more pleasant. The rooms were recently refreshed as well, though I've not seen those myself yet.

bhrubin

I suspect most of those who eat meals in such hotel lounges are on business stays trying to minimize their own spending on their per diem. Or are families trying to squeeze as much value as they can from their stay. While that isn't me at all, I do not judge.

The same reasons for so many Americans eating so much fast food likely have parallels with so many business travelers and families eating meals in hotel lounges such as these.

I'm not fond of eating lounge food for the same reason I've never been fond of cafeteria food. Yet clearly there is a market for such food options, and Sheraton and Marriott, as well as some Westin and other upscale hotel brands, are all there to try as meet the needs of that market.

MSPeconomist

Some hotel lounges with longer hours bring out the pastries late in the evening, so that those who had early dinners or have just arrived after a dinner flight can get some sweets. Others might take a pastry or two back to the room, to enjoy before bed.

IME many RC lounges have a late(r) evening service with pastry and after dinner drinks, where the five F&B services are designated as breakfast, light lunch, afternoon (high) tea, appetizers, and after dinner drinks.

heraclitus

I never actually stayed at the Sofitel... I used to stay at the Doubletree across the street (previously, coincidentally enough, the Sheraton). I just liked to wander over to Chez Colette for meals. Delicious.

I have a stay coming up in MSP but sadly I'll be closer to the airport and not close enough to try out the restaurant in the Sheraton for the purpose of comparing.

travelista

The Sheraton Bloomington might only be 10 min away, it's really not that far away from the MSP airport hotels. ^

mommafrica

Any thoughts on the Sheraton Universal Hotel?

steveholt

Echo the positive words on the Sheraton Commander in Cambridge. Sheraton Puerto Rico was very nice before the storm. Sheraton New Orleans is totally solid and in a great location. Same for the Sheraton Seattle.

MSPeconomist

Sheraton Bloomington doesn't have an airport shuttle, but the distance is small enough that you might be able to get a shuttle driver to take you between the hotels for dinner, especially if the hotel uses a distance limit to define the shuttle service they are willing to provide.