Starwood in Birmingham, Alabama: Sheraton, Four Points, and aLoft
Dec 11, 2012, 9:49 pm
#31
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Programs: AA LT Gold, UA Gold, Hyatt Plat, HHonors Gold, Priority Club Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 316
Starwood in Birmingham, Alabama: Sheraton, Four Points, and aLoft
I'm currently staying at the Sheraton... There is no wifi access in the rooms and there are absolutely no plugs in the vicinity of the bed/beds. The property is convenient if you're here for an event at the convention center, otherwise you're better off staying pretty much anywhere else in Birmingham. The only positive of this hotel is a free local shuttle which also provides rides to/from the airport. As others have said, this Sheraton is not worth the money.
Apr 25, 2013, 7:33 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,642
Will be in B'ham next week. Does anyone have any experience with the new Westin? Otherwise it looks like I'll be Alofting--the Sheraton sounds like one to avoid.
Apr 25, 2013, 11:26 am
#33
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 226
Aloft is in a nice area with bars and restaurants and is a 10-15 minute drive to the downtown area. They don't offer a shuttle to/from the airport so a rental car would be preferable if you need to get around B'ham.
If you are just coming for something at the convention center, I would stay at the Westin.
Apr 25, 2013, 3:02 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Starwood Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Delta Platinum
Posts: 2,188
I haven't seen the rooms at the Westin yet, but the hotel definitely has a great look and has to be a much better alternative than the Sheraton. On the downside, the Todd English restaurant attached to the Westin, P.U.B., is a huge disappointment. Very pricey for poor service and less than average food. I am a huge fan of Olives in NYC and I've actually tried P.U.B. twice (hoping that the first trip was an aberration) - it got worse...
Apr 25, 2013, 3:05 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cullman, Alabama
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 648
Love the Westin, Sheraton & Loft
Love the new Westin but I also like the ALoft. Southside is near by 10 minutes or so max.
Not much to do right in the immediate area of the Westin or Sheraton but if you can go to a baseball game or the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame if you have time. The hotels are all 3 top notch.
The Westin would be my first choice. Brand New Property.^
Not much to do right in the immediate area of the Westin or Sheraton but if you can go to a baseball game or the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame if you have time. The hotels are all 3 top notch.
The Westin would be my first choice. Brand New Property.^
Last edited by SimpleManToo; Apr 25, 2013 at 3:08 pm Reason: typo
Jun 24, 2014, 2:50 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: ua mm, aa plat, starriott LTPP, ihg plat, hh gold.
Posts: 13,017
Just an update...have stayed at both the Homewood Aloft and the Sheraton Birmingham in the last two weeks. The Aloft remains awesome (if you're okay with the Aloft model) and the Sheraton is still firmly 'meh' at best.
Aloft: walking distance to great restaurants, terrific staff, groovy area. Would gladly stay again anytime.
Wish there had been cash and points available for my most recent stay, but...only availability was at the Sheraton, so there we went.
The internet did work in my room, but the gal at the front desk tried to explain to me that an 'upgrade' to the concierge floor was the same thing as an upgrade to a suite, and that was the extent of my platinum benefits. I'm not pushing for the upgrade, I'm tired and if they don't have it, fine, they don't have it...but, sheesh, tell me you don't have it, not that what I've got is the same thing.
I asked for a quiet room; we're next to the service elevator facing the freeway. Awesome.
Again, just one night, tired, won't bother to move....but not a great way to treat a plat.
On the other hand, it's a great reminder why I haven't stayed here since my one time YEARS ago, and won't again. @:-)
Aloft: walking distance to great restaurants, terrific staff, groovy area. Would gladly stay again anytime.
Wish there had been cash and points available for my most recent stay, but...only availability was at the Sheraton, so there we went.
The internet did work in my room, but the gal at the front desk tried to explain to me that an 'upgrade' to the concierge floor was the same thing as an upgrade to a suite, and that was the extent of my platinum benefits. I'm not pushing for the upgrade, I'm tired and if they don't have it, fine, they don't have it...but, sheesh, tell me you don't have it, not that what I've got is the same thing.
I asked for a quiet room; we're next to the service elevator facing the freeway. Awesome.
Again, just one night, tired, won't bother to move....but not a great way to treat a plat.On the other hand, it's a great reminder why I haven't stayed here since my one time YEARS ago, and won't again. @:-)
Jun 25, 2014, 5:29 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC E, *A G, Starwood Platinum, Fairmont Platinum, Porter Points
Posts: 719
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Kbd) AppleWebKit/537.35+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.2.1.2141 Mobile Safari/537.35+)
I've only had good stays at the Sheraton. I found their facilities to be nice for their category of hotel. The lounge was well stocked and offered a variety of warm foods and salads which changed on a daily basis. Very friendly staff as well
Originally Posted by karenkay
Just an update...have stayed at both the Homewood Aloft and the Sheraton Birmingham in the last two weeks. The Aloft remains awesome (if you're okay with the Aloft model) and the Sheraton is still firmly 'meh' at best.
Aloft: walking distance to great restaurants, terrific staff, groovy area. Would gladly stay again anytime.
Wish there had been cash and points available for my most recent stay, but...only availability was at the Sheraton, so there we went.
The internet did work in my room, but the gal at the front desk tried to explain to me that an 'upgrade' to the concierge floor was the same thing as an upgrade to a suite, and that was the extent of my platinum benefits. I'm not pushing for the upgrade, I'm tired and if they don't have it, fine, they don't have it...but, sheesh, tell me you don't have it, not that what I've got is the same thing.
I asked for a quiet room; we're next to the service elevator facing the freeway. Awesome. Again, just one night, tired, won't bother to move....but not a great way to treat a plat.
On the other hand, it's a great reminder why I haven't stayed here since my one time YEARS ago, and won't again. @:-)
Aloft: walking distance to great restaurants, terrific staff, groovy area. Would gladly stay again anytime.
Wish there had been cash and points available for my most recent stay, but...only availability was at the Sheraton, so there we went.
The internet did work in my room, but the gal at the front desk tried to explain to me that an 'upgrade' to the concierge floor was the same thing as an upgrade to a suite, and that was the extent of my platinum benefits. I'm not pushing for the upgrade, I'm tired and if they don't have it, fine, they don't have it...but, sheesh, tell me you don't have it, not that what I've got is the same thing.
I asked for a quiet room; we're next to the service elevator facing the freeway. Awesome.
Again, just one night, tired, won't bother to move....but not a great way to treat a plat.On the other hand, it's a great reminder why I haven't stayed here since my one time YEARS ago, and won't again. @:-)
Jun 26, 2014, 7:42 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: ua mm, aa plat, starriott LTPP, ihg plat, hh gold.
Posts: 13,017
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Kbd) AppleWebKit/537.35+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.2.1.2141 Mobile Safari/537.35+)
I've only had good stays at the Sheraton. I found their facilities to be nice for their category of hotel. The lounge was well stocked and offered a variety of warm foods and salads which changed on a daily basis. Very friendly staff as well
I've only had good stays at the Sheraton. I found their facilities to be nice for their category of hotel. The lounge was well stocked and offered a variety of warm foods and salads which changed on a daily basis. Very friendly staff as well
Mar 21, 2015, 1:35 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: ua mm, aa plat, starriott LTPP, ihg plat, hh gold.
Posts: 13,017
any updates here? we're planning a trip through birmingham and i'm debating between the westin and the aloft...still haven't tried the former.
Mar 21, 2015, 7:14 pm
#40
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: TUS
Programs: UA Gold, SPG Plat50, Hyatt Plat, mLife Gold, Marriott Gold, National Exec, Hertz Five Star, Chase UR
Posts: 9
I'm going to be in Birmingham the week of the 6th and am staying at the aloft. I'll try to report back how it is. First time in the city, so I can't compare it to other properties in the area.
Mar 21, 2015, 9:14 pm
#41
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 80
I stayed at the Westin last year and really enjoyed it. I hear the Aloft is in a more interesting area (Homewood), but I was attending an event at the BJCC and didn't want to rent a car so the Westin was a better choice for me. The area around the hotel is quickly developing and several restaurants had just opened or were about to open when I went. The food isn't particularly good though, and I enjoyed visiting smaller restaurants near the UAB campus where the food offer was much more interesting.
As for the hotel itself, it opened just a few years ago and everything is still new and in good shape. If you stay on the lower floors you might hear some noise from the pub downstairs, but I was on an upper floor and didn't hear a thing - slept like a baby! There's a huge lobby area that feels very welcoming, in addition to a smaller hangout area with couches on the second floor. The pool is pretty nice as well, and there's an indoor walkway that goes through the Sheraton all the way to BJCC. Overall the hotel doesn't have much of a luxurious feel but it still looks nice because everything is so new - not sure how it will age. Certainly better than the Sheraton next door though, I heard it was pretty worn down!
Also, I know most people here are swimming in SPG points, but as a broke grad student, I want say that the Westin is the only 4-star hotel in Birmingham, and thus very easy to bid for on Priceline. Got it for a ridiculously low price when I went last year - definitely worth a try for anyone on a budget!
As for the hotel itself, it opened just a few years ago and everything is still new and in good shape. If you stay on the lower floors you might hear some noise from the pub downstairs, but I was on an upper floor and didn't hear a thing - slept like a baby! There's a huge lobby area that feels very welcoming, in addition to a smaller hangout area with couches on the second floor. The pool is pretty nice as well, and there's an indoor walkway that goes through the Sheraton all the way to BJCC. Overall the hotel doesn't have much of a luxurious feel but it still looks nice because everything is so new - not sure how it will age. Certainly better than the Sheraton next door though, I heard it was pretty worn down!
Also, I know most people here are swimming in SPG points, but as a broke grad student, I want say that the Westin is the only 4-star hotel in Birmingham, and thus very easy to bid for on Priceline. Got it for a ridiculously low price when I went last year - definitely worth a try for anyone on a budget!